Birsa Munda; 15 November 1875−9 June 1900 was an Indian tribal freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe. He was a spearhead behind the Millenarian movement that arose in the Bihar and Jharkhand belt in the early 19 th century under the British colonisation. Munda rallied the tribals to fight against the forceful land grabbing carried out by the British government which would turn the tribals into bonded labourers and force upon them abject poverty. Known as 'Dharti Abba' or the Earth Father, Birsa Munda stressed the need of the tribals to study their own religion and not forget their cultural roots. He influenced his people to realise the importance of owning their land and asserting their right upon them.