People / group

Santal people

Also known as Santhal

The Santal are one of the largest Adivasi peoples of South Asia, living mainly in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar in India, with communities in Bangladesh and Nepal. They speak Santali, a Munda language with its own Ol Chiki script. In 1855–1856 the Santal rebellion against landlords, moneylenders and the East India Company led to the creation of the Santal Parganas district.

Santal people
Image: Ramjit Tudu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Mayurbhanj StateSeraikela State

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Santal people. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/santal-people
MLA
“Santal people.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/santal-people. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Santal people.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/santal-people.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Santal people’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/santal-people (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻