HistoryModern India: Colonialism and the Countryside

In which period did the negotiated peace between the Paharias and the…

In which period did the negotiated peace between the Paharias and the settled people of the plains break down?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → Last decades of the eighteenth century

The peace, bought by tribute and tolls paid to the hill chiefs, broke down in the last decades of the eighteenth century. Settled farming was then being pushed hard into the forests of eastern India.

NCERT (2026-27): “2.1 In the hills of Rajmahal …
With their base in the hills, the Paharias regularly raided the plains where settled agriculturists lived. These raids were necessary for survival, particularly in years of scarcity; they were a way of asserting power over settled communities; and they were a means of negotiating political relations with outsiders. The zamindars on the plains had to often purchase peace by paying a regular tribute to the hill chiefs. …”

“This negotiated peace was somewhat fragile. It broke down in the last decades of the eighteenth century when the frontiers of settled agriculture were being aggressively extended in eastern India. …”