Chota Nagpur Division
Encyclopedia
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
.
The division included five districts, Hazaribagh
, Ranchi
, Palamu
, Manbhum
, and Singhbhum
. The administrative headquarters of the division was at Ranchi
. The total area of the division was 27,101 square miles (70,161 km2.), and the population was 4,900,429 in 1901. In 1901 Hindus
constituted 68.5% of the total population, animists
22.7%, Muslims
5.7%, Christians
2.9%, and 853 Jains
. The Chota Nagpur States
, a group of princely state
s, was under the political authority of the division's commissioner.
Chota Nagpur division was hilly and forested area. The region came under the control of the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was annexed to the Bengal Presidency
, the largest province of British India. After the Kol rebellion of 1831-2, the division was exempted by Regulation XIII of 1833 from the general laws and regulations governing Bengal, and every branch of the administration was vested in an officer appointed by the supreme Government and called the Agent to the Governor-General of India
for the South-West Frontier. In 1854 the designation of the province was changed to Chota Nagpur by Act XX of that year, and was administered thereafter as a non-regulation province under the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal Presidency. The title of the chief administrative officer was changed from Agent to Commissioner, and the officers in charge of the districts became Deputy Commissioners. The Commissioner exercised general control over the Chota Nagpur States.
Chota Nagpur Division became part of the new province of Bihar and Orissa
when it was created in 1912. In 1936 the province was split into the separate provinces of Bihar
(which included present-day Bihar and Jharkhand states) and Orissa, and the princely states were placed under the authority of the Eastern States Agency
.
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...
as well as adjacent portions 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...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, and Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
.
The division included five districts, Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh District
Hazaribagh district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Hazaribagh town is the district headquarters. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.-Etymology:The district is named after its headquarters, the town of Hazaribagh...
, Ranchi
Ranchi District
Ranchi district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Ranchi city, the capital of Jharkhand state is the district headquarters.As of 2011 it is the most populous district of Jharkhand .-Origin of name:...
, Palamu
Palamu District
Palamau is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India. The district is currently a part of the Red Corridor.-Geography:The district lies between 23°50′ and 24°8′ north latitude and between 83°55′ and 84°30′ east longitude...
, 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...
, and Singhbhum
Singhbhum
Singhbhum was sometime a large district in the present-day Indian state of Bihar. Chaibasa was the district headquarters of the erstwhile Singhbhum district. Earlier this area was a part of Orissa's Gajapati Empire...
. The administrative headquarters of the division was at Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
. The total area of the division was 27,101 square miles (70,161 km2.), and the population was 4,900,429 in 1901. In 1901 Hindus
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
constituted 68.5% of the total population, animists
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
22.7%, Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
5.7%, Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
2.9%, and 853 Jains
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...
. The Chota Nagpur States
Chota Nagpur States
The Chota Nagpur States were a group of princely states at the time of British India, located on the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in the present-day Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Orissa...
, a group of princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
s, was under the political authority of the division's commissioner.
Chota Nagpur division was hilly and forested area. The region came under the control of the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was annexed to the Bengal Presidency
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency originally comprising east and west Bengal, was a colonial region of the British Empire in South-Asia and beyond it. It comprised areas which are now within Bangladesh, and the present day Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa and Tripura.Penang and...
, the largest province of British India. After the Kol rebellion of 1831-2, the division was exempted by Regulation XIII of 1833 from the general laws and regulations governing Bengal, and every branch of the administration was vested in an officer appointed by the supreme Government and called the Agent to the Governor-General of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
for the South-West Frontier. In 1854 the designation of the province was changed to Chota Nagpur by Act XX of that year, and was administered thereafter as a non-regulation province under the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal Presidency. The title of the chief administrative officer was changed from Agent to Commissioner, and the officers in charge of the districts became Deputy Commissioners. The Commissioner exercised general control over the Chota Nagpur States.
Chota Nagpur Division became part of the new province of Bihar and Orissa
Bihar and Orissa
Bihar and Orissa was a province of British India which included the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were part of the Bengal Presidency, the largest British province in India. Bihar and...
when it was created in 1912. In 1936 the province was split into the separate provinces of 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....
(which included present-day Bihar and Jharkhand states) and Orissa, and the princely states were placed under the authority of the Eastern States Agency
Eastern States Agency
The Eastern States Agency was a political office of the British Indian Empire, created on 1 April 1933. This agency dealt with forty-two princely states in eastern India, located in the present-day Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, and Tripura...
.