Bankura District
Encyclopedia
Bankura district is one of the seven districts of Burdwan Division
in the India
n state
of West Bengal
. The district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal
on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau
on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial
plains. To the west the surface gradually rises, giving way to undulating country, interspersed with rocky hillocks.
Centre of the famous Malla kingdom of western Bengal, Bankura and its surrounding regions are identified with its historical and cultural significance for the later period of Middle Ages. Vaishnavism, which gained the status of state religion of the Malla kingdom in seventeenth century AD, shaped the culture of the region. The Malla Kingdom was annexed by British East India Company
in 1765 and the modern Bankura district took its form in 1881 and was named after its headquarters.
-Mundas
, orah or rah means habitation. Banku means extremely beautiful. It may also have come from the word banka which means zig-zag. One of the most influential deities in the district is Dharmathakur
and he is locally called Bankura Roy. According to local tradition, the town, which is presently the head quarters of the district was named after its founder, a chieftain named Banku Rai. Another legend has it the town was named after Bir Bankura, one of the twenty-two sons of Bir Hambir, the Raja of Bishnupur. He divided his kingdom into twenty-two tarafs or circles and gave one to each son. Taraf Jaybelia fell to the lot of Bir Bankura. He developed the town that now bears the name Bankura. It has also been suggested that the name is a corruption of the word Bankunda, meaning five tanks. The name Bacoonda is found in old official records.
. By about 1000 BC chalcolithic people had settled on the north bank of the Dwarakeswar
.
Bankura district which was inhabited by various Proto-Australoid
and a few Proto-Dravidian
tribes in later pre-historic times was Aryanised
or assimilated with the people and culture of the Proto-Indo-European
group, who prevailed in northern India, substantially later than rest of Bengal, over many centuries, and was achieved through both conflict and cordiality.
The district was part of Rarh
in ancient times. In the Aitareya Aranyaka (around 7th century BC) the people of the region have been referred to as asura
s (demons). In the old Jain
book Acaranga Sutra
(around 4th century) there is mention of Sumha
and Ladha (Rarh?) and there too the reference is to an area inhabited by uncivilised and barbaric people.
In the 4th century, it is learnt from the Susunia
edicts, in Prakrit
and Sanskrit
, that Chandravarman, son of Simhavarman, was ruler Pushkarana (modern Pokhanna in Bankura district). According to the inscription on the Allahabad pillar Chandravarman was defeated by Samudragupta
and the area became a part of the Gupta Empire
. The area was for many years part of Dandabhukti
and Bardhamanbhukti
.
Many historians opine that assimilation with Proto-Indo-Europeans took place first in northern and eastern Bengal and then in western Bengal. This has also been the broad course of the spread of Buddhism and Jainism in Bengal. There is ample evidence of pre-eminence of Aryan religion and culture in West Bengal from around 6th century.
in Santhal Parganas
to Midnapore
and included parts of Bardhaman
and Chota Nagpur
. Smaller kingdoms of aboriginal tribes, such as Dhalbhum
, Tungbhum
, Samantabhum
and Varahabhumi or Varabhumi were gradually subdued and overshadowed by the Malla kings of Bishnupur.
Adi Malla (born 695 AD), the founder of the Malla dynasty, ruled in Laugram, 8.4 kilometres (5.2 mi) from Kotulpur
, for 33 years. When he was 15 tears old he had no equal as a wrestler in the territory all around. It was this that earned him the sobriquet of Adi Malla, the original or unique wrestler. He was known as the Bagdi
Raja. He was succeeded by his son, Jay Malla, who extended his domains and shifted his capital to Bishnupur. The subsequent kings steadily extended their kingdom. Among the more renowned are: Kalu Malla, Kau Malla, Jhau Malla, and Sur Malla.
emperor Akbar
. He was involved on the side of Mughals in their struggle against the Afghans and is mentioned by Muslim historians. He paid an annual tribute to the Muslim viceroys of Bengal and thus acknowledged their suzerainty. He was converted to Vaishnavism
by Srinivasa and introduced the worship of Madan Mohan
in Bishnupur.
Raghunath Singh, who followed Bir Hambir, was the first Bishnupur Raja to use the Kshatriya title Singh. With exquisite palaces and temples built during the period that followed Bishnupur was reputed to be the most renowned city in the world, more beautiful than the house of Indra in heaven. However, it has also been recorded that while these royal patrons of Hindu art and religion were busy building temples they had lost much of their independence and sunk to the position of tributary princes. Bir Singh walled up alive all his sons, eighteen in number. The youngest, Durjan, alone escaped, having been kept in hiding by the servants. The status of the Raja of Bishnupur was that of a tributary prince, exempted from personal attendance at the court at Murshidabad
, and represented there by a resident.
seized the Fatehpur Mahal, and then the Maratha
invasions laid waste their country. In 1742, when the Marathas, under Bhaskar Rao, attacked Bishnupur, the troops put up a spirited defence but then Gopal Singh retreated within the fort and ordered the troops and citizens to pray to Madan Mohan to save the city. It is believed that Madan Mohan responded and the cannons were fired without human assistance. The truth probably is that the Maratha cavalry were unable to pierce the strong fortifications and retired. While they failed to take the fort and pillage the treasury, the Marathas harried the less protected parts of the kingdom. Intrigue and litigation that followed ruined the Bishnupur Raj family and eventually in 1806, the estate was sold for arrears of land revenue and bought up by the Maharaja of Burdwan.
completed the misery of the kingdom. A large section of the population was swept away, cultivation fell, and lawlessness spread. The once powerful king had been reduced to the status of a mere zamindar
. In 1787, Bishnupur was united with Birbhum
to form a separate administrative unit, the headquarters was shifted to Suri, and a rebellious situation prevailed. Bankura continued to be one district with Birbhum till 1793, when it was transferred to the Burdwan collectorate.
Towards the end of the 18th century, certain portions of the district around Raipur was affected by the Chuar rebellion. At the time Bankura appears to have been part of Jungle Mahals
. The disturbances of the Chuars in 1832 in the western part of the district lead to the disbandment of the Jungle Mahals in 1833. Bishnupur was transferred to Burdwan. In 1872, the parganas of Sonamukhi, Indas, Kotulpur, Shergarh and Senpahari were transferred from Manbhum
to Burdwan. In 1879, the district acquired its present shape with the thanas of Khatra and Raipur and the outpost of Simplapal being transferred from Manbhum, and the thanas of Sonamukhi, Kotulpur and Indas being retransferred from Burdwan. However, it was known for sometime as West Burdwan and in 1881 came to be known as Bankura district.
. It is situated between 22° 38’ and 23° 38’ north latitude and between 86° 36’ and 87° 46’ east longitude. It has an area of 6882 square kilometres (2,657.2 sq mi). On the north and north-east the district is bounded by Bardhaman district
, from which it is separated mostly by the Damodar River
. On the south-east it is bounded by Hooghly district
, on the south by Paschim Medinipur district and on the west by Purulia district
.
Bankura district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal
on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau
on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial
plains, similar to predominating rice lands of Bengal. To the west the surface gradually rises, giving way to undulating country, interspersed with rocky hillocks. Much of the country is covered with jungles.
The western part of the district has poor, ferruginous
soil and hard beds of laterite
with scrub jungles and sal woods. Long broken ridges with irregular patches of more recent alluvium have marks of seasonal cultivation. During the long dry season large extents of red soil
with hardly any trees lend the country a scorched and dreary appearance. In the eastern part the eye constantly rests on wide expanses of rice fields, green in the rains but parched and dry in summer.
The Gondwana
system is represented in the northern portion of the district, south of the Damodar, between Mejia and Biharinath Hill. The beds covered with alluvium contains seams of coal belonging to the Raniganj system.
and Susunia
. While the former rises to a height of 448 metres (1,469.8 ft), the latter attains a height of 440 metres (1,443.6 ft).
The rivers of the area flow from the north-east to the south-west in courses roughly parallel to one another. They are mostly hill streams, originating in the hills in the west. The rivers come down in floods after heavy rains and subside as rapidly as they rise. In summer, their sand beds are almost always dry. The principal rivers are: Damodar, Dwarakeswar
, Shilabati
, Kangsabati
, Sali
, Gandheswari, Kukhra, Birai, Jaypanda and Bhairabbanki. There are some small but picturesque water falls along the course of the Shilabati near Harmasra, and along the course of the Kangsabati in the Raipur
area.
Kangsabati Project
was started during the second five year plan period (1956–1961). The dam across the Kangsabati has a length of 10098 metres (33,129.9 ft) and a height of 38 metres (124.7 ft).
named Bankura one of the country's 250 most backward districts
(out of a total of 640
). It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
, Khatra
and Bishnupur
. Bankura Sadar subdivision consists of Bankura
municipality and eight community development blocs: Bankura — I, Bankura — II, Barjora, Chhatna, Gangajalghati, Mejia, Onda and Shaltora. Khatra subdivision consists of eight community development blocs: Indpur, Khatra, Hirbandh, Raipur, Sarenga, Ranibandh, Simlapal and Taldangra. Bishnupur subdivision consists of Bishnupur and Sonamukhi
municipalities and six community development blocks: Indas, Joypur, Patrasayar, Kotulpur, Sonamukhi and Bishnupur.
Bankura
is the district headquarters. There are 21 police stations, 22 development blocks, 3 municipalities, 190 gram panchayat
s and 5187 villages in this district.
Other than municipality area, each subdivision contains community development blocs which in turn are divided into rural areas and census towns. In total there are 5 urban units: 3 municipalities and 2 census town
s.
(249), Barjora (250), Bankura (251), Onda (252), Vishnupur (253), Kotulpur (254), Indas (SC) (255) and Sonamukhi (SC) (256).
Raipur and Ranibandh constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. Indpur, Gangajalghati, Indas and Sonamukhi constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Taldangra, Raipur, Ranibandh, Indpur, Vishnupur, Kotulpur and Indas constituencies are part of Vishnupur (Lok Sabha constituency)
, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC). Chhatna, Bankura and Onda are assembly segments of Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
, which also contains four assembly segments from Purulia district
. Gangajalghati, Barjora and Sonamukhi constituencies are part of Durgapur (Lok Sabha constituency)
, which also contains four assembly segments from Bardhaman district
.
As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, the district will be divided into 12 assembly constituencies (assembly constituency numbers in brackets): Saltora (SC) (247), Chhatna (248), Ranibandh (ST) (249), Raipur (ST) (250), Taldangra (251), Bankura (252), Barjora (253), Onda (254), Bishnupur (255), Katulpur (SC) (256), Indas (SC) (257) and Sonamukhi (SC) (258).
Raipur and Ranibandh constituencies will be reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. Saltora, Katulpur, Indas and Sonamukhi constituencies will be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Saltora, Chhatna, Ranibandh, Raipur, Taldangra, and Bankura constituencies will be part of Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
, which will also contain one assembly segment from Purulia district
. Barjora, Onda, Bishnupur, Katulpur, Indas and Sonamukhi will be assembly segments of Bishnupur (Lok Sabha constituency), which also contains one assembly segments from Bardhaman district
.
Bankura district has a population
of 3,596,292, roughly equal to the nation of Lithuania
or the US state of Connecticut
. This gives it a ranking of 80th in India (out of a total of 640
). The district has a population density of 523 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
over the decade 2001-2011 was 12.64 %. Bankura has a sex ratio
of 954 females
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
of 70.95 %.
In the 2001 census, Bankura district had a total population of 3,191,822 of which 1,634,561 were males and 1,557,261 were females. Decadal growth for the period 1991-2001 was 13.79% in Bankura district against 17.84% in West Bengal. The urban population was 235,264 against a rural population of 2,956,558. The district had a density of population of 464 persons per km2. The district had a scheduled caste population of 1,040,297 and a scheduled tribe population of 335,047. The first census was taken in 1872. The district as now constituted had a population of 968,597. In the 1901 census, 90.7 per cent of the population spoke a dialect of Bengali
known as Rarhi Boli, which was also spoken in the adjoining districts. Santali
was spoken by about 9 per cent of the population. 87.4 per cent of the population were Hindu
s, 8 per cent were Animists
and 5.6 per cent were Muslim
s. Bankura has a literacy rate of 63.84 per cent.
is the headquarters of the district. Bishnupur (or Vishnupur) is a subdivisional town of Bankura district. It was the capital of the Mallabhum kingdom, once the most important Hindu dynasty in Bengal. This town famous for the Terracotta Temples made by the local red soils. This city oftern called as the 'Temple City' of Bengal.
Susunia
hills and Beharinath
hills are located in the district. Mukutmonipur dam and Sutan are notable tourist spots. Gouripur leprosy hospital is Asia's largest leprosy
hospital. Mejia
power plant is the only thermal power plant of this district. Darakaswar, Gandheaswari and Kansabati are the major rivers flow through the district. Jaipur forest is the only forest in the plains of Southern Bengal. Bankura Sammilani Medical College
is the oldest medical college in this area.
, Polyalthia suberosa
, Clerodenaron infortunatum, Solanum torvum
, and various other species of the same genus, besides Trema
, Streblus
and Ficus hispida
. The larger trees are papal
, banyan
, red cotton tree (Bombax malabaricum
), mango
(Mangifera indica
), jiyal (Odina Wodier), Phoenix dactylifera, and Borassus flabellifer
. Other plants found include Jatropha gossypifolia
, Urena
, Heliotropium
and Sida. Forests or scrub jungles contain Wendlandia exserta, Gmelina arborea
, Adina Cordifolia, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Wrightia tomentosa, Vitex negundo
and Stephegyne parvifolia.
The western portion of the district is higher. The uplands either bare or are covered with scrub jungle of Zizyphus and other thorny shrubs. This thorny forest gradually merges into sal (Shorea robusta) forest. Low hills are covered with Miliusa
, Schleichera, Diospyros
and other trees.
Some of the common trees of economic interest found in the district are: Alkushi (Mucuna pruriens
), amaltas (Cassia Fistula), asan (Terminaliatomentosa), babul (Acacia Arabica
), bair (Zizyphus Jujuba
), bael
(Aegle Marmelos), bag bherenda (Jatropha curcas
), bichuti (Tragia involucrate), bahera (Terminalia belerica
), dhatura (Datura stramonium
), dhaman (Cordia Macleoidii), gab (Diospyros Embyopteris), harra (Terminalia chebula
), imli
(Tamarindus indica), kuchila (Strychnos Nux vomica
), mahua (Bassia latifolia
), palas (Butea frondosa
), sajina (Moringa pterygosperma), kend (Diospyros melanoxylon
), mango, date-palm, nim, papal, banyan, red cotton tree and jiyal.
Burdwan Division
Burdwan Division is a division in the Indian state of West Bengal. It consists of 7 districts:* Bankura district* Bardhaman district* Birbhum district* East Midnapore * Hooghly district* Purulia district...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. The district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal
Ganges Delta
The Ganges Delta is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. It is the world's largest delta, and empties into the Bay of Bengal...
on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau
Chota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi River lies to the south...
on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
plains. To the west the surface gradually rises, giving way to undulating country, interspersed with rocky hillocks.
Centre of the famous Malla kingdom of western Bengal, Bankura and its surrounding regions are identified with its historical and cultural significance for the later period of Middle Ages. Vaishnavism, which gained the status of state religion of the Malla kingdom in seventeenth century AD, shaped the culture of the region. The Malla Kingdom was annexed by British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1765 and the modern Bankura district took its form in 1881 and was named after its headquarters.
Etymology
There are different opinions about the etymology of the word Bankura. In the language of the KolHo language
Ho is a Munda language of the Austroasiatic language family spoken primarily in India by about 3,803,126 people. It is written with the Devanagari and the Varang Kshiti scripts. It is spoken by the Ho people. 0.103% of India's Population speaks this language as per the 2001 census.The Script was...
-Mundas
Munda languages
-Anderson :Gregory Anderson's 1999 proposal is as follows. Individual languages are highlighted in italics.*North Munda **Korku**Kherwarian***Santhali***Mundari*South Munda **Kharia–Juang***Juang***Kharia...
, orah or rah means habitation. Banku means extremely beautiful. It may also have come from the word banka which means zig-zag. One of the most influential deities in the district is Dharmathakur
Dharmathakur
Dharmathakur is a Hindu god worshipped by villagers in the traditional Rarh region in the present day Indian state of West Bengal as one of their special village gods...
and he is locally called Bankura Roy. According to local tradition, the town, which is presently the head quarters of the district was named after its founder, a chieftain named Banku Rai. Another legend has it the town was named after Bir Bankura, one of the twenty-two sons of Bir Hambir, the Raja of Bishnupur. He divided his kingdom into twenty-two tarafs or circles and gave one to each son. Taraf Jaybelia fell to the lot of Bir Bankura. He developed the town that now bears the name Bankura. It has also been suggested that the name is a corruption of the word Bankunda, meaning five tanks. The name Bacoonda is found in old official records.
History
The earliest signs of human habitation in the area was at DiharDihar
Dihar is an archaeological site in Bishnupur subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is north of Bishnupur and is near Dharapat.-History:...
. By about 1000 BC chalcolithic people had settled on the north bank of the Dwarakeswar
Dwarakeswar River
Dwarakeswar River is a major river in the western part of West Bengal.-Course:It originates from Tilboni hill in Purulia district and enters Bankura district near Chhatna. It cuts across the district flowing past the district head quarters and enters the south-eastern tip of Bardhaman District...
.
Bankura district which was inhabited by various Proto-Australoid
Proto-Australoid
The Proto-Australoids are a hypothesized group of ancient hunter-gather people descended from the first major wave of modern humans to leave sub-Saharan Africa ~100,000 years ago...
and a few Proto-Dravidian
Proto-Dravidian
Proto-Dravidian is the proto-language of the Dravidian languages. It is thought to have differentiated into Proto-North Dravidian, Proto-Central Dravidian and Proto-South Dravidian around 500 BC, although some linguists have argued that the degree of differentiation between the sub-families points...
tribes in later pre-historic times was Aryanised
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
or assimilated with the people and culture of the Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European language
The Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
group, who prevailed in northern India, substantially later than rest of Bengal, over many centuries, and was achieved through both conflict and cordiality.
The district was part of Rarh
Rarh region
Rarh region of West Bengal is the region that lies between the Western plateau and high lands and the Ganges Delta...
in ancient times. In the Aitareya Aranyaka (around 7th century BC) the people of the region have been referred to as asura
Asura
-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...
s (demons). In the old Jain
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
book Acaranga Sutra
Acaranga Sutra
The Acaranga Sutra is the first of the eleven Angas, part of the agamas which were compiled based on the teachings of Lord Mahavira.The Acaranga Sutra discusses the conduct of a Jain monk...
(around 4th century) there is mention of Sumha
Suhma Kingdom
Suhma was an eastern kingdom located in regions now occupied by West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. This kingdom was mentioned in the epic Mahabharata along with its neighbouring kingdom Prasuhma, which was in the present day Bangladesh...
and Ladha (Rarh?) and there too the reference is to an area inhabited by uncivilised and barbaric people.
In the 4th century, it is learnt from the Susunia
Susunia
Susunia is a hill of southern West Bengal, India. It is known for its holy spring, its natural beauty, its rich flora and the rock faces on which many of the famous mountaineers of this region started their journey. It is one of the rich reserves of medicinal plants...
edicts, in Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, that Chandravarman, son of Simhavarman, was ruler Pushkarana (modern Pokhanna in Bankura district). According to the inscription on the Allahabad pillar Chandravarman was defeated by Samudragupta
Samudragupta
Samudragupta , ruler of the Gupta Empire , and successor to Chandragupta I, is considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses in Indian history according to Historian V. A. Smith. His name is taken to be a title acquired by his conquests...
and the area became a part of the Gupta Empire
Gupta Empire
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed approximately from 320 to 550 CE and covered much of the Indian Subcontinent. Founded by Maharaja Sri-Gupta, the dynasty was the model of a classical civilization. The peace and prosperity created under leadership of Guptas enabled the...
. The area was for many years part of Dandabhukti
Dandabhukti
Dandabhukti was an ancient and medieval region/ territory spread across what are now Bankura, Hooghly, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts in the Indian state of West Bengal....
and Bardhamanbhukti
Bardhamanbhukti
Bardhamanbhukti was an ancient and medieval region/ territory spread across what are now Bardhaman and Bankura districts in the Indian state of West Bengal....
.
Many historians opine that assimilation with Proto-Indo-Europeans took place first in northern and eastern Bengal and then in western Bengal. This has also been the broad course of the spread of Buddhism and Jainism in Bengal. There is ample evidence of pre-eminence of Aryan religion and culture in West Bengal from around 6th century.
Bishnupur kingdom
From around 7th century till around the advent of British rule, for around a millennium, history of Bankura district is identical with the rise and fall of the Hindu Rajas of Bishnupur. The area around Bishnupur was called Mallabhum At its farthest extent Bishnupur kingdom stretched from Damin-i-kohDamin-i-koh
Damin-i-koh was the name given to the forested hilly areas of Rajmahal Hills broadly in the area of present Sahebganj, Pakur and Godda districts in the Indian state of Jharkhand.-History:...
in Santhal Parganas
Santhal Parganas
Santhal Pargana division constitutes one of the five administrative units known as the divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India.-Origin of name:...
to Midnapore
Midnapore District
Midnapore district is a former district of the state of West Bengal, India. This district was bifurcated on January 1, 2002 into the Purba Medinipur district and the Paschim Medinipur district.-References:...
and included parts of Bardhaman
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
and Chota Nagpur
Chota Nagpur
Chota Nagpur may refer to*Chota Nagpur Plateau*Chhotanagpur*Chota Nagpur Division, a division of British India *Chota Nagpur States, a collection of princely states of British India...
. Smaller kingdoms of aboriginal tribes, such as Dhalbhum
Dhalbhum
Dhalbhum was the name given to parganas Supur and Ambikanagar in the Khatra area of present Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.In the course of time, Dhalbhum kingdom was spread over a much wider area, across the western part of adjoining Midnapore district and the eastern and...
, Tungbhum
Tungbhum
Tungbhum was the name given to the tract of country lying to the south of Raipur in present Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-History:...
, Samantabhum
Samantabhum
Samantabhum was the name given to the tract of country in the Chhatna area in present Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-History:...
and Varahabhumi or Varabhumi were gradually subdued and overshadowed by the Malla kings of Bishnupur.
Adi Malla (born 695 AD), the founder of the Malla dynasty, ruled in Laugram, 8.4 kilometres (5.2 mi) from Kotulpur
Kotulpur
Kotulpur is an administrative division in Bishnupur subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Kotulpur police station serves this block...
, for 33 years. When he was 15 tears old he had no equal as a wrestler in the territory all around. It was this that earned him the sobriquet of Adi Malla, the original or unique wrestler. He was known as the Bagdi
Bagdi (caste)
The Bagdis are indigenous people descended from people with Dravidian links found in the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh. The Bagdis are populous in Bankura, Birbhum and other districts in the western fringe of West Bengal...
Raja. He was succeeded by his son, Jay Malla, who extended his domains and shifted his capital to Bishnupur. The subsequent kings steadily extended their kingdom. Among the more renowned are: Kalu Malla, Kau Malla, Jhau Malla, and Sur Malla.
Vaishnavism
Bir Hambir, the 49th ruler of the Malla dynasty who flourished around 1586 AD and ruled in 16th-17th century, was a contemporary of the MughalMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
emperor Akbar
Akbar the Great
Akbar , also known as Shahanshah Akbar-e-Azam or Akbar the Great , was the third Mughal Emperor. He was of Timurid descent; the son of Emperor Humayun, and the grandson of the Mughal Emperor Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babur, the ruler who founded the Mughal dynasty in India...
. He was involved on the side of Mughals in their struggle against the Afghans and is mentioned by Muslim historians. He paid an annual tribute to the Muslim viceroys of Bengal and thus acknowledged their suzerainty. He was converted to Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
by Srinivasa and introduced the worship of Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan Kohli , better known as Madan Mohan, was a famed Bollywood film music director of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s...
in Bishnupur.
Raghunath Singh, who followed Bir Hambir, was the first Bishnupur Raja to use the Kshatriya title Singh. With exquisite palaces and temples built during the period that followed Bishnupur was reputed to be the most renowned city in the world, more beautiful than the house of Indra in heaven. However, it has also been recorded that while these royal patrons of Hindu art and religion were busy building temples they had lost much of their independence and sunk to the position of tributary princes. Bir Singh walled up alive all his sons, eighteen in number. The youngest, Durjan, alone escaped, having been kept in hiding by the servants. The status of the Raja of Bishnupur was that of a tributary prince, exempted from personal attendance at the court at Murshidabad
Murshidabad
Murshidabad is a city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal state in India. The city of Murshidabad is located on the southern bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges River. It was the capital of undivided Bengal during the Mughal rule. Nawabs of Bengal used to rule Bengal from this...
, and represented there by a resident.
Maratha raids
The Bishnupur Rajas who were at the summit of their fortunes towards the end of the 17th century, started declining in the first half of the 18th century. First, the Maharaja of BurdwanBardhaman Raj
The Bardhaman Raj was a zamindari estate that flourished from about 1657 to 1955, first under the Mughals and then under the British in the province of Bengal in India...
seized the Fatehpur Mahal, and then the Maratha
Bargi
Bargis indulged in large scale plundering of the countryside dominated western part of Bengal for about ten years . Bargi invasions took place almost as an annual event.- Etymology :...
invasions laid waste their country. In 1742, when the Marathas, under Bhaskar Rao, attacked Bishnupur, the troops put up a spirited defence but then Gopal Singh retreated within the fort and ordered the troops and citizens to pray to Madan Mohan to save the city. It is believed that Madan Mohan responded and the cannons were fired without human assistance. The truth probably is that the Maratha cavalry were unable to pierce the strong fortifications and retired. While they failed to take the fort and pillage the treasury, the Marathas harried the less protected parts of the kingdom. Intrigue and litigation that followed ruined the Bishnupur Raj family and eventually in 1806, the estate was sold for arrears of land revenue and bought up by the Maharaja of Burdwan.
British administration
Bishnupur was ceded to the British with the rest of Burdwan chakla in 1760. The Marathas had laid the country waste and famine of 1770Bengal famine of 1770
The Bengal famine of 1770 was a catastrophic famine between 1769 and 1773 that affected the lower Gangetic plain of India...
completed the misery of the kingdom. A large section of the population was swept away, cultivation fell, and lawlessness spread. The once powerful king had been reduced to the status of a mere zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
. In 1787, Bishnupur was united with Birbhum
Birbhum district
Birbhum district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the three administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is located at Suri...
to form a separate administrative unit, the headquarters was shifted to Suri, and a rebellious situation prevailed. Bankura continued to be one district with Birbhum till 1793, when it was transferred to the Burdwan collectorate.
Towards the end of the 18th century, certain portions of the district around Raipur was affected by the Chuar rebellion. At the time Bankura appears to have been part of Jungle Mahals
Jungle Mahals
Jungle Mahals is a vague term applied in the 18th century to British possessions and some independent chiefdoms lying between Birbhum, Bankura, Midnapore and the hilly country of Chota Nagpur in what is now the Indian state of West Bengal.It was a thickly forested region.The vagueness of the...
. The disturbances of the Chuars in 1832 in the western part of the district lead to the disbandment of the Jungle Mahals in 1833. Bishnupur was transferred to Burdwan. In 1872, the parganas of Sonamukhi, Indas, Kotulpur, Shergarh and Senpahari were transferred from Manbhum
Manbhum
Manbhum was one of the districts of the East India during the British Raj. After India’s independence, the district became a part of Bihar state, and upon re-organization of the Indian states in the mid-1950s, the district became a part of the West Bengal...
to Burdwan. In 1879, the district acquired its present shape with the thanas of Khatra and Raipur and the outpost of Simplapal being transferred from Manbhum, and the thanas of Sonamukhi, Kotulpur and Indas being retransferred from Burdwan. However, it was known for sometime as West Burdwan and in 1881 came to be known as Bankura district.
Geography
Bankura district is a part of Burdwan DivisionBurdwan Division
Burdwan Division is a division in the Indian state of West Bengal. It consists of 7 districts:* Bankura district* Bardhaman district* Birbhum district* East Midnapore * Hooghly district* Purulia district...
. It is situated between 22° 38’ and 23° 38’ north latitude and between 86° 36’ and 87° 46’ east longitude. It has an area of 6882 square kilometres (2,657.2 sq mi). On the north and north-east the district is bounded by Bardhaman district
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
, from which it is separated mostly by the Damodar River
Damodar River
Damodar River originates near Chandwa village, Palamau district, on the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Jharkhand state in eastern India, and flows eastward for about 592 km through the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the estaury of the River Hooghly...
. On the south-east it is bounded by Hooghly district
Hooghly District
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.The headquarters of the district are at Chinsura...
, on the south by Paschim Medinipur district and on the west by Purulia district
Purulia District
Purulia district is one of the nineteen districts of West Bengal state in eastern India. The town of Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district.-History:...
.
Bankura district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal
Ganges Delta
The Ganges Delta is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. It is the world's largest delta, and empties into the Bay of Bengal...
on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau
Chota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi River lies to the south...
on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
plains, similar to predominating rice lands of Bengal. To the west the surface gradually rises, giving way to undulating country, interspersed with rocky hillocks. Much of the country is covered with jungles.
The western part of the district has poor, ferruginous
Iron oxide
Iron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. All together, there are sixteen known iron oxides and oxyhydroxides.Iron oxides and oxide-hydroxides are widespread in nature, play an important role in many geological and biological processes, and are widely utilized by humans, e.g.,...
soil and hard beds of laterite
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
with scrub jungles and sal woods. Long broken ridges with irregular patches of more recent alluvium have marks of seasonal cultivation. During the long dry season large extents of red soil
Ultisols
Ultisols, commonly known as red clay soils, are one of twelve soil orders in the United States Department of Agriculture soil taxonomy. They are defined as mineral soils which contain no calcareous material anywhere within the soil, have less than 10% weatherable minerals in the extreme top layer...
with hardly any trees lend the country a scorched and dreary appearance. In the eastern part the eye constantly rests on wide expanses of rice fields, green in the rains but parched and dry in summer.
The Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
system is represented in the northern portion of the district, south of the Damodar, between Mejia and Biharinath Hill. The beds covered with alluvium contains seams of coal belonging to the Raniganj system.
Hills and rivers
The hills of the district consist of outliers of the Chota Nagpur plateau and only two are of any great height – BiharinathBiharinath
Biharinath is the tallest hill of Bankura District, in the Indian state of West Bengal., and one of the dense forest areas of the district. It is high...
and Susunia
Susunia
Susunia is a hill of southern West Bengal, India. It is known for its holy spring, its natural beauty, its rich flora and the rock faces on which many of the famous mountaineers of this region started their journey. It is one of the rich reserves of medicinal plants...
. While the former rises to a height of 448 metres (1,469.8 ft), the latter attains a height of 440 metres (1,443.6 ft).
The rivers of the area flow from the north-east to the south-west in courses roughly parallel to one another. They are mostly hill streams, originating in the hills in the west. The rivers come down in floods after heavy rains and subside as rapidly as they rise. In summer, their sand beds are almost always dry. The principal rivers are: Damodar, Dwarakeswar
Dwarakeswar River
Dwarakeswar River is a major river in the western part of West Bengal.-Course:It originates from Tilboni hill in Purulia district and enters Bankura district near Chhatna. It cuts across the district flowing past the district head quarters and enters the south-eastern tip of Bardhaman District...
, Shilabati
Shilabati River
The Shilabati River originates in the terrain of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in the Purulia district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India. It flows in an almost southeasterly direction through the districts of Bankura and West Midnapore. The Shilabati joins the Dwarakeswar near Ghatal and...
, Kangsabati
Kangsabati River
Kangsabati River rises from the Chota Nagpur plateau in the state of Jharkhand, India and passes through the districts of Purulia, Bankura and Paschim Medinipur in West Bengal before draining in the Hooghly River.-Course:After rising near Jhalda in the Chota Nagpur plateau in Purulia district,...
, Sali
Sali River (West Bengal)
Sali River is an important tributary of Damodar River that drains the northern part of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It originates a few miles west of Kora hill, halfway between Mejia and Bankura, and joins the Damodar at Samsar village in Indas police station.-References:...
, Gandheswari, Kukhra, Birai, Jaypanda and Bhairabbanki. There are some small but picturesque water falls along the course of the Shilabati near Harmasra, and along the course of the Kangsabati in the Raipur
Raipur, Bankura
Raipur is an administrative division in Khatra subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Raipur police station serves this block...
area.
Kangsabati Project
Kangsabati Project
The Kangsabati Project , also often referred to as the Kangsabati Irrigation Project and The Kangsabati Reservoir Project, is a project started in the Indian state of West Bengal in 1956 as part of the Indian Second Five-year Plan to provide water to 3,484.77 km² of land in the districts of Paschim...
was started during the second five year plan period (1956–1961). The dam across the Kangsabati has a length of 10098 metres (33,129.9 ft) and a height of 38 metres (124.7 ft).
Climate
The climate, especially in the upland tracts to the west, is much drier than in eastern or southern Bengal. From the beginning of March to early June, hot westerly winds prevail, the thermometer in the shade rising to around 45 °C (113 °F). The monsoon months, June to September, are comparatively pleasant. The total average rainfall is 1400 millimetres (55.1 in), the bulk of the rain coming in the months of June to September. Winters are pleasant with temperatures dropping down to below 27 °C (80.6 °F) in December.Economy
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati RajMinistry of Panchayati Raj
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India looking after the ongoing process of decentralization and local governance in the States....
named Bankura one of the country's 250 most backward districts
Poverty in India
Poverty is widespread in India, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line of 1.25 a day...
(out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
Admninistrative divisions
The district comprises three subdivisions: Bankura SadarBankura Sadar subdivision
Bankura Sadar subdivision is a subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of the Bankura municipality and eight community development blocs: Bankura — I, Bankura — II, Barjora, Chhatna, Gangajalghati, Mejia, Onda and Shaltora. The eight blocks...
, Khatra
Khatra subdivision
Khatra subdivision is a subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of eight community development blocs: Indpur, Khatra, Hirbandh, Raipur, Sarenga, Ranibandh, Simlapal and Taldangra. The eight blocks contain 59 gram panchayats...
and Bishnupur
Bishnupur subdivision
Bishnupur subdivision is a subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of Bishnupur municipality, Sonamukhi municipality and six community development blocks: Indas, Joypur, Patrasayar, Kotulpur, Sonamukhi and Bishnupur. The six blocks contain 56 gram...
. Bankura Sadar subdivision consists of Bankura
Bankura
Bankura is a city and a municipality in Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura District.-Etymology:...
municipality and eight community development blocs: Bankura — I, Bankura — II, Barjora, Chhatna, Gangajalghati, Mejia, Onda and Shaltora. Khatra subdivision consists of eight community development blocs: Indpur, Khatra, Hirbandh, Raipur, Sarenga, Ranibandh, Simlapal and Taldangra. Bishnupur subdivision consists of Bishnupur and Sonamukhi
Sonamukhi
Sonamukhi is a town and a municipality in Bankura District in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:Sonamukhi is located at . It has an average elevation of 66 metres .-Demographics:...
municipalities and six community development blocks: Indas, Joypur, Patrasayar, Kotulpur, Sonamukhi and Bishnupur.
Bankura
Bankura
Bankura is a city and a municipality in Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura District.-Etymology:...
is the district headquarters. There are 21 police stations, 22 development blocks, 3 municipalities, 190 gram panchayat
Gram panchayat
Gram panchayats are local self-governments at the village or small town level in India. As of 2002 there were about 265,000 gram panchayats in India. The gram panchayat is the foundation of the Panchayat System. A gram panchayat can be set up in villages with minimum population of 300...
s and 5187 villages in this district.
Other than municipality area, each subdivision contains community development blocs which in turn are divided into rural areas and census towns. In total there are 5 urban units: 3 municipalities and 2 census town
Census town
In India, a census town is one which has:# A minimum population of 5,000# At least 75% of male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits# A density of population of at least 400 persons per km2.In Ireland, a census town is;...
s.
Assembly constituencies
The district is divided into 13 assembly constituencies (assembly constituency numbers in brackets): Taldangra (244), Raipur (ST) (245), Ranibandh (ST) (246), Indpur (SC) (247), Chhatna (248), Gangajalghati (SC)Gangajalghati (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Gangajalghati was an assembly constituency in Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was reserved for scheduled castes.Gangajalghati assembly constituency was part of Durgapur ....
(249), Barjora (250), Bankura (251), Onda (252), Vishnupur (253), Kotulpur (254), Indas (SC) (255) and Sonamukhi (SC) (256).
Raipur and Ranibandh constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. Indpur, Gangajalghati, Indas and Sonamukhi constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Taldangra, Raipur, Ranibandh, Indpur, Vishnupur, Kotulpur and Indas constituencies are part of Vishnupur (Lok Sabha constituency)
Vishnupur (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bishnupur is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Bishnupurin West Bengal...
, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC). Chhatna, Bankura and Onda are assembly segments of Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bankura is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India.-Assembly segments:As per order of the Delimitation Commission in 2006 in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, parliamentary constituency no. 36 Bankura is composed of the following assembly segments:*...
, which also contains four assembly segments from Purulia district
Purulia District
Purulia district is one of the nineteen districts of West Bengal state in eastern India. The town of Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district.-History:...
. Gangajalghati, Barjora and Sonamukhi constituencies are part of Durgapur (Lok Sabha constituency)
Durgapur (Lok Sabha constituency)
Durgapue was one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centred on Durgapur in West Bengal. The seat waas reserved for scheduled castes....
, which also contains four assembly segments from Bardhaman district
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
.
As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, the district will be divided into 12 assembly constituencies (assembly constituency numbers in brackets): Saltora (SC) (247), Chhatna (248), Ranibandh (ST) (249), Raipur (ST) (250), Taldangra (251), Bankura (252), Barjora (253), Onda (254), Bishnupur (255), Katulpur (SC) (256), Indas (SC) (257) and Sonamukhi (SC) (258).
Raipur and Ranibandh constituencies will be reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. Saltora, Katulpur, Indas and Sonamukhi constituencies will be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Saltora, Chhatna, Ranibandh, Raipur, Taldangra, and Bankura constituencies will be part of Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bankura is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India.-Assembly segments:As per order of the Delimitation Commission in 2006 in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, parliamentary constituency no. 36 Bankura is composed of the following assembly segments:*...
, which will also contain one assembly segment from Purulia district
Purulia District
Purulia district is one of the nineteen districts of West Bengal state in eastern India. The town of Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district.-History:...
. Barjora, Onda, Bishnupur, Katulpur, Indas and Sonamukhi will be assembly segments of Bishnupur (Lok Sabha constituency), which also contains one assembly segments from Bardhaman district
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...
Bankura district has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
of 3,596,292, roughly equal to the nation of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
or the US state of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. This gives it a ranking of 80th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). The district has a population density of 523 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...
over the decade 2001-2011 was 12.64 %. Bankura has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
of 954 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...
of 70.95 %.
In the 2001 census, Bankura district had a total population of 3,191,822 of which 1,634,561 were males and 1,557,261 were females. Decadal growth for the period 1991-2001 was 13.79% in Bankura district against 17.84% in West Bengal. The urban population was 235,264 against a rural population of 2,956,558. The district had a density of population of 464 persons per km2. The district had a scheduled caste population of 1,040,297 and a scheduled tribe population of 335,047. The first census was taken in 1872. The district as now constituted had a population of 968,597. In the 1901 census, 90.7 per cent of the population spoke a dialect of Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
known as Rarhi Boli, which was also spoken in the adjoining districts. Santali
Santali language
Santhali is a language in the Santhali subfamily of Austro-Asiatic, related to Ho and Mundari. It is spoken by about six million people in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan . Most of its speakers live in India, in the states of Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Tripura, and West Bengal. It has...
was spoken by about 9 per cent of the population. 87.4 per cent of the population were Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s, 8 per cent were Animists
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
and 5.6 per cent were Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s. Bankura has a literacy rate of 63.84 per cent.
Places of interest
BankuraBankura
Bankura is a city and a municipality in Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura District.-Etymology:...
is the headquarters of the district. Bishnupur (or Vishnupur) is a subdivisional town of Bankura district. It was the capital of the Mallabhum kingdom, once the most important Hindu dynasty in Bengal. This town famous for the Terracotta Temples made by the local red soils. This city oftern called as the 'Temple City' of Bengal.
Susunia
Susunia
Susunia is a hill of southern West Bengal, India. It is known for its holy spring, its natural beauty, its rich flora and the rock faces on which many of the famous mountaineers of this region started their journey. It is one of the rich reserves of medicinal plants...
hills and Beharinath
Biharinath
Biharinath is the tallest hill of Bankura District, in the Indian state of West Bengal., and one of the dense forest areas of the district. It is high...
hills are located in the district. Mukutmonipur dam and Sutan are notable tourist spots. Gouripur leprosy hospital is Asia's largest leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
hospital. Mejia
Mejia
Mejia is an administrative division in Bankura Sadar subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Mejia police station serves this block. Headquarters of this block is at Mejia.Government of West Bengal has planned a Special Economic Zone in Saltora. It is on NH 60...
power plant is the only thermal power plant of this district. Darakaswar, Gandheaswari and Kansabati are the major rivers flow through the district. Jaipur forest is the only forest in the plains of Southern Bengal. Bankura Sammilani Medical College
Bankura Sammilani Medical College
Bankura Sammilani Medical College is a hospital and medical college in the Bankura district of the Indian state of West Bengal.- Establishment :B.S...
is the oldest medical college in this area.
Flora and fauna
The eastern portion of the district forms part of the rice plains of West Bengal. The land under rice cultivation contains the usual marsh weeds of Gangetic plain. Aquatic plants and water weeds are found in ponds, ditches and still streams. Around human habitations there are shrub species such as GlycosmisGlycosmis
Glycosmis is a genus of plant in family Rutaceae.Species include:* Glycosmis crassifolia* Glycosmis decipiens* Glycosmis longisepala* Glycosmis monticola* Glycosmis perakensis* Glycosmis tomentella...
, Polyalthia suberosa
Polyalthia
Polyalthia is a genus of plant in family Annonaceae. It contains the following species :* Polyalthia angustissima Ridl.* Polyalthia chrysotricha Ridley* Polyalthia elmeri Merr....
, Clerodenaron infortunatum, Solanum torvum
Solanum torvum
Solanum torvum , is a bushy, erect and spiny perennial plant used horticulturally as a rootstock for eggplant. Grafted plants are very vigorous and tolerate diseases affecting the root system, thus allowing the crop to continue for a second year.It is also known as Devil's Fig, Prickly Nightshade,...
, and various other species of the same genus, besides Trema
Trema
Trema is a genus of about 15 species of evergreen trees closely related to the hackberries , occurring in subtropical and tropical regions of southern Asia, northern Australasia, Africa, South and Central America, and parts of North America...
, Streblus
Streblus
Streblus is a genus of flowering plant in the mulberry family, Moraceae.*Streblus asper Lour. - Siamese rough bush*Streblus banksii*Streblus brunonianus*Streblus elongatus*Streblus heterophyllus...
and Ficus hispida
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
. The larger trees are papal
Sacred Fig
The Sacred Fig, Ficus religiosa, or Bo-Tree , Peepal is a species of banyan fig native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, southwest China and Indochina...
, banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
, red cotton tree (Bombax malabaricum
Bombax ceiba
Bombax ceiba, like other trees of the genus Bombax, is commonly known as cotton tree or tree cotton. This tropical tree has a straight tall trunk and its leaves are deciduous in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the new foliage. It produces a capsule which, when ripe,...
), mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
(Mangifera indica
Mangifera indica
Mangifera indica is a species of mango in the Anacardiaceae family. It is found in the wild in India and cultivated varieties have been introduced to other warm regions of the world...
), jiyal (Odina Wodier), Phoenix dactylifera, and Borassus flabellifer
Borassus flabellifer
Borassus flabellifer, the Asian Palmyra palm, Toddy palm, Sugar palm, or Cambodian palm, is native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone...
. Other plants found include Jatropha gossypifolia
Jatropha
Jatropha is a genus of approximately 175 succulent plants, shrubs and trees , from the family Euphorbiaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἰατρός , meaning "physician," and τροφή , meaning "nutrition," hence the common name physic nut. Mature plants produce separate male and female...
, Urena
Urena
Urena is a genus of plants which grow in various tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. Some view the plant as a weed, but others make use of its fiber for various purposes. Extracts from its leaves or roots have broad spectrum antibacterial qualities...
, Heliotropium
Heliotropium
Heliotropium is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. There are 250 to 300 species in this genus, which are commonly known as heliotropes ....
and Sida. Forests or scrub jungles contain Wendlandia exserta, Gmelina arborea
Gmelina arborea
Gmelina arborea, , locally known as Gamhar, is a fast growing deciduous tree, occurring naturally throughout greater part of India at altitudes up to 1500 meters...
, Adina Cordifolia, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Wrightia tomentosa, Vitex negundo
Vitex negundo
Vitex negundo, commonly known as the five-leaved chaste tree, is a large aromatic shrub with quadrangular, densely whitish, tomentose branchlets...
and Stephegyne parvifolia.
The western portion of the district is higher. The uplands either bare or are covered with scrub jungle of Zizyphus and other thorny shrubs. This thorny forest gradually merges into sal (Shorea robusta) forest. Low hills are covered with Miliusa
Miliusa
Miliusa is a genus of plant in family Annonaceae. It contains the following species :* Miliusa amplexicaulis, Ridley* Miliusa nilagirica, Bedd.* Miliusa parviflora, Ridley...
, Schleichera, Diospyros
Diospyros
Diospyros is a genus of about 450–500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. They are commonly known as ebony or persimmon trees...
and other trees.
Some of the common trees of economic interest found in the district are: Alkushi (Mucuna pruriens
Mucuna pruriens
Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume known as velvet bean or cowitch and by other common names , found in Africa, India and the Caribbean. The plant is infamous for its extreme itchiness produced on contact, particularly with the young foliage and the seed pods...
), amaltas (Cassia Fistula), asan (Terminaliatomentosa), babul (Acacia Arabica
Acacia nilotica
Acacia nilotica is a species of Acacia native to Africa and the Indian subcontinent...
), bair (Zizyphus Jujuba
Jujube
Ziziphus zizyphus , commonly called jujube , red date, Chinese date, Korean date, or Indian date is a species of Ziziphus in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, used primarily as a fruiting shade tree.-Distribution:Its precise natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation,...
), bael
Bael
Bael Bael (Aegle marmelos) Bael (Aegle marmelos) (Bengal quince, stone apple, Sanskrit : विल्व, Malayalam: കൂവളം, Bengali: বেল, Hindi: बेल (Sirphal), Marathi: बेल or कवीठ (Kaveeth), , Sindhi: ڪاٺ گدرو , Sinhalese: beli, Tamil: வில்வம் is a species of tree native to India...
(Aegle Marmelos), bag bherenda (Jatropha curcas
Jatropha curcas
Jatropha curcas is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that is native to the American tropics, most likely Mexico and Central America. It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, becoming naturalized in some areas...
), bichuti (Tragia involucrate), bahera (Terminalia belerica
Terminalia (plant)
Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising around 100 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. This genus gets it name from Latin terminus, referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots.Trees of this genus...
), dhatura (Datura stramonium
Datura stramonium
Datura stramonium, known by the common names Jimson weed, devil's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple, tolguacha, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, locoweed, datura, pricklyburr, devil's cucumber, Hell's Bells, moonflower and, in South Africa, malpitte and mad seeds, is a common weed in the...
), dhaman (Cordia Macleoidii), gab (Diospyros Embyopteris), harra (Terminalia chebula
Terminalia chebula
Terminalia chebula is a species of Terminalia, native to southern Asia from India and Nepal east to southwestern China , and south to Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Vietnam.It is a deciduous tree growing to tall, with a trunk up to in diameter...
), imli
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
(Tamarindus indica), kuchila (Strychnos Nux vomica
Strychnine tree
The Strychnine tree also known as Nux vomica, Poison Nut, Semen strychnos and Quaker Buttons, is a deciduous tree native to India, southeast Asia, a member of family Loganiaceae. It is a medium-size tree growing in open habitats...
), mahua (Bassia latifolia
Madhuca longifolia
Madhuca longifolia, commonly known as mahwa or mahua, is an Indian tropical tree found largely in the central and north Indian plains and forests. It is a fast-growing tree that grows to approximately 20 meters in height, possesses evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage, and belongs to the family...
), palas (Butea frondosa
Butea monosperma
Butea monosperma is a species of Butea native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and western Indonesia...
), sajina (Moringa pterygosperma), kend (Diospyros melanoxylon
Diospyros melanoxylon
Coromandel Ebony or East Indian Ebony is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae that is native to India and Sri Lanka....
), mango, date-palm, nim, papal, banyan, red cotton tree and jiyal.