History of Bankura district

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History of Bankura district refers to the history of the present

state of West Bengal
.

Prehistoric times

The earliest signs of human habitation in the area was at Dihar, discovered by Maniklal Sinha in the early 1970s.[1] By about 1200-1000 BC chalcolithic people had settled on the north bank of the Dwarakeswar.[2]

In later pre-historic times this area was inhabited by various

Santals and Mal Pahariyas were probably also there from the beginning.[6] There were substantial differences amongst the tribes in relation to food, dress, religion, behavioral patterns, and other matters and there were severe limitations on inter-mixing, not to think of inter-marriage.[4]

Assimilation with Proto-Indo-Europeans

When

caste-based society or it could be the extension of an older system. The assimilation was not easy and took many centuries, and was achieved through both conflict and cordiality.[4]

In the religious texts of

Kalinga had only come in contact with the Aryans or Proto-Indo-Europeans of northern India.[7]

In the 4th century AD, it is learned from the Susunia edicts, in Prakrit and Sanskrit, that Chandravarman, son of Simhavarman, ruled at Pushkarana (modern Pakhanna). The extent of his dominions may have been more or less coterminous with ancient Rarh region or south-west Bengal.[8][9] According to the inscription on the Allahabad pillar Chandravarman was defeated by Samudragupta and the area became a part of the Gupta Empire.[10] The area was for many years part of Dandabhukti and Bardhamanbhukti.[11]

In the old

Acaranga Sutra (around 4th century AD) there is mention of Sumha and Ladha (Rarh?) and there too the reference is to an area inhabited by uncivilised and barbaric people. 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 AD.[7]

Mallabhum kingdom

Main article: Mallabhum kingdom
Rulers of Mallabhum
Ruler Years
Adi Malla 694 - 710
Jay Malla 710 - 720
Benu Malla 720 - 733
Kinu Malla 733 - 742
Indra Malla 742 - 757
Kanu Malla 757 - 764
Dha (Jhau) Malla 764 - 775
Shur Malla 775 - 795
Kanak Malla 795 - 807
Kandarpa Malla 807 - 828
Sanatan Malla 828 - 841
Kharga Malla 841 - 862
Durjan (Durjay) Malla 862 - 906
Yadav Malla 906 - 919
Jagannath Malla 919 - 931
Birat Malla 931 - 946
Mahadev Malla 946 - 977
Durgadas Malla 977 - 994
Jagat Malla 994 - 1007
Ananta Malla 1007 - 1015
Rup Malla 1015 - 1029
Sundar Malla 1029 - 1053
Kumud Malla 1053 - 1074
Krishna Malla 1074 - 1084
Rup II (Jhap) Malla 1084 - 1097
Prakash Malla 1097 - 1102
Pratap Malla 1102 - 1113
Sindur Malla 1113 - 1129
Sukhomoy(Shuk) Malla 1129 - 1142
Banamali Malla 1142 - 1156
Yadu/Jadu Malla 1156 - 1167
Jiban Malla 1167 - 1185
Ram (Kshetra) Malla 1185 - 1209
Gobinda Malla 1209 - 1240
Bhim Malla 1240 - 1263
Katar(Khattar) Malla 1263 - 1295
Prithwi Malla 1295 - 1319
Tapa Malla 1319 - 1334
Dinabandhu Malla 1334 - 1345
Kinu/Kanu II Malla 1345 - 1358
Shur Malla II 1358 - 1370
Shiv Singh Malla 1370 - 1407
Madan Malla 1407 - 1420
Durjan Malla II 1420 - 1437
Uday Malla 1437 - 1460
Chandra Malla 1460 - 1501
Bir Malla 1501 - 1554
Dhari Malla 1554 - 1565
Hambir Malla Dev 1565 - 1620
Dhari Hambir Malla Dev 1620 - 1626
Raghunath Singha Dev 1626 - 1656
Bir Singha Dev 1656 - 1682
Durjan Singha Dev 1682 - 1702
Raghunath Singha Dev II 1702 - 1712
Gopal Singha Dev 1712 - 1748
Chaitanya Singha Dev 1748 - 1801
Madhav Singha Dev 1801 - 1809
Gopal Singha Dev II 1809 - 1876
Ramkrishna Singha Dev 1876 - 1885
Dwhajamoni Devi 1885 - 1889
Nilmoni Singha Dev 1889 - 1903
no king 1903 - 1930
Kalipada Singha Thakur 1930 - 1983

From around 7th century AD 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.[12]

Marathas completed the ruin of the Bishnupur house, which is an impoverished zamindari in the present day.”[13]

The origins of the Rajas of Bishnupur is somewhat clouded in mystery. According to O'Malley, all through the centuries, they were acknowledged as the kings of Bagdis. However, the Rajas of Bishnupur and many of their followers have laid claims to their being

Bagdis.[12]

The area around Bishnupur was called Mallabhum The core area would cover present-day Bankura police station area (excluding

Santhal Parganas to Midnapore in the south. It included the eastern part of Bardhaman and parts of Chota Nagpur in the west. Portions of the district appear to have been originally the homes of aboriginal tribes, who were gradually subdued. The Khatra region was Dhalbhum, the Raipur region was Tungbhum, and the Chhatna region was Samantabhum. They were eventually overshadowed by the Malla kings of Bishnupur. There also are references in old scripts to Varahabhumi or Varabhumi (present-day Barabhum) on whose borders run Darikesi river, and Sekhara mountain (probably present-day Pareshnath).[12]

Adi Malla

Jagannath temple at Puri. He halted in the midst of a great forest at Laugram, 8.4 kilometres (5.2 mi) from Kotulpur. He left his wife who was about to give birth to a child in the care of a Brahmin. The wife gave birth to a son and they remained back in Laugram. When the child was around 7 years old, he started working as a cowherd. The child started showing signs of greatness and was ultimately trained as a warrior. When he was 15 years 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 became a chieftain by the grace of Raja of Padampur, near modern Joypur, 12.8 kilometres (8.0 mi) from Laugram. The Raja made him a grant of Laugram and some villages around it. The veracity of this story is questioned and there are other versions of this story to back up the Kshatriya links of the Bishnupur kings.[12]

Adi Malla ruled in Laugram for 33 years and has been known as the

Bagdi Raja. He was succeeded by his son, Jay Malla, who invaded Padampur and captured the fort, then the power-centre. Jay Malla extended his domains and shifted his capital to Bishnupur. The subsequent kings steadily extended their kingdom. Among the more renowned are: Kalu Malla, the fourth in line, Kau Malla, the sixth in line, Jhau Malla, the seventh in line, and Sur Malla, the eighth in line, who defeated the Raja of Bagri, a place now in northern Midnapore. He was followed by 40 other kings, all of whom were known as Mallas or Mallabaninath, which means lords of Mallabhum or Mallabani. Family records show that they were independent of foreign powers.[12]

Bir Hambir Malla

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.[12]

Bir Hambir was both powerful and pious. He was converted to

Madan Mohan in Bishnupur.[12]

Raghunath Singha

Raghunath Singha, who followed Bir Hambir, was the first Bishnupur Raja family got the title of Singha(Lion) as an honour due to the strength of Rasliimlli. It is said that he was conferred upon with this title by the Nawab of Murshidabad. Bishnupur kingdom had entered its golden age. 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. Raghunath Singha built the temples of Shyam Rai, Jor Bangla and Kalachand between 1643 and 1656.[12]

Raghunath Singha was married to the daughter of Shobha Singha, Zamindar of

Persian dancer, called Lalbai. He took her under his protection and later dug a large pond in her name (Lalbandh pond). After he decided to marry Lalbai, Raghunath Singha was killed by his queen.[14]

Bir Singha

Bir Singha built the present fort, the temple of Lalji in 1658, and seven big lakes named Lalbandh, Krishnabandh, Gantatbandh, Jamunabandh, Kalindibandh, Shyambandh, and Pokabandh. His queen, Siromani or Chudamani, built the temples of Madan Mohan and Murali Mohan in 1665. He walled up alive all his sons, eighteen in number. The youngest, Durjan, alone escaped, having been kept in hiding by the servants.[12]

Durjan Singha

Durjan Singha built the Madan Mohan temple in 1694. According to family records, the kings of Bishnupur continued to pay tribute to the Muslim rulers but they were free to do things internally. There was no interference by the Muslim rulers in the internal affairs of Bishnupur. This is also confirmed by Muslim historians. 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.[12]

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

Maratha invasions laid waste their country.[12]

Gopal Singha Dev

Gopal Singha (1730–1745) was a pious king but was not fit to cope with the difficulties that faced his kingdom. He issued an edict that people of Mallabhum should count their beads and chant Harinam (name of God) every evening at sunset. In 1742, when the Marathas, under Bhaskar Rao, attacked Bishnupur, the troops put up a spirited defence but then Gopal Singha 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. The Maratha chief, Sheobhat, made Bishnupur his headquarters in 1760 during the invasion of Shah Alam. The Marathas fell with their heaviest weight on border principalities such as Bishnupur and Birbhum. Exactions of a hundred sorts reduced the once powerful kingdom to poverty. The tenants fled and the country became desolate.[12]

1779 map of the Jungle Terry District.

Chaitanya Singha Dev

Chaitanya Singha was another pious ruler unfit to face the difficulties. As he was too involved in religious matters he did not have time for administrative matters. He faced internal feuds. Damodar Singha, a cousin of his, tried to gain power. He was able to convince the court at Murshidabad about his capabilities. Initially, Siraj ud-Daulah lent him forces but he was unable to capture Bishnupur. Later, after the British defeated Siraj, Mir Jafar lent him stronger forces. He succeeded in taking Bishnupur, and Chaitanya Singha escaped to Kolkata with the idol of Madan Gopal, but the British restored the latter to power. However, intrigue and litigation continued for many years. Litigation 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.[12]

Early 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 1770 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. The situation was so bad that the people of Bishnupur came to be known as Chuars or robbers. Bankura continued to be one district with Birbhum till 1793, when it was transferred to the Burdwan collectorate.[12]

1907 Map of Bengal with Sikkim

Chuar rebellion

Towards the end of the 18th century certain portions of the district around Raipur was affected by the

Patrasayar, as well as at Surul and Ilambazar in Birbhum. The disturbances of the Chuars in 1832 in the western part of the district lead to the disbandment of the Jungle Mahals in 1833. While Bishnupur was transferred to Burdwan, most of the district formed a part of Manbhum and what was known as North-west Frontier Agency. In 1872, the parganas of Sonamukhi, Indas, Kotulpur, Shergarh and Senpahari were transferred to Burdwan.[12]

Present shape

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.[12]

References

  1. ^ Chakrabarty, Rakhi (Jun 20, 2015). "Relic Hunter". The Times of India. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  2. ^ Das, Dipak Ranjan (2012). "Dihar". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  3. ^ Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, p. 62, Prakash Bhaban
  4. ^ a b c d Ray, Nihar Ranjan, Bangalir Itihas Adi Parba, (in Bengali), 1980 edition, pp. 276-281, Paschim Banga Niraksharata Durikaran Samiti
  5. ^ Singha, Maniklal (1977). Paschim rarh tatha Bankura sanskriti. Bisnupur: Chittaranjan Dasgupta.
  6. ^ Ghosh, Binoy, pp. 328-331
  7. ^ a b Ghosh, Binoy, pp. 60-61
  8. ^ Majumdar, R.C., History of Ancient Bengal, pp. 32, 444, Tulshi Prakashani.
  9. ^ Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, pp. 408-409, Prakash Bhaban
  10. ^ Sengupta, Nitish, History of the Bengali-speaking People, p.21, UBS Publishers’ Distributors Pvt. Ltd.
  11. ^ Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, pp. 82-86, Prakash Bhaban
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Bengal District Gazetteers Bankura[permanent dead link], O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, 1908, Barcode(99999990038739), Language English, pp. 21-41, 1995 reprint, Government of West Bengal from Digital Library of India Archived 2016-02-29 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Dutt, R.C., The Aboriginal Element in the Population of Bengal, Calcutta Review, 1882, quoted by O’Malley, p. 21
  14. ISBN 81-7252-027-1
    .
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