Partition of Bengal (1905): Causes, Events, Impact & Annulment
Gajendra Singh Godara
Oct 17, 2025
15
mins read
The Partition of Bengal (1905) was a British territorial reorganization dividing Bengal Presidency into two provinces. One of them was a largely Muslim-majority East, the Eastern Bengal and Assam. The other one was a Hindu-majority West, West Bengal with Bihar and Orissa.
Lord Curzon announced the partition of Bengal. He was the Viceroy from 1899 to 1905.
He said they needed the partition for “administrative efficiency.” However, it only increased nationalist protests and community tensions. Leaders often viewed this as a divide-and-rule policy.
Bengal Presidency before 1905
Before 1905, the Bengal Presidency was the largest province in British India. It included modern West Bengal and Bangladesh, known as "Bengal proper." It also covered the areas of Bihar, Orissa (now Odisha), and Assam.
Its population was about 78.5 million (1901 census). Administrators long complained its size and diversity made governance difficult. Bengal was also the capital of British India (Fort William, Calcutta), making it politically important.
New units after partition
On October 16, 1905 the Presidency was split into two new provinces:
Eastern Bengal and Assam – A Muslim-majority province headquartered at Dacca (Dhaka). It included all of Assam and three main divisions of Bengal: Chittagong, Dacca, and Rajshahi.
It also included nearby areas like Hill Tippera (Tripura) and Malda. In total it comprised about 30 districts (e.g. Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur, etc.).
Western Bengal – The remaining parts of Bengal (largely Hindu-populated) merged with the Bihar and Orissa divisions. The capital remained Calcutta (Kolkata). This West Bengal province included West Bengal proper, the province of Bihar, and Orissa. (Bihar and Orissa later became a separate province in 1912.)
Lord George Curzon, who was Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905 was the prominent brain behind the partition. In July 1905, Curzon obtained Home Department approval in Simla and executed the plan there. They issued a Government Resolution on July 19, 1905.
A royal Proclamation formalized the split on September 1, 1905. The order finally took effect on October 16, 1905. They took these steps quietly and with little local consultation. They came from Curzon’s office with little debate and skipped the full legislative process.
There were various reasons behind the Partition. The major reasons were:
Administrative Convenience: The chief motive of partition, according to British records, was administrative convenience. Bengal had an enormous population of 78 million people which hampered governance.
East-West Polarity: The Hindu elite of West Bengal, known as the Bhadralok, would lose their power. They created a loyal Muslim province to balance Bengali nationalism.
Centre of Nationalism: Bengal had become the hub of rising Indian nationalism. It produced influential leaders such as Aurobindo Ghosh and Surendranath Banerjee. They played a major role in strengthening the national movement.
Securing Muslim Support: Lord Curzon sought to gain the loyalty of Muslims. He proposed Dacca (Dhaka) as the capital of a new Muslim-majority province. This offered a sense of political unity and importance to the Muslim community.
The partition aimed to separate the educated upper caste Hindu elites in Calcutta from the important jute-producing areas. Thereby reducing the city’s political and economic influence.
Countering the Indian National Congress (INC): Hindu leaders largely dominated the Indian National Congress in Western Bengal. By creating a Muslim-majority province in Eastern Bengal, the British intended to dilute the influence of the INC.
Day of mourning: The day of partition (16 Oct 1905) was called “Ash Wednesday”. The offices, schools and courts closed; hartals, processions and public meetings held across West Bengal.
Popular non-violent protests: To show their disapproval, thousands of people fasted, many women refused to cook, men tied yellow threads/rakhis to express inter-communal solidarity.
East Bengal response : East Bengal was largely Muslim-majority districts. The reaction was mixed but often positive among elites who expected improved administration, jobs and education.
All-India/national reaction: The Indian National Congress officially condemned the partition.At the Banaras session on Dec 1905.Gopal Krishna Gokhale denounced it as cruel wrong.Protests, hartals and meetings in Bombay, Madras and other provinces gave moral and organisational support to Bengal’s agitation bringing solidarity.
Moderate perspective relied on constitutional methods: petitions, public meetings, legal appeals and moral persuasion; sought reversal through negotiation and appeals to British public opinion (leaders: Gokhale, Surendranath Banerjee, other bhadralok moderates).
Extremist perspective argued for assertive mass action. They boycotted foreign goods. They believed petitions alone would not compel the British (leaders associated: Lal - Bal - Pal : Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal)
Transformation of Congress politics
Partition started a shift from constitutional petitioning to mass agitation.
The Congress split at Surat (1907) into Moderates and Extremists. A manifestation of tensions over tactics (petitioning vs direct action).
This polarisation shaped subsequent strategies for freedom.
Rise of communal/ communalised politics
Partition’s communal implications encouraged separate organisation of Muslim political interests .
The All-India Muslim League (1906, Dacca) initially sought safeguards and educational advance for Muslims.
Later it became central to separatist politics.
Growth of revolutionary nationalism
Young radicals in Bengal formed secret societies (e.g., Anushilan Samiti, Jugantar).
This period produced violent incidents and conspiracy cases. The most notable was the Alipore Bomb Case (1908). It showed a turn to direct, armed struggle among a section of youth.
After the Partition of Bengal the swadeshi movement emerged as a mass economic and cultural protest. They attempted to revive the Indian industries. The hartals and meetings fueled this uprising to a sustained nationwide movement for self realisation.
Origins and leadership
The anti-Partition agitation evolved rapidly into the Swadeshi Movement (1905–1908).
The boycott of British goods promoted indigenous production.
Key freedom fighters were a mix of moderates and extremists: Surendranath Banerjee, Aurobindo Ghosh, Taraknath Palit, Ananda Mohan Bose in Bengal; Lal–Bal–Pal elsewhere.
Strategies and methods
Boycott of British goods (textiles, salt, etc.) and pledges to use Indian cloth (khadi) and local products.
Promotion of indigenous industry: Swadeshi bazaars, khadi shops, revival of handloom and crafts.
Mass mobilisation: Hartals, processions, public meetings, picketing of foreign shops. Slogans and songs (e.g., Vande Mataram) were central.
Education & institutions: Establishment of nationalist institutions — the Bengal National College and the National Council of Education (1906) to provide education independent of British control.
Media & culture: Newspapers, pamphlets, plays, images (Bharat Mata), poems and songs were used to spread nationalist sentiment and mobilise ordinary people.
Impact of Swadeshi
Decline in British textile imports to India for a time; revival of some indigenous industries and a huge growth in political participation (students, artisans, traders, women).
Boycott was uneven (rural poor still relied on British salt/goods); government repression and arrests (1907–08) weakened the campaign.
Forced the British to reassess policy; radicalised Indian politics; converted Congress into a mass movement and encouraged the growth of revolutionary groups.
Why did the British annul the Partition of Bengal?
By 1910–11 the British concluded that Partition had failed its stated administrative purpose and had strengthened rather than weakened nationalist feeling.
Swadeshi agitation and mass unrest made the policy politically costly. Administrative inconveniences (Calcutta’s status, coordination) added impetus to rethink the arrangement.
Delhi Durbar (12 Dec 1911): King-Emperor George V announced the annulment; Viceroy Lord Hardinge carried out the implementation.
Terms of the 1911 reorganisation
Reunification of Bengal: Eastern Bengal and Western Bengal were merged again into a single Bengal province.
New provincial map: Assam was reconstituted as a separate Chief Commissioner’s province. Bihar and Orissa were separated from Bengal to create a separate province till 1912. Later Odisha became a separate province in 1936.
Capital shifted to Delhi: The imperial capital was transferred from Calcutta to New Delhi.
Administrative changes: New provincial councils and arrangements of the office of the governor were established for the reorganised units.
Impact on Indian nationalism
Birth of mass politics.
The 1905–08 Swadeshi agitation was the first sustained, large-scale mass movement in colonial India.
It demonstrated that sustained popular boycott and protest could influence imperial policy.
It converted politics from elite petitioning to mass mobilisation.
Radicalisation of goals and tactics.
Indian National Congress shifted from a primarily constitutional, middle-class body to a movement willing to use mass agitation.
The idea of Swaraj gained currency and the Extremist line (direct action, boycott) found a wider following.
Institutional and social spillover.
New nationalist institutions (National Council of Education, Bengal National College)
a revived emphasis on indigenous industry, and political engagement by students, traders and artisans created a durable base for later movements (Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience).
2. Communal consequences
Politicisation of religious identity: The Partition turned religion into an overt political category; many Muslims saw the new province as a vehicle for advancement while many Hindus saw it as communal gerrymandering.
Organisational fallout: The political mobilisation of Muslims around provincial interests helped precipitate the All-India Muslim League (Dacca, 1906).
Electoral institutionalisation: The communalisation of politics fed into constitutional changes — notably the separate electorates for Muslims introduced in the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909), which entrenched communal representation in colonial politics.
Long arc to 1947: Scholars trace a line from the communal politics crystallised after 1905 to the polarising debates of the 1940s; the 1905 division became a recurrent reference point in bargaining over Bengal’s future in 1947.
Administrative and geopolitical legacy
New provincial map: The 1911 reversal did not restore the pre-1905 administrative map entirely: Assam became a distinct province; Bihar & Orissa were separated (Bihar & Orissa province from 1912; Odisha province in 1936). These units survive in India’s later federal map.
Dhaka’s elevation: Dhaka’s brief role as a provincial capital (1905–11) strengthened its administrative and urban profile — a factor in its later centrality in East Pakistan and eventual status as the capital of independent Bangladesh.
Capital shift to Delhi: Moving the imperial capital from Calcutta to New Delhi (1911) had symbolic and administrative consequences for colonial governance and for Bengal’s political influence.
4. Link to the 1947 partition
Precedent in communal partitioning: The 1905 experiment set an administrative and political precedent for dividing territory along communal lines; debates about demographic balance and territorial drawing reappeared in 1947 (Radcliffe Line).
Lessons learned and repeated anxieties: Both 1905 and 1947 show how geography and demography were weaponised in political bargaining; however, 1947 produced far greater violence and permanent sovereign partition.
Prelims
Q. With reference to the Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements: (UPSC Prelims 2019)
It contributed to the revival of the indigenous artisan crafts and industries.
The National Council of Education was established as a part of the Swadeshi Movement.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c)
Q. The Swadeshi and Boycott were adopted as methods of struggle for the first time during the (UPSC Prelims 2016)
Agitation against the Partition of Bengal
Home Rule Movement
Non-Cooperation Movement
Visit of the Simon Commission to India
Answer: (a)
Q. The Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until (UPSC Prelims 2014)
The First World War, was when Indian troops were needed by the British, and the partition was ended.
King George V abrogated Curzon’s Act at the Royal Durbar in Delhi in 1911
Gandhiji launched his Civil Disobedience Movement
The partition of India in 1947 when East Bengal became East Pakistan.
Answer: (b)
Mains
Q. Evaluate the policies of Lord Curzon and their long-term implications on the national movement. (UPSC Mains 2020)
The 1905 Bengal Partition was a watershed in colonial history. It not only redrew India’s map but transformed Indian politics. Instead of a quick administrative fix, it gave birth to a broad-based national movement and hardened communal identities.
The Swadeshi movement that followed energized the Indian National Congress. At the same time, the Muslim League’s formation showed a growing sense of community. Many of its legacies lasted until 1947. For example, there were efforts to balance the Hindu and Muslim populations in Bengal during the Partition of India. This reflected Curzon’s plan from 1905.
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