During Muslim rule in Bengal, the Mal Paharias were brave warriors who maintained their independence from government control but developed a relationship with local landlords. Under this agreement, Mal Paharia lands were divided into
tappa headed by
sardars, who in turn had authority over the
manjhi: village head. The
sardars acted as a lawkeeping force among the Mal Paharia in return for which they were given a certain amount of land by the plains people. Passes leading to the hills were guarded by Mal Paharia outposts as well as forts of the plains people. This system ensured relatively friendly relationships between the hill and plains people. Once a year, this arrangement was renewed with a feast in the plains between the landlords and
sardars. However, when the Mal Paharias tried to assert their independence again, they were betrayed by the Zamindars who killed many of their headmen. From then, they became raiders of the plains. This problem was worsened during the
Bengal Famine of 1770, which the Mal Paharias were not affected by due to their reliance on forest products, and so were able to raid without much resistance. Travel on the south bank of the
Ganga near Rajmahal Hills became almost impossible, and even British messengers were robbed and murdered. Despite many British attempts to suppress them, the Mal Paharias fought back by luring British forces into the jungle, where the British rifles were useless and Paharia's poisoned arrows were ideal. Finally, in 1778, the British proposed a "pacification" scheme where money and lands were restored to the
sardars, and the forts of the landlords were taken over by EIC officials. Many Mal Paharias were recruited into a new British force which proved extremely effective: first using traditional bows and arrows, and eventually using British weaponry. This Paharia regiment, the Bhagalpur Hill Rangers, continued until the 1857 revolt and the reorganisation of British forces there. The government also tried to settle the Mal Paharias in the plains as settled agriculturalists to make the land productive, but this did not work. Instead, the British brought in
Santal cultivators from the southeastern part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, who settled in the wasteland in large numbers starting in the 1830s. The Mal Paharias fiercely resisted the entry of the Santals into their lands, a struggle that would continue until the 1850s when Santal numbers became overwhelming. The entry of the Santals generally cut the Mal Paharias off from significant contact with those in the plains. Eventually, their territory became known as Santal Parganas. Santal Parganas would continue to be a division of various administrative units, most recently the state of Jharkhand created in 2000. ==Society==