Mallabhum was the kingdom ruled by the Malla kings of Bishnupur primarily in the present Bankura district

Bankura District

Bankura district is one of the seven districts of Burdwan Division in the Indian state of West Bengal. The district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial...

 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 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...

.

Extent

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

Chhatna

Chhatna is an administrative division in Bankura Sadar subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Chhatna police station serves this block. Headquarters of this block is at Chhatna.-Geography:...

), Onda

Onda

Onda S.p.A. is an Italian cellular phone manufacturer. The company′s headquarter is in Roveredo in Piano with a subsidiary in Rome and in Nanjing .Telecom Italia is a major distributor of Onda handsets.- Mobile Phones :* N1000iB...

, Bishnupur, Kotulpur

Kotulpur

Kotulpur is an administrative division in Bishnupur subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Kotulpur police station serves this block...

 and Indas

Indas

Indas is an administrative division in Bishnupur subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Indas police station serves this block...

. In olden days the term was used for a much larger area, which probably was the furthest extent of the Bishnupur kingdom. In the north it stretched from Damin-i-koh

Damin-i-koh

Damin-i-koh was the name given to the forested hilly areas of Rajmahal Hills broadly in the area of present Sahebganj, Pakur and Godda districts in the Indian state of Jharkhand.-History:...

 in Santhal Parganas

Santhal Parganas

Santhal Pargana division constitutes one of the five administrative units known as the divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India.-Origin of name:...

 to Midnapore

Midnapore District

Midnapore district is a former district of the state of West Bengal, India. This district was bifurcated on January 1, 2002 into the Purba Medinipur district and the Paschim Medinipur district.-References:...

 in the south. It included the eastern part of Bardhaman

Bardhaman District

'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...

 and included parts of Chota Nagpur

Chota Nagpur

Chota Nagpur may refer to*Chota Nagpur Plateau*Chhotanagpur*Chota Nagpur Division, a division of British India *Chota Nagpur States, a collection of princely states of British India...

 in the west.

The Rajas of Bishnupur were also known as Malla kings. Malla is a Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 word meaning wrestler but there could be some links with the Mal tribes of the area, who had intimate connection with the Bagdis

Bagdi (caste)

The Bagdis are indigenous people descended from people with Dravidian links found in the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh. The Bagdis are populous in Bankura, Birbhum and other districts in the western fringe of West Bengal...

.

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. The legends of Bipodtarini Devi

Bipodtarini Devi

Bipodtarini or Bipadtarini is a Hindu goddess , worshipped in West Bengal, Orissa and surrounding areas. Closely associated with goddess Sankattarani and considered as one of the 108 Avatars of the goddess Durga, Bidaptarini is especially prayed to for help in overcoming troubles...

are associated with Malla Kings of Bishnupur.