Rajmahal
Encyclopedia
Rajmahal is a city and a notified area
in Sahibganj district in the India
n state
of Jharkhand
. Rajmahal is the only sub-divisional town in Sahibganj district. It is one of the most historic place in Jharkhand. It includes many historical places such as Singidalan, Neel-Kothi, Jama-Masjid, Khaniyathan and China clay mines etc.
rule. The hills run north-south for 193 km from Sahebganj to Rampurhat. The earlier name of the place was Agmahal. Man Singh, on his return from the conquest of Orissa in 1592, named it Rajmahal. On 9 November 1595 Man Singh laid the foundations of a new capital of Bengal Subah
there and named it Akbarnagar, after Akbar, the emperor.
It appears to have been chosen as the site of the capital on account of its central position with reference to Bengal
and Bihar
and for its command of both the river Ganges and the pass of Teliagarhi. Man Singh built a palace, a fort, and also a Jama-i-Masjid (known as Hadafe Mosque). Soon, Rajmahal being a healthier site than Gaur
, a city sprang up. The city, however, soon lost its strategic value. The river Ganges having receded nearly two miles, the city was no longer accessible to war-boats and it could not be defended on land and water. In 1608-09 Islam Khan
transferred the capital to Jahangirnagar (Dhaka
) in order to suppress the bara-bhuiyans and more effectively resist the growing power of the Portuguese and the Maghs. However, Rajmahal regained its administrative position in 1639, when Shah Shuja (1639-1660) set up his capital there. The prince built the famous palace called Sang-i-dalan (Stone Palace) for his own residence with an attached Diwan khana (audience hall).
On 20 January 1640, a fire caused immense destruction to the palace complex and claimed seventy-five lives of Shuja's harem
. Shuja crowned himself in November 1657 in this city. It appears that he had extensive construction works done. At a considerable distance from the Sang-i-dalan is a ruin called the Phulbari (flower garden). Near this is the tomb of Bakht-Homa, widow of Shaista Khan
. In the second half of the eighteenth century the city was 2.41 kilometre in length and 0.80 kilometre in breadth with numerous mosques and monuments.
The city's decline began when Mir Jumla (1660-1663) transferred the capital again to Dhaka to check the Arakanese and the Portuguese pirates. The ruins of the old city are now covered with luxuriant jungle extended for about four miles to the west of the present sub-divisional town.
The first railway line from Howrah towards Delhi
was routed through Rajmahal: the East Indian Railway line was completed in October 1859. The first train from Howrah to Rajmahal ran on 4 July 1860.
, Rajmahal had a population of 17,974. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Rajmahal has an average literacy rate of 48%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 55%, and female literacy is 39%. In Rajmahal, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Notified area
In urban planning, a notified area is any land area earmarked by legal provision for future development. The term is used in the Hindi belt region of North India....
in Sahibganj 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 Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
. Rajmahal is the only sub-divisional town in Sahibganj district. It is one of the most historic place in Jharkhand. It includes many historical places such as Singidalan, Neel-Kothi, Jama-Masjid, Khaniyathan and China clay mines etc.
History
It is an historic town situated on the west bank of the Ganges, and located in the hills known as Daman-i-Khoh during the MuslimMuslim
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...
rule. The hills run north-south for 193 km from Sahebganj to Rampurhat. The earlier name of the place was Agmahal. Man Singh, on his return from the conquest of Orissa in 1592, named it Rajmahal. On 9 November 1595 Man Singh laid the foundations of a new capital of Bengal Subah
Bengal Subah
Bengal Subah or Subah-i-Bangalah was one of the subahs of the Mughal Empire from 1574 to 1757. On 25 September 1574 Munim Khan, the commander of the Mughal army occupied Tanda, the capital of the last Afghan ruler of Bengal Daud Khan Karrani. It ushered in the Mughal rule in Bengal. In 1713...
there and named it Akbarnagar, after Akbar, the emperor.
It appears to have been chosen as the site of the capital on account of its central position with reference to Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
and Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
and for its command of both the river Ganges and the pass of Teliagarhi. Man Singh built a palace, a fort, and also a Jama-i-Masjid (known as Hadafe Mosque). Soon, Rajmahal being a healthier site than Gaur
Gaur, West Bengal
Gour, or Gaur , as it is spelt mostly in modern times, or Lakhnauti is a ruined city, in the Malda district of West Bengal, India, on the west bank of the Ganges river, 40 kilometers downstream from Rajmahal.-History:...
, a city sprang up. The city, however, soon lost its strategic value. The river Ganges having receded nearly two miles, the city was no longer accessible to war-boats and it could not be defended on land and water. In 1608-09 Islam Khan
Islam Khan
Islam Khan may refer to:*Islam Khan I - also known as Islam Khan Chisti *Islam Khan II - also known as Islam Khan Mashhadi *Islam Khan III - also known as Islam Khan Badakhshi...
transferred the capital to Jahangirnagar (Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
) in order to suppress the bara-bhuiyans and more effectively resist the growing power of the Portuguese and the Maghs. However, Rajmahal regained its administrative position in 1639, when Shah Shuja (1639-1660) set up his capital there. The prince built the famous palace called Sang-i-dalan (Stone Palace) for his own residence with an attached Diwan khana (audience hall).
On 20 January 1640, a fire caused immense destruction to the palace complex and claimed seventy-five lives of Shuja's harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
. Shuja crowned himself in November 1657 in this city. It appears that he had extensive construction works done. At a considerable distance from the Sang-i-dalan is a ruin called the Phulbari (flower garden). Near this is the tomb of Bakht-Homa, widow of Shaista Khan
Shaista Khan
Mirza Abu Talib, better known by his title Shaista Khan , was a Subahdar and general in the army of the Mughal Empire. A maternal uncle to Emperor Aurangzeb, he served as the Mughal governor of Bengal from 1664 to 1688, and was a key figure during the rule of his nephew, the emperor...
. In the second half of the eighteenth century the city was 2.41 kilometre in length and 0.80 kilometre in breadth with numerous mosques and monuments.
The city's decline began when Mir Jumla (1660-1663) transferred the capital again to Dhaka to check the Arakanese and the Portuguese pirates. The ruins of the old city are now covered with luxuriant jungle extended for about four miles to the west of the present sub-divisional town.
The first railway line from Howrah towards Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
was routed through Rajmahal: the East Indian Railway line was completed in October 1859. The first train from Howrah to Rajmahal ran on 4 July 1860.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Rajmahal had a population of 17,974. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Rajmahal has an average literacy rate of 48%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 55%, and female literacy is 39%. In Rajmahal, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age.