---
title: "Champaran Satyagraha 1917: Gandhi's First Indian Campaign"
description: "Champaran Satyagraha (1917) was Gandhi's first civil disobedience movement, crucial for ending forced indigo cultivation in Bihar and relevant for UPSC."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/champaran-satyagraha-1917"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Champaran Satyagraha was Mohandas Gandhi's 1917 campaign in Bihar against the forced indigo cultivation imposed on peasants by European planters under the tinkathia system.
- Why is the Champaran Satyagraha considered Gandhi's first satyagraha in India?
- What was the tinkathia system that the Champaran Satyagraha opposed?
- How did the Champaran Satyagraha differ from the Kheda Satyagraha?
- What concrete outcome did the Champaran Satyagraha achieve?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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In April 1917, Mohandas Gandhi defied an expulsion order under Section 144 at Motihari, Bihar, launching the Champaran inquiry that produced the Champaran Agrarian Act of 1918 abolishing the tinkathia system.

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