Rampa rebellion of 1879

Rampa Rebellion of 1879 (also known as the First Rampa Rebellion to distinguish it from the Rampa Rebellion of 1922-24) was an insurrection by the hill tribes of the Vizagapatam Hill-Tracts Agency of Vizagapatam District against the British government of the Madras Presidency.

The hill tracts of Vizagapatam were inhabited by hill tribes who led a more or less independent way of life for centuries. These tribes either spoke Telugu or Oriya or tribal dialects and paid a regular tribute to a zamindar or mansabdar who was a subject of British India. The then zamindar of the region, an illegitimate son of his predecessor, was an oppressive tyrant. To make matters worse, the Madras government introduced a law making toddy tapping illegal and introducing a toddy tax. This led to a full-scale rebellion in early 1879.

• Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf (1982). Tribes of India: the struggle for survival. University of California Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 0520043154, ISBN 9780520043152.