History of Jharkhand

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The region have been inhabited since the Stone Age.[1] Copper tools from the Chalcolithic period have been discovered.[2] This area entered the Iron Age during the mid-2nd millennium BCE.[3][4]

The region was conquered by the

British East India Company in the late 18th century, succeeded by the British Raj from the mid-19th century, both encountering much local resistance. At this time the territory was covered by nine princely states. Under the Raj, till 1905, the region fell within the Bengal Presidency, most of it then being transferred to the Central Provinces and Orissa Tributary States; then in 1936 the whole region was assigned to the Eastern States Agency
.

Following Indian independence in 1947, the region was divided between the new states of

BJP for a separate state culminated with the passage of the Bihar Reorganisation Act, creating Jharkhand as a new Indian state
.

Prehistoric era

Stone tools and microliths from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods have been discovered in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region.[1] There are also ancient cave paintings in Isko, Hazaribagh district which are from the Meso-Chalcolithic period (9,000–5,000 BC).[5] A group of megaliths proven to date back to beyond 3000 BCE was also found at Barkagaon, about 25 km from Hazaribagh at Punkri Barwadih.[6]

During 2nd millennium BCE the use of Copper tools spread in

black and red ware, black ware, black slipware and NBP ware are from the Chalcolithic to the late medieval period.[7]

Ancient period

Main article: Iron Age in India

Barudih, located in the Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, yielded evidence of microliths, Neolithic celts, iron slags, wheel made pottery, and iron objects (including a sickle). The earliest radio carbon dating give a range of 1401–837 BCE for this site.[3]

Magadha and other Mahajanapadas in the Post Vedic period

Around c. 1200–1000 BCE,

Brahminical Hinduism.[8] According to Bronkhorst, the Sramana culture arose in "greater Magadha," which was Indo-European, but not Vedic. In this culture, Kshatriyas were placed higher than Brahmins, and it rejected Vedic authority and rituals.[9][10][11]

In Mahabharata, the region was referred as Kark Khand due to its location near Tropic of Cancer.[12][page needed] In those days, the Jharkhand state was a part of Magadha and Anga. [citation needed] Nanda Empire ruled the region during 4th century BCE. In Mauryan period, this region was ruled by a number of states, which were collectively known as the Atavika (forest) states. These conquered states fell under the hegemony of the Maurya empire during Ashoka's expansionist reign (c. 232 BCE). The Brahmi Inscription found in Karbakala in Palamu district and Saridkel in Khunti district which is from 3rd century BCE.[13] In ancient site of Saridkel, burnt bricks houses, red ware pottery, copper tools, coins and iron tools were found which belong to early centuries CE.[14]

Samudragupta, while marching through the present-day Chota Nagpur region (North and South), directed the first attack against the kingdom of Dakshina Kosala in the Mahanadi valley.[15]

Gupta Empire

Medieval period

In the 7th century, Chinese traveler

Bhim Karn was Nagvanshi king during medieval period. He defeated Raksel dynasty of Surguja when they Invaded the reign with cavalry.[18]

This is the Sahastrakoot Jinaya (1008 the Temple of Jain statues) at Bhadrakali in Itkhori (10th Tirthankar the birthplace of Shitalnath). It is worshipped by assuming the Sahasrara shivling
Idols of Bhadrakali temple in Itkhori
Khakparta Temple, 9th century Shiva temple in Lohardaga

Modern period

By the end of medieval and the beginning of the modern period, this region was under the rule of many dynasties including

Koderma, Gadi Palganj, and Ledo Gadi
.

In

Nagvanshi king was ruling at Khukhra. Akbar's army defeated the king and a sum of rupees six thousand was fixed as its annual revenue payable to the Mughals. Till the reign of Akbar, Chota Nagpur had not come under the suzerainty of the Mughals and the Nagvanshi rulers had been ruling over this region as independent rulers.[19]

By the advent of the reign of

Gwalior fort. The imprisonment lasted for twelve years. Ultimately, Jahangir granted his release after realising Sal's skill of distinguishing real diamonds. The title of Shah was conferred on him by Emperor Jahangir and his kingdom restored. Durjan Shah shifted the capital from Khukhragarh to Doisa, also known as Navratangarh. The reign of Durjan Sal lasted for about thirteen years. He died in 1639 or 1640 AD.[20] He was succeeded by King Ram Shah ruled from 1640 to 1663. He built Kapilnath Temple in 1643. He succeeded by his son Raghunath Shah. Thakur Ani Nath Shahdeo bulit Jagannath temple of Ranchi in 1991.[21]

Navratangarh fort
Jagannath temple at Ranchi built by king Ani Nath Shahdeo

In

fort in the plains, was built by the King of Raksel Rajput Dynasty. However, it was during the reign of King Medini Ray (1658–1674), who ruled from 1658 to 1674 in Palamau, the old fort was rebuilt into a defensive structure.[22] His rule extended to areas in South Gaya and Hazaribagh. He attacked Navratangarh (33 miles (53 km) and defeated it. With the war bounty, he constructed the lower fort close to Satbarwa.[23] Following the death of Medini Ray, there was rivalry within the royal family of the Chero dynasty which ultimately led to its downfall; this was engineered by the ministers and advisers in the court.[24]

Palamau Fort
was built in the 17th century CE.

Daud Khan, who launched his invasion on 3 April 1660 from Patna, attacked south of Gaya district and finally arrived at the Palamu forts on 9 December 1660. The terms of surrender and payment of tribute were not acceptable to the Cheros; Daud Khan apparently wanted complete conversion of the Hindus to Islam. Following this, Khan mounted a series of attacks on the forts. Cheros defended the forts but ultimately lost and fled to the jungles. The temples were destroyed and Mughal rule was re-imposed.[23]

In 1765, the region came under the control of the

Nagvansh and Ramgarh also became parts of British Raj.[26]

The

Koderma, Gadi Palganj and Ledo Gadi were notable zamindari estates in the district.[27]

Other princely states in the

Anglo-Maratha Wars known as Chota Nagpur Tributary States.[28]

Colonial era
Santhal Rebellion, c. 1856, from the Illustrated London News

After the

Empress of India. In 1874, the Kherwar Movement under the leadership of Bhagirathi Manjhi gained prominence. The Cheros and Kharwars again rebelled against the British in 1882 but the attack was repulsed.[26] Between 1895 and 1900, a movement against the British Raj was led by Birsa Munda (born 15 November 1875). Birsa Munda was captured by British forces and declared dead on 9 June 1900 in the Ranchi Jail, due to Cholera
, according to records of the British colonial government. All of these uprisings were quelled by the British through massive deployment of troops across the region.

Birsa Munda captured and conducted to Ranchi

In 1914, the

Civil Disobedience
movement.

In October 1905, the exercise of British influence over the predominantly

Bonai were attached to the Orissa Tributary States, leaving only Kharsawan and Saraikela answerable to the Bengal governor.[31]

In 1936, all nine states were transferred to the Eastern States Agency, the officials of which came under the direct authority of the Governor-General of India, rather than under that of any Provinces.

Maulana Azad
at the 1940 Ramgarh Session of the Indian National Congress

In March 1940, INC 53rd Session

Acharya J.B. Kripalani, Industrialist Jamnalal Bajaj and other leaders[35] of Indian freedom movement attended the Ramgarh session.[36] Mahatma Gandhi also opened khadi and village industries exhibition at Ramgarh.[37]

Post-independence

After the Indian independence in 1947, the rulers of the states chose to accede to the

Orissa state; and Kharsawan and Saraikela became part of Bihar state.[38]

In 1928, Unnati Samaj, the political wing of Christian tribals submitted a memorandum to the

States Reorganization Commission for Jharkhand state for tribals, but it was rejected because the region had different languages, the tribals were in minority, Hindustani was majority language and adverse effect on economy of Bihar.[39][40]

Later

Dr. B.P. Keshri, Binod Bihari Mahato, Santosh Rana, and Suraj Singh Besra started a fresh initiative in the matter. It try to coordinate between different parties. Dr. B.P. Keshri sent a memorandum to form Jharkhand state in 1988.[41]

Congress General Secretary Mr. Ram Ratan Ram's letter to PM Mr. Rajiv Gandhi on the issue of the state of Jharkhand

In July 1988,

Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi decided to demand separate state Vanachal composed of forest region of South Bihar in Jamshedpur. Inder Singh Namdhari
, Samresh Singh and Rudra Pratap Sarangi were prominent leader of Vanachal movement. They organised several rallies to form a separate state Vanachal.[42] The Centre government formed a committee on the Jharkhand matter in 1989. It stressed the need for greater allocation of the development funds for the area. JMM wanted greater representation and AJSU was against it. Due to differences, these parties parted away from each other. There was a provision for limited internal autonomy in the hill area of Assam. Other tribal areas were covered by the fifth schedule of the constitution. The Chota Nagpur and Santal Pargana development board was constituted under the chairmanship of then Chief Minister of Bihar under the provision of the fifth schedule in 1972. AJSU introduced elements of violence in the movement and called for a boycott of the election while JMM opposed it. Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council Bill passed in Bihar legislative assembly in December 1994. Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council was given the charge of 40 subjects including agriculture, rural health, public work, public health, and minerals. The council had the power to recommend legislation to the Assembly through the state government and to frame bylaws and regulations.[43][44]

In 1998, when the separate state movement was falling apart, Justice

AJSU, Congress, a total of 16 political parties came in one platform and formed 'All Party Separate State Formation Committee' to start the movement. Justice Shahdeo was elected as the convener of the committee. The voting on Jharkhand Act was to be done on 21 September 1998 in Bihar legislation. On that day the committee, under the leadership of Justice Shahdeo called for Jharkhand Bandh and organised a protest march. Thousands of supporters of separate state took to streets in leadership of Justice Shahdeo. He was arrested and detained in police station for hours along with many supporters.[45][46]

In 1999, Bharatiya Janata party, promised to form separate state Vanachal, if BJP win the state election and BJP get majority of votes.[42] After the last Assembly election in the state resulted in a hung assembly, RJD's dependence on the Congress extended support on the precondition that RJD would not pose a hurdle to the passage of the

NDA formed the government with Babulal Marandi as chief minister. Later it was renamed as Jharkhand.[42][48]

See also

References

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  5. ^ "Cave paintings lie in neglect". www.telegraphindia.com.
  6. ^ Choudhury, Indrajit Roy (3 December 2017). "Hazaribagh - Ancient megaliths aligned to the Sun".
  7. ^ "KABRA – KALA". www.asiranchi.org.
  8. ^ Flood 1996, p. 82.
  9. ^ Bronkhorst 2007.
  10. ^ Long 2013, p. chapter II.
  11. ^ Wynne, Alexander (1 July 2011). "Review of Bronkhorst, Johannes, Greater Magadha: Studies in the Culture of Early India". H-Buddhism, H-Review – via www.h-net.org.
  12. ^ "Nagpuri Shist Sahitya". Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  13. ^ Lalit Aditya (October 2018). "Inscriptions in Jharkhand: A Preliminary Study". Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Asura Site Saridkhel". asiranchicircle. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  15. ^ Sharma, Tej Ram (8 January 1978). Personal and Geographical Names in the Gupta Inscriptions. Concept Publishing Company. p. 258 – via Internet Archive.
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  17. ^ "10th century Buddha Vihar discovered in Jharkhand's Hazaribag". hindustantimes. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  18. ^ "Archaeologists uncover remains of ancient empire in Jharkhand". oneindia. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  19. ^ "The Nagbanshis And The Cheros". archive.org. 1969.
  20. ^ "The Lost Kingdom of Navratangarh". IndiaMike.com.
  21. ^ "Navratangarh: Lost Kingdom of the Nagvanshis". livehistoryindia. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  22. ^ Lahiry 2014, p. 24.
  23. ^ a b "Palamufort". Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  24. ^ Lahiry 2014, p. 29.
  25. ^ Lahiry 2014, p. 30.
  26. ^ a b "Historical Background, Latehar District, Jharkhand". Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  27. ^ Hazaribagh District Gazetteer. THE BENGAL SECRETARIAT BOOK DEPOT, CALCUTTA. 1905.
  28. ^ "Gazetteer - Chota Nagpur Tributary States Gazetteer. Statistics, 1901-02 - South Asia Archive". 1905.
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  30. ^ Kaul, Chandrika. "From Empire to Independence: The British Raj in India 1858–1947". Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  31. Imperial Gazetteer of India
    , Volume 12. 1908–1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford
  32. ^ "All India Congress Committee - AICC". Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  33. ^ Danik jagran Ranchi Page No.14, 2 October 2011
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  35. ^ "Photo Gallery of Mahatma Gandhi (1933-1948)".
  36. ^ "RAMGARH SESSION-1940".
  37. ^ "Chronology 1940". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  38. ^ Eastern States Agency. List of ruling chiefs & leading personages Delhi: Agent to Governor-General, Eastern States, 1936
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  42. ^ a b c "वनांचल की रूपरेखा, झारखंड का नाम". jagran. 17 August 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  43. ISBN 9789352660001
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  45. ^ "Tributes pour in for Justice Shahdeo". 10 January 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  46. ^ "Remembering Justice LPN Shahdeo on his 7th death anniversary". 10 January 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  47. ^ gigisoftsolutions. "History of Jharkhand, Jharkhand History". traveljharkhand.com. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  48. ^ "Uttaranchal, Vananchal and Chhattisgarh celebrate their statehood". indiatoday. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2022.

Works cited

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