Purulia District
Encyclopedia
Purulia district is one of the nineteen districts 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...

 state in eastern 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...

. The town of Purulia
Purulia
Purulia , also spelled Puruliya, also known as "Manbhum City", is a city located in West Bengal state, India, and was constituted in 1876. It is the location of the district headquarters of Purulia district. Purulia is located on the north of the Kasai river and is a major road and railway...

 is the administrative headquarters of the district.

History

The territory of present Purulia district was a part of Banga, one of the 16 Mahajanapadas
Mahajanapadas
Mahājanapadas , literally "great realms", were ancient Indian kingdoms or countries...

 according to Jaina Bhagavati Sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...

 (c. 5th century CE) and was also a part of the country known as Vajra-bhumi in ancient period. During medieval period, this territory was regarded as part of Jharkhand region. Little is known about Purulia before the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

 acquired this territory by obtaining the grant of Diwani of the subah
Subah
A Subah was a province of the Mughal Empire in South Asia. The governor of a subah was known as a subahdar, which later became subedar to refer to an officer in the Indian Army...

s of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa in 1765.

By Regulation XVIIII of 1805, a Jungle Mahals
Jungle Mahals
Jungle Mahals is a vague term applied in the 18th century to British possessions and some independent chiefdoms lying between Birbhum, Bankura, Midnapore and the hilly country of Chota Nagpur in what is now the Indian state of West Bengal.It was a thickly forested region.The vagueness of the...

 district composed of 23 parganas and mahals including the present Purulia (known as 'Purulia' in those days) was formed. By Regulation XIII of 1833 the Jungle Mahals district was broken up and a new district called 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...

 was constituted with headquarters at Manbazar
Manbazar
Manbazar I is an administrative division in Purulia Sadar East subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Manbazar, Puncha and Kenda police stations serve this block. Headquarters of this block is at Manbazar...

. The district was very large in size and included parts of Bankura
Bankura
Bankura is a city and a municipality in Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura District.-Etymology:...

 and Bardhaman
Bardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....

 districts of present 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...

 state and Dhanbad
Dhanbad
Dhanbad features climate that is transitional between a humid subtropical climate and a tropical wet and dry climate. Summer starts from last week of March and ends in mid-June. Peak temperature in summer can reach 47oC. Dhanbad also receives heavy rainfall...

, Dhalbhum
Dhalbhum
Dhalbhum was the name given to parganas Supur and Ambikanagar in the Khatra area of present Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.In the course of time, Dhalbhum kingdom was spread over a much wider area, across the western part of adjoining Midnapore district and the eastern and...

 and Seraikela-Kharswan districts of present Jharkhand
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...

 states. In 1838 the district headquarters was transferred from Manbazar to Purulia
Purulia
Purulia , also spelled Puruliya, also known as "Manbhum City", is a city located in West Bengal state, India, and was constituted in 1876. It is the location of the district headquarters of Purulia district. Purulia is located on the north of the Kasai river and is a major road and railway...

. Since the formation of the district it was withdrawn from regular administration and placed under an officer called Principal Assistant to the agent to the Governor-General for South-Western Frontier. The title of the officer Principal Agent was later changed to Deputy Commissioner by Act XX of 1854. Finally in 1956 Manbhum district was partitioned between 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....

 and West Bengal under the States Reorganization Act and the Bihar and West Bengal (Transfer of Territories) Act 1956 and the present Purulia district was born on November 1, 1956.

The district is currently a part of the Red Corridor
Red corridor
The Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east of India that experiences considerable Naxalite communist insurgency...

.

Geography

Purulia lies between 22.60 degrees and 23.50 degrees north latitudes and 85.75 degrees and 86.65 degrees east longitudes.Compass Declination 0º22'W. The geographical area of the district is 6259 km². This district is bordered on the east by Bankura
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...

, Paschim Medinipur districts, on the north by Bardhaman district
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...

 of West Bengal state and Dhanbad district
Dhanbad District
Dhanbad district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Dhanbad is the administrative headquarters of this district...

 of Jharkhand
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...

 state, on the west by Bokaro
Bokaro District
Bokaro district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India. It was established in 1991 by carving out one subdivision consisting of two blocks from Dhanbad District and six blocks from Giridih District. Bokaro Steel City is the district headquarters...

 and 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:...

 districts of Jharkhand state and on the south by West Singhbhum and East Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand state.

Purulia is the westernmost district of West Bengal with an all-India significance because of its tropical location, its shape as well as function like a funnel. It funnels not only the tropical monsoon current from the Bay to the subtropical parts of north-west India, but also acts as a gateway between the developed industrial belts of West Bengal and the hinterlands in Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

 and Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

.

Climate

Rainfall defines the climate of the district. South west monsoon is the principal source of rainfall in the district. Average annual rainfall varies between 1100 and 1500 mm. The relative humidity is high in monsoon season, being 75% to 85%. But in hot summer it comes down to 25% to 35%. Temperature varies over a wide range from 7 degrees Celsius in winter to 46.8 degrees Celsius in the summer. Record highest temperature is 54 degrees.

Rivers and lakes

The main rivers passing through or bordering the district are Kangsabati, Kumari, Dwarakeswar
Dwarakeswar River
Dwarakeswar River is a major river in the western part of West Bengal.-Course:It originates from Tilboni hill in Purulia district and enters Bankura district near Chhatna. It cuts across the district flowing past the district head quarters and enters the south-eastern tip of Bardhaman District...

, Subarnarekha
Subarnarekha River
Subarnarekha River flows through the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa.-Etymology:As per tradition, gold was mined near the origin of the river at a village named Piska near Ranchi. This is why it was named Subarnarekha, meaning ‘streak of gold’. Legend has it that traces of...

 and Damodar
Damodar River
Damodar River originates near Chandwa village, Palamau district, on the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Jharkhand state in eastern India, and flows eastward for about 592 km through the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the estaury of the River Hooghly...

.

Geology

Due to undulated topography nearly 50% of the rainfall flows away as runoff. The district is covered by mostly residual soil formed by weathering of bed rocks.

Economy

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Ministry of Panchayati Raj
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India looking after the ongoing process of decentralization and local governance in the States....

 named Purulia one of the country's 250 most backward districts
Poverty in India
Poverty is widespread in India, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line of 1.25 a day...

 (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...

). It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Administrative subdivisions

The district comprises three subdivisions: Purulia Sadar East, Purulia Sadar West and Raghunathpur. Puruliya Sadar East consists of Purulia
Purulia
Purulia , also spelled Puruliya, also known as "Manbhum City", is a city located in West Bengal state, India, and was constituted in 1876. It is the location of the district headquarters of Purulia district. Purulia is located on the north of the Kasai river and is a major road and railway...

 municipality and seven community development blocks: Manbazar–I, Manbazar–II, Bundwan, Purulia–I, Purulia–II, Hura and Puncha. Puruliya Sadar West consists of Jhalda
Jhalda
'Jhalda is a city and a municipality in Purulia District in the Indian state of West Bengal. GeographyJhalda is located at . It has an average elevation of ....

 municipality and seven community development blocks: Jhalda–I, Jhalda–II, Jaipur, Arsha, Bagmundi, Balarampur and Barabazar. Raghunathpur subdivision consists of Raghunathpur
Raghunathpur, Purulia
Raghunathpur is a subdivisional town in Purulia district of West Bengal, India. It is on the Purulia – Barakar road.-Geography:Raghunathpur is located at . It has an average elevation of . The area forms the lowest step of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. The general scenario is undulating land with...

 municipality and six community development blocks: Para, Raghunathpur–I, Raghunathpur–II, Neturia, Santuri and Kashipur. Purulia town is the district headquarters. There are 20 police stations, 20 development blocks, 3 municipalities, 170 gram panchayat
Gram panchayat
Gram panchayats are local self-governments at the village or small town level in India. As of 2002 there were about 265,000 gram panchayats in India. The gram panchayat is the foundation of the Panchayat System. A gram panchayat can be set up in villages with minimum population of 300...

s, and 2459 inhabited villages in this district.

Each subdivision contains one municipality each along with community development blocks which in turn is divided into rural areas and census towns. In total there are 11 urban units: 3 municipalities and 9 census towns.

Purulia Sadar East subdivision

  • Purulia
    Purulia
    Purulia , also spelled Puruliya, also known as "Manbhum City", is a city located in West Bengal state, India, and was constituted in 1876. It is the location of the district headquarters of Purulia district. Purulia is located on the north of the Kasai river and is a major road and railway...

    : municipality
  • Manbazar - I
    Manbazar
    Manbazar I is an administrative division in Purulia Sadar East subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Manbazar, Puncha and Kenda police stations serve this block. Headquarters of this block is at Manbazar...

     community development block consists of rural areas only with 10 gram panchayats.
  • Manbazar - II
    Manbazar
    Manbazar I is an administrative division in Purulia Sadar East subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Manbazar, Puncha and Kenda police stations serve this block. Headquarters of this block is at Manbazar...

     community development block consists of rural areas only with 7 gram panchayats.
  • Bundwan
    Banduan
    Bandwan is an administrative division in Purulia Sadar East subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Bandwan police station serves this block. Headquarters of this block is at Bandwan...

     community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.
  • Purulia–I community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.
  • Purulia–II community development block consists of rural areas only with 9 gram panchayats.
  • Hura
    Hura
    -See also:*List of Arab localities in Israel*Negev Bedouins...

     community development block consists of rural areas only with 10 gram panchayats.
  • Puncha
    Puncha
    Puncha is an administrative division in Purulia Sadar East subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Puncha and Kenda police stations serve this block...

     community development block consists of rural areas only with 10 gram panchayats.

Purulia Sadar West subdivision

  • Jhalda
    Jhalda
    'Jhalda is a city and a municipality in Purulia District in the Indian state of West Bengal. GeographyJhalda is located at . It has an average elevation of ....

    : municipality
  • Jhalda–I community development block consists of rural areas only with 10 gram panchayats.
  • Jhalda–II community development block consists of rural areas only with 9 gram panchayats.
  • Jaipur
    Jaipur, Purulia
    Joypur is an administrative division in Purulia Sadar West subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Joypur police station serves this block...

     community development block consists of rural areas only with 7 gram panchayats.
  • Arsha
    Arsa
    Arsha is an administrative division in Purulia Sadar West subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Arsha and Purulia Muffasil police stations serve this block...

     community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.
  • Bagmundi
    Bagmundi
    Baghmundi is an administrative division in Purulia Sadar West subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Baghmundi police station serves this block...

     community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.
  • Balarampur community development block consists of rural areas with 7 gram panchayats and one census town: Balarampur.
  • Barabazar community development block consists of rural areas with 10 gram panchayats and one census town: Barabazar
    Barabazar
    Barabazar is a census town in Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.-Geography:The area forms the lowest step of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. The general scenario is undulating land with scattered hills.-Demographics:...

    .

Raghunathpur subdivision

  • Raghunathpur
    Raghunathpur, Purulia
    Raghunathpur is a subdivisional town in Purulia district of West Bengal, India. It is on the Purulia – Barakar road.-Geography:Raghunathpur is located at . It has an average elevation of . The area forms the lowest step of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. The general scenario is undulating land with...

    : municipality
  • Para
    Para, Purulia
    Para is an administrative division in Raghunathpur subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Para and Santaldih police stations serve this block. Headquarters of this block is at Para...

     community development block consists of rural areas with 10 gram panchayats and two census towns: Santaldih and Chapari
    Chapari
    Chapari is a census town in Puruliya district in the state of West Bengal, India.-History:Jaina Bhagavati-Sutra of 5th century AD mentions that Purulia was one of the sixteen mahajanapadas and was a part of the kingdom known as Vajra-bhumi in ancient times. In 1833, Manbhum district was carved...

    .
  • Raghunathpur–I community development block consists of rural areas with 7 gram panchayats and one census town: Arra.
  • Raghunathpur–II community development block consists of rural areas with 6 gram panchayats and one census town: Nabagram
    Nabagram
    Nabagram is a census town in Puruliya district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Demographics: India census, Nabagram had a population of 5,642. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Nabagram has an average literacy rate of 58%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male...

    .
  • Neturia community development block consists of rural areas with 7 gram panchayats and two census towns: Hijuli
    Hijuli
    Hijuli is a census town under Neturia police station in Puruliya district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:The area forms the lowest step of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. The general scenario is undulating land with scattered hills.-Demographics:...

     and Par Beliya
    Par Beliya
    Par Beliya is a census town under Neturia police station in Puruliya district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:The area forms the lowest step of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. The general scenario is undulating land with scattered hills.It is located south of Damodar River.-Demographics:...

    .
  • Santuri community development block consists of rural areas only with 6 gram panchayats.
  • Kashipur
    Kashipur, Purulia
    Kashipur is an administrative division in Raghunathpur subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Kashipur police station serves this block. Headquarters of this block is at Panchkotraj...

     community development block consists of rural areas with 13 gram panchayats and one census town: Adra
    Adra (India)
    Adra is a census town in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an important railway centre.-Geography:The major sub-divisions of Adra are Beniasole, Palashkola, Jhariadih, Panchudanga, Laldanga, daulatpur, Arabinda Pally, medical colony, childrens park and SER colonies .The...

    .

Assembly constituencies

The district is divided into 11 assembly constituencies:
  1. Bandwan (ST)
    Bandwan (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Bandwan is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The seat is reserved for scheduled tribes.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 233)
  2. Manbazar
    Manbazar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Manbazar is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The seat is reserved for scheduled tribes from 2011. Earlier it was an open seat.-Extent:...

     (assembly constituency no. 234),
  3. Balarampur (ST)
    Balarampur, Purulia (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Balarampur is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an open seat from 2011 but earlier was reserved for scheduled tribes.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 235),
  4. Arsha
    Arsha (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Arsha was an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.As a consequence of the orders of the Delimitation Commission, Arsha ceased to exist from 2011....

     (assembly constituency no. 236),
  5. Jhalda
    Jhalda (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Jhalda was an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.As a consequence of the orders of the Delimitation Commission, Jhalda ceased to exist from 2011....

     (assembly constituency no. 237),
  6. Joypur
    Joypur, Purulia (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Joypur is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 238),
  7. Purulia
    Purulia (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Purulia is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 239),
  8. Para (SC)
    Para (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Para is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is reserved for scheduled castes.-Extent:...

     (assembly constituency no. 240),
  9. Raghunathpur (SC)
    Raghunathpur, Purulia (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Raghunathpur is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is reserved for scheduled castes.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 241),
  10. Kashipur (ST)
    Kashipur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Kashipur is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an open seat from 2011 but as earlier reserved for scheduled tribes.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 242) and
  11. Hura
    Hura (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Hura was an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.As a consequence of the orders of the Delimitation Commission, Hura ceased to exist from 2011....

     (assembly constituency no. 243).


Banduan, Balrampur and Kashipur constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. Para constituency is reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Banduan, Manbazar, Balarampur, Arsa, Jhalda, Jaipur and Purulia constituencies form the Purulia (Lok Sabha constituency)
Purulia (Lok Sabha constituency)
Purulia Lok Sabha constituency is one of the present 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal state in eastern India. India has total 543 Lok Sabha constituencies.-Assembly segments:...

. Para, Raghunathpur, Kashipur and Hura are assembly segments of Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bankura is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India.-Assembly segments:As per order of the Delimitation Commission in 2006 in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, parliamentary constituency no. 36 Bankura is composed of the following assembly segments:*...

, which also contains three assembly segments from 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...

.

Impact of delimitation of constituencies

As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, the district will be divided into 9 assembly constituencies:
  1. Bandwan (ST)
    Bandwan (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Bandwan is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The seat is reserved for scheduled tribes.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 238)
  2. Balarampur
    Balarampur, Purulia (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Balarampur is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an open seat from 2011 but earlier was reserved for scheduled tribes.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 239),
  3. Baghmundi
    Baghmundi (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Baghmundi is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 240),
  4. Joypur
    Joypur, Purulia (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Joypur is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 241),
  5. Purulia
    Purulia (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Purulia is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 242),
  6. Manbazar (ST)
    Manbazar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Manbazar is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The seat is reserved for scheduled tribes from 2011. Earlier it was an open seat.-Extent:...

     (assembly constituency no. 243),
  7. Kashipur
    Kashipur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Kashipur is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an open seat from 2011 but as earlier reserved for scheduled tribes.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 244),
  8. Para (SC)
    Para (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Para is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is reserved for scheduled castes.-Extent:...

     (assembly constituency no. 245) and
  9. Raghunathpur (SC)
    Raghunathpur, Purulia (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
    Raghunathpur is an assembly constituency in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is reserved for scheduled castes.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...

     (assembly constituency no. 246).


Banduan and Manbazar constituencies will be reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. Para and Raghunathpur constituencies will be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Banduan will be an assembly segment of Jhargram (Lok Sabha constituency)
Jhargram (Lok Sabha constituency)
Jhargram is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Jhargram in West Bengal. The seat is reserved for scheduled tribes.-Election results:...

, which will also contain six assembly segments from Paschim Medinipur district. Balarampur, Baghmundi, Jaipur, Purulia, Manbazar, Kashipur and Para constituencies will form the Purulia (Lok Sabha constituency)
Purulia (Lok Sabha constituency)
Purulia Lok Sabha constituency is one of the present 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal state in eastern India. India has total 543 Lok Sabha constituencies.-Assembly segments:...

. Raghunathpur assembly segment will be part of Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bankura is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India.-Assembly segments:As per order of the Delimitation Commission in 2006 in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, parliamentary constituency no. 36 Bankura is composed of the following assembly segments:*...

, which will also contains six assembly segments from Bankura district.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census
2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...

 Purulia district has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...

 of 2,927,965, roughly equal to the nation of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

 or the US state of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

. This gives it a ranking of 129th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...

). The district has a population density of 468 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...

 over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.43 %. Puruliya has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....

 of 955 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...

 for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...

 of 65.38 %.

The district has a population of 2,538,233 (as per the 2001 census) out of which 19.35% is Scheduled Caste and 19.22% is Scheduled Tribes. The literacy rates of male and female are 74.18% and 37.15% of the total population.

According to the 2001 census, 83.42% of the population are Hindus, while 7.12% are Muslims.

Tourism

Thousands of tourists come to visit Purulia every year to witness the charm of the natural forests of Ayodhya, Matha and Kuilapal, falls and tribal habitations of Ajodhya Hills
Ajodhya Hills
Ajodhya Hills , is a hill located in the Purulia district of the state West Bengal, India. It is a part of the Dalma Hills and extended part of Eastern Ghats range. Highest peak of Ajodhya Hills is Gorgaburu. The nearby populated town area is Bagmundi....

 and Bagmundih, dams like Panchet, Murguma Dam (http://wikimapia.org/9193143/bn/MURGUMA-DAM) and Futiari, heritage building like Panchakot Raj Place, trekking range of Matha proud with Pakhi Pahar, and Joychandi Pahar, picnic spots like Duarsini, Doladanga, Jamuna, traditional folk dance and culture like Chhou Dance and Jhumur
Jhumur
Jhumur is a traditional dance form, existing in eastern part of India. The dance is performed by young girls. they are also acconpanied by fewer male members, who by and large maintain the rhythm with musical instruments and vocals.- Performance :...

 Song and so on. Purulia district is well connected by road and rail with the major cities and towns of the state as well as of the country.

External links


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