Great Famine of 1876–1878
The Great Famine of 1876–1878 was a famine in India under British Crown rule. It began in 1876 after an intense drought resulted in crop failure in the Deccan Plateau. It affected south and Southwestern India—the British-administered presidencies of Madras and Bombay, and the princely states of Mysore and Hyderabad—for a period of two years. In 1877, famine came to affect regions northward, including parts of the Central Provinces and the North-Western Provinces, and a small area in Punjab. The famine ultimately affected an area of 670,000 square kilometres (257,000 sq mi) and caused distress to a population totalling 58,500,000. The excess mortality in the famine has been estimated in a range whose low end is 5.6 million human fatalities, high end 9.6 million fatalities, and a careful modern demographic estimate 8.2 million fatalities. The famine is also known as the Southern India famine of 1876–1878 and the Madras famine of 1877.
| Great Indian famine of 1876–1878 | |
|---|---|
Map of the British Indian Empire (1885), showing the regions affected by various famines of the 19th century, including the Great Famine of 1876–1878. | |
| Country | British India |
| Location | Madras, Bombay, Mysore, Hyderabad |
| Period | 1876–1878 |
| Total deaths | 5.6–9.6 million |
| Causes | Drought, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, |
| Theory | Grain commodification, Cash Crops |
| Preceded by | Bihar famine of 1873–1874 |
| Succeeded by | Indian famine of 1896–1897 |