History of Ranchi district

Ranchi district is one among the twenty-four districts of the state of Jharkhand in Eastern India. This region was under the control of the Magadha Empire, then it was a part of the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka and later a part of the Gupta Empire. After the fall of the Gupta Empire a legendary king named Phanimukut established the Nagvanshi dynasty and controlled the Chota Nagpur plateau region for several centuries thereafter.

Contents

• Early history
• Medivial period
• British Raj
• 1857 Movement
• Events after 1857
• During Freedom Struggle
• Post Independence
• See also
• References
• External links

Early history

The early evidence of use of several Iron slag, pot sheds, Iron tools found in Chota Nagpur Plateau region around 1400 BCE. ^[1] Samudragupta, while marching through the present-day Chotanagpur region, directed the first attack against the kingdom of Dakshina Kosala in the Mahanadi valley. ^[2]

Medivial period

Nagvanshi dynasty was ruling in the region. The region was free from any external influence until the accession of Akbar the Great to the Mughal throne. In the year 1585, Akbar's forces defeated the Raja of Kokrah Madhu Singh and exploited the resources of the region. Nagvanshi dynasty became vassal of Mughal Empire.

Later Jahangir, the son of Akbar sent his forces under the leadership of the Governor of Bihar, Ibrahim Khan and captivated the forty-fifth Kokrah chief, Durjan Sal to Delhi and later to Gwalior for a period of twelve years. Later the chief was reinstated at Kokrah with a fixed tribute. In 17th century Raja Raghunath Shah ruled for several years, he was poet, he also constructed several temples. Later the region eventually came under the British rule.

British Raj

After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the British Raj established its firm control over the Indian subcontinent. In 1765, Chota Nagpur region also went into their control. A settlement was made by the British in 1772 with Nagbansi Maharaja. This administration could not last long. In 1817 the Ranchi district along with the adjoining territories were directly administrated by the Magistrate of Ramgarh. The discontent expressed the people took the form of various revolts in the years 1811, 1820 and 1831. To control these revolts and for better administration, a separate province named South-Western Frontier Agency was formed in 1833 which included the Chota Nagpur region and also the adjoining region of Dhalbhum. The district was known as Lohardaga district and also included the present day district of Palamu. The city of Lohardaga was the administrative headquarters of the district. However in 1840, the headquarters were moved to Ranchi and in 1892 the subdivision of Palamu along with the Tori pargana were formed into a separate district. The South-Western Frontier Agency was directly administrated by an agent to the Governor-General. In 1854, the system of governance in Chota Nagpur changed once again and the region was constituted as a Non-regulation province under the control of the Commissioner.

1857 Movement

In the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the main head of the Chota Nagpur region did not interfere but the Ramgarh Battalion at Ranchi participated. Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo, Pandey Ganpat Rai, Tikait Umrao Singh and Sheikh Bhikhari played pivotal role in Indian Rebellion of 1857. ^{[3] [4]} Several possessions, estates and property of the Zamindars were confiscated. The British eventually succeeded in regaining control over the region and the revolt was suppressed.

Events after 1857

After 1857, for several years there was no significant system of Governance with the Munda population expressing discontent over the condition of their people. The last fifteen years of the nineteenth century were constituted by agitations of the sardars or leaders whose chief objective was to make a living for themselves at the expense of the people. In 1899, a small rising was initiated by Birsa Munda, who encouraged the people to revolt and restore the pride of the Munda tribe. The people revered him as a God-sent leader with miraculous powers. The movement was suppressed with ease by the local authorities and Birsa Munda was imprisoned in the Ranchi Jail, where he died few years later. In 1899, the name of the Lohardaga district was changed to Ranchi district.

During Freedom Struggle

The district played an important role during the Indian struggle for independence. Under the guidance of Ganesh Chandra Ghosh Ranchi became an epicenter of activities for the followers of Revolutionary campaigns. Ranchi was the venue of two meetings between Mahatma Gandhi and Sir Edward Albert Gait, Lieutenant Governor of Bihar and Orissa on 4 June 1917 ^[5] and another meeting on 22 September 1917 in the context of the Champaran Indigo planters repressive measures against the raiyats of the district. The Champaran agrarian law subsequently passed as Bihar and Orissa Act-I of 1918.

Post Independence

After India achieved Independence, Ranchi district was included in the state of Bihar. Lohardaga district was created from a portion of Ranchi district in 1983. But, after the formation of the state of Jharkhand on 15 November 2000, ^{[6] [7]} the district became the first district of the newly formed state. Later, Khunti district was carved out of Ranchi district on 12 September 2007. ^[8]

See also

• Ranchi district
• History of Jharkhand

Related Research Articles

Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It is the 15th largest state by area, and the 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places; Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath, Dewri and Rajrappa are major religious sites. Jharkhand is primarily rural, with about 24% of its population living in cities as of 2011.

Ranchi is the capital city and second largest city of the Indian state of Jharkhand and also the administrative headquarter of Ranchi district. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area of what is present-day Chhattisgarh. The Jharkhand state was formed on 15 November 2000 by carving out the Bihar divisions of Chota Nagpur and Santhal Parganas. Ranchi is being developed as Smart City because it was selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.

The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi river lies to the south. The total area of the Chota Nagpur Plateau is approximately 65,000 square kilometres (25,000 sq mi).

Palamu district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand, India. It was formed in 1892. The administrative headquarters of the district is Medininagar, situated on the Koel River. Palamu district lies in north-western part of Jharkhand. It shares border with Chatra, Garhwa & Latehar Districts of Jharkhand state and Aurangabad, Gaya & Rohtas Districts of Bihar state.

Ranchi district is the most populous district of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, is the district headquarters. It was established as a district in 1899.

Ramgarh Raj was the major Zamindari estate in the era of the British Raj in the former Indian province of Bihar. Territories which comprised the Ramgarh Raj presently constitute districts of Ramgarh, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Giridih, Koderma, and Bokaro with 3672 villages. The entire area is rich in minerals like coal and mica and falls under the Indian State of Jharkhand. The First King was Maharaja Baghdeo Singh and the last ruling king was Maharaja Kamakhya Narain Singh of this estate, until the estate was merged to the Republic of India. The revenue of the estate was about 3600000.

Chota Nagpur Division, also known as the South-West Frontier, was an administrative division of British India. It included most of the present-day state of Jharkhand as well as adjacent portions of West Bengal, Orissa, and Chhattisgarh.

Nagpuri is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar. It is primarily spoken in the west and central Chota Nagpur plateau region. It is sometimes considered a dialect of Bhojpuri.

The region have been inhabited since the Stone Age. Copper tools from the Chalcolithic period have been discovered. This area entered the Iron Age during the mid-2nd millennium BCE.

The Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur, also known as the Khokhra chieftaincy, was an Indian dynasty which ruled the parts of Chota Nagpur plateau region during the medieval and modern periods. Phani Mukut Rai, considered the first king of the dynasty, claimed to be the son of Pundrika Naga, a mythical Naga. Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (1931–2014) was last ruling king of the dynasty, until the estate was merged to the Republic of India.

The Nagpuria people, also Nagpuri or Sadan, are an Indo-Aryan speaking ethnolinguistic group who are the native speakers of the Nagpuri language and natives of the western Chota Nagpur Plateau region of Indian states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

Sadan are the native Indo-Aryan-speaking ethnolinguistic groups of Chota Nagpur Plateau consist of Indian state of Jharkhand and neighbouring states who speak Nagpuri, Khortha and Kurmali language as their native language.

The Kol uprising, Kol rebellion, also known in British records as the Kol mutiny was a revolt of the tribal Kol people of Chhota Nagpur that took place between 1831 and 1832. It was due to economic exploitation brought on by the systems of land tenure and administration that had been introduced by the East India Company. Tribal people of Chotanagpur including Mundas, Oraons, Hos and Bhumijs were called Kols. They initially plundered and killed Sikh and Muslims thikedars (contractors) who collected taxes by different means. Later they also started to plunder and kill Hindus of nearby villages and burn their houses. The insurgency was suppressed by killing of the leaders, their followers and arrest of many leaders by Thomas Wilkinson.

Vishwanath Shahdeo was the king of the Barkagarh estate and a rebel in the Indian rebellion of 1857. In 1855, he declared himself independent and defeated British forces in Hatia. He led rebels of Ramgarh Battalion in 1857. But defeated by Company forces with the help of king of Pithoria Jagatpal Singh. He was eventually caught and was hung from a tree along with his accomplices in 1858.

Pandey Ganpat Rai was a revolutionary and rebel leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and a chieftain in Lohardaga district of Bihar.

Tikait Umrao Singh was a king and freedom fighter. He was king of small kingdom Bandhgawa which is located in Ranchi district in Jharkhand. In Indian rebellion 1857, he and his brother Ghasi Singh played pivotal role in preventing East India Company force from occupying Ranchi.

Sheikh Bhikhari Ansari (1819-1858) was born on 2 Oct 1819 in a weaver Ansari family at Lotwa-Khudia Village located in the city of Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. He fought in the Revolt of 1857 against the British rule in India. Sheikh Bhikhari Ansari was a craftsman who prepared coarse clothes and earned his livelihood by selling them in the local Haat market since childhood.

The Barkagarh estate was a zamindari estate situated in modern-day Jharkhand, India, in erstwhile Lohardaga district. It was established by Ani Nath Shahdeo, the son of Nagvanshi king Ram Shah in 17th century. The capital of the estate was Satranji now located in south Ranchi.

Edward Tuite Dalton CSI was a British soldier and anthropologist. He was posted in Assam, then became commissioner of Chota Nagpur Division. He was posted in Chotanagpur for two decades. Later he became major general of Bengal Lancer. He commanded both European and native people during the sepoy mutiny of 1857. Dalton, along with justice Campbell, Herbert Hope Risley, John-Baptist Hoffmann and P.O.Bidding initiated ethnographic studies in Chotanagpur. His work Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal formed a part of the Census in British India in 1872.

References

External links

• History: Ranchi district The Imperial Gazetteer of India v 21, p. 200 to p. 202
• History of Ranchi district