In the 18th century, Indian silk was in great demand in European markets due to its fine quality. The silk growers were the Santhals who reared cocoons in Hazaribagh in (present day Jharkhand). The silk traders sent their agents who gave loans to the tribal people and collected the cocoons. The tribes were paid 3 to 4 rupees for a thousand cocoons.
These were then exported to Burdwan or Gaya where they were sold at five times the price. Thus, the silk growers earned very little but traders or middlemen made huge profits. Many tribal groups due to this, saw market and the traders as their main enemies.