The uprising was a reaction to the appointment of a Political Agent to the Government in South Bihar and recently ceded districts nearby around 1819. This resulted in many people moving into these areas which were the lands of numerous aboriginal tribes. These tribes ruled by Munda-Manki system. With the application of new land laws, the Kols were exploited by outsiders moving into the area and commercial activities. Another irritation was the taxation on the movement of products such as salt that were formerly freely moved. Corrupt official practices and lawlessness followed. When some Mankis disposed, Mankis and their followers plundered and burnt the houses of the newly settled people as well as nearby villages of hindus in revenge.
