54 SOCIAL SCIENTIST popular struggles against the early onslaughts of colonial rule was being created by thousands of unknown martyrs in Bengal. We have long enough tried to read Hamlet, without the real Prince of Denmark. ATIS DASGUPTA* 1 Jamini Mohan Ghosh, BCS (Rai Sahib), Sannyasi and Fakir Raiders in Bengal, Calcutta, 1930, and Sannyasis in Mymensingh, Dacca, 1923. 2 ANChandra, The Sannyasi Rebellion, Calcutta, 1977. 3 In Farquhar, "The Organisation of the Sannyasis of the Vedanta", Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1925; B S Cohn, "The Role of Gosains in the Economy of 18th and 19th Century Upper India", Indian Economic and Social History Review, I, No 4, 1964: N B Roy, "Naga Sannyasi Geneshgeer and the Kutehbihar Disturbances of 1787", in H R Gupta (ed), Jadunath Sarkar Commemoration Volume, 1958; D H A Kolff, "Sannyasi Trader-Soldiers", Indian Economic and Social History Review, VIII, 1971. 4 D N Lorenzen, "Warrier Ascetics in Indian History", Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol 98, No 1, 1978. 5 Comprehensive research in the orgins and the economic background of the rebellion has been started recently at the University of North Bengal. 6 We like to refer to a near-contemporary Bengali manuscript, Majnu Shah Hakikat, a long verse written on the rebellion by Jamiruddin Dafadar, a local poet of Birbhum; the manuscript has been published as an appendix to Bidrohi Fakir Nayak Majnu Shah, by M Abdur Rahman. 7 N K Sinha, The Economic History of Bengal, Vol I, p 169. 8 W W Hunter, Annals of Rural Bengal', Appendix, Records of India Office. 9 Grand, Narrative of the Life of a Gentleman Long Resident in Bengal, p 18. 10 Calendar of Pesian Correspondence, Vol I. 11 Fani, Dabistan or School of Manners, p II (Troyer's edition). 12 Ghulam Hussein, Soir Mutequerin, Vol I, p 2 (Cambray's edition), 13 Hunter, op cit, p 70. 14 Secret Department Proceedings, dated 5 December 1763. 15 Letter of the Collector of Laskarpur to the President of the Council, dated 4 March 1773. 16 R C Majumdar, History of Freedom Movement in India, Vol I, p 70. 17 M Abdur Rahman, op cit, p 5. 18 Ibid, p 8. 19 Letter from the Supervisor of Rajshahi to the Controlling Council of Revenue, dated 23 January 1772. 20 Hunter, op cit, p 77. 21 Extracts from a letter to the President of the Council from Charles Perlin, dated 31 December 1772. 22 Letters from the Collector of Dinajpur to the Collector of Murshidabad, dated 28 May 1788 and 12 June 1788. 23 Hunter, op cit, p 70. 24 Proceedings of the Governor General in Council, Political Department, dated 13 February 1795. 25 Extract from a letter to Burgess, Collector of Purnea, from a commercial traveller in Nepal, dated 18 January 1795. 26 Suprakash Roy, Bharater Krishak Bidroha 0 Ganatantrik Sangram, pp 34-35. 27 Narahari Kabiraj, Swadhinata Sangrame Bangia, p 54. * Sociological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta. The author is greteful to Barun De, Director, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, for guidance and supervision.