Decode Politics: Why Mangarh Dham, site of ‘Adivasi Jallianwala’, is in the spotlight again

While the Centre in March, answering a question from the BJP’s Udaipur MP Manna Lal Rawat, had already said there were no proposals to declare Mangarh Dham a national monument, the language used in response to the latest question has “hurt” tribal leaders from the region, community leaders say.

Mangarh Dham is a core part of the tribal identity in the region and often the rallying point for the demand for a separate Bhil Pradesh, a proposed tribal-dominated state spread across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

What did the Centre say?

In the Centre’s latest reply in Parliament, Shekhawat said, “References/representations to declare Mangarh Dham as a national monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act,1958, were received in the past.”

However, Shekhawat added no proposals are under consideration, saying, “Based on the site inspection, it has been observed that the site has undergone substantial modern development and construction. Owing to these extensive modern interventions, the site does not retain the archaeological characteristics, authenticity and integrity required for declaration as a Monument of National Importance under the provisions of the AMASR Act, 1958.”

How have tribal leaders reacted?

The response has sparked anger among tribal leaders. Speaking to The Indian Express, the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP)’s founder and Banswara MP Rajkumar Roat said, “The manner in which the Union minister has replied is an insult to the sacrifice of the 1,500 Adivasis (in the 1913 Mangarh massacre). The BJP couldn’t give respect, but the manner in which they have rejected the ‘authenticity and integrity’, they have hurt the sentiments of not only Adivasis, but also all the communities who keep faith in Mangarh Dham.”

“It’s one thing to not give it the national importance status, but their reply shows they don’t consider the tribals’ sacrifice as important,” Roat added.

BAP national president Mohan Lal Roat was also critical of the government’s response. “We oppose it and we will inform our people. Our sacrifice is known to the world, but even today, the BJP still has heen bhavna (inferiority) towards Adivasis. All the four states have a BJP government; if they are indeed well-wishers of the tribal community, then the (BJP) MLAs and MPs of the region should give a representation to the government,” he said.

Banswara MP Rajkumar Roat added, “First the Congress and now the BJP – both have used Mangarh Dham and the sacrifice of Adivasis as an ‘emotional’ vote bank for electoral politics: they choose Mangarh for their big political rallies… The reply shows the step-motherly treatment.”

While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s last visit to Mangarh Dham was in August 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the site in November 2022.

Reacting to the reply in Parliament, Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the BJP had promised in its manifesto to develop Mangarh Dham as a “grand tribal destination”. “The irony is this refusal has come from the ministry whose minister is from Rajasthan itself,” he said.

What is the significance of Mangarh Dham?

Mangarh Dham, located in Rajasthan’s Banswara district on the Gujarat border, is the site of the massacre of an estimated 1,500 Bhil tribals by British forces on November 17, 1913. Taking place six years before the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Punjab, the Mangarh incident is often referred to as the “Adivasi Jallianwala”.

Ever since the massacre, the site has been revered as a sacred place by Bhil tribals across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and is a key element of tribal identity that major parties have been attempting to harness.

The tribal identity, centred around Mangarh Dham, was the key reason behind the rise of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) and then its offshoot Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP), with tribal leaders envisioning a separate Bhil Pradesh comprising roughly 39 districts across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Last month, BAP leader Kanti Lal Roat had launched a Bhil Pradesh Sandesh Yatra, demanding a separate state.

For the BTP, which was founded in 2017 in Gujarat, the creation of a separate Bhil Pradesh has been one of its main objectives. According to Rajasthan BTP president Velaram Ghogra, Bhil social reformer and spiritual leader Govind Guru had first raised the demand for a separate tribal state back in 1913 after the Mangarh massacre.

What did BJP previously say on Mangarh Dham?

In 2022, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mangarh Dham, there were strong indications it could be designated a national monument.

In May 2022, then Union Minister of State for Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal had said “Mangarh Dham will be declared a national monument by the Centre under the successful leadership of PM Narendra Modi”. In July 2022, a team from the National Monument Authority submitted a report with its opinion on declaring Mangarh as a Monument of National Importance to Meghwal.

On the day of Modi’s rally on November 1, 2022, an official statement apparently quoting the PM’s address said Modi had declared Mangarh Dham a national monument.

However, it was a misreading of Modi’s comments on the expansion of Mangarh Dham. “I am sure the development of Mangarh Dham will make this region an awakening place of inspiration for the new generation… We can develop it further with the support of the Government of India. It can be called a national monument or something else, but there is a direct relationship between the Indian government and the tribal society of these four states,” Modi had said.

Over the years, several BJP leaders have demanded the recognition of Mangarh Dham as a nationally significant site.

In 2015, then the BJP’s Udaipur MP, Arjunlal Meena, had said in Parliament that Mangarh Dham should be declared a national monument. In 2019, then Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena had introduced the Mangarh Dham National Memorial Bill, as a private member’s Bill, to push for the development of the site. However, the Bill was never passed.

On multiple occasions, former Banswara MP Kanak Mal Katara had also urged Parliament to declare Mangarh Dham as a site of national importance. In March 2025, the BJP’s Udaipur MP Manna Lal Rawat too had urged the government to declare Mangarh Dham a national memorial.