Arrange the following events in a chronological order:

(A) Santhals begin to come and settle in the Rajmahal hills

(B) Permanent Settlement in Bengal

(C) Cotton boom begins

(D) Santhal rebellion

Choose the correct answer from the options given below

The correct option is (B), (A), (D), (C).

To understand why this is the correct chronological order, let us look at the historical timeline of each event:

(B) Permanent Settlement in Bengal: This was introduced by the British East India Company, led by Governor-General Lord Cornwallis, in the year 1793. It established a fixed land revenue system.

(A) Santhals begin to come and settle in the Rajmahal hills: The British actively encouraged Santhals to settle in the Rajmahal hills to clear forests and practice settled agriculture around the 1800s to 1830s. By 1832, a large area of land was demarcated as Damin-i-koh for them.

(D) Santhal rebellion: Due to exploitation by money-lenders, zamindars, and the British administration, the Santhals revolted under the leadership of Sidhu and Kanhu in the years 1855–1856.

(C) Cotton boom begins: The American Civil War broke out in 1861, disrupting cotton supply to Britain. This triggered a cotton boom in India, particularly in the Deccan region, as British manufacturers turned to India for raw cotton export.

By placing these years in sequential order:
1. Permanent Settlement in Bengal (1793) → (B)
2. Santhals settling in Rajmahal hills (c. 1800s–1832) → (A)
3. Santhal rebellion (1855–1856) → (D)
4. Cotton boom begins (1861) → (C)

Therefore, the correct chronological sequence is (B), (A), (D), (C).