Hazaribag district General information
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chota Nagpur division. Etymologially, the word Hazaribagh is made of two Urdu words, hazar meaning 'thousand', and bagh meaning 'garden'. Hence the literal meaning of Hazaribagh is 'City of thousand gardens'. According to Sir John Houlton the town takes its name from the small villages of Okni and Hazari – shown in old maps as Ocunhazry. The last syllable in its name probably originated in a mango-grove, which formed a camping ground for troops and travellers marching along the ‘new military road’ from Kolkata to Varanasi, constructed in 1782 and the following years.
The Grand Trunk Road subsequently replaced this military road in the mid-eighteen hundreds, but the lay out differed at places, particularly around Hazaribagh. A dilapidated watch tower meant to guard the military road is still visible on Tower Hill, near Silwar.
History:
In very early times the district was covered with inaccessible forests to which non- Aryan tribes who refused to surrender to the steadily advancing Aryans, retired at different times. The entire territory of Chhotanagpur, known as Jharkhand (meaning forest territory) was presumably beyond the pale of district Hindu influence in ancient India. Though out the Turko-Afghan period (up to 1526), the area remained virtually free from external influence. It was only with the accession of Akbar to the throne of Delhi in 1556, that Muslim influence penetrated Jharkhand, then known to the Mughals as Kokrah. In 1585, Akbar sent a force under the command of Shahbaj Khan to reduce the Raja of Chotanagpur to the position of a tributary. After the death of Akbar in 1605, the area presumably regained its independence. This necessitated an expedition in 1616 by Ibrahim Khan Fateh Jang, the Governor of Bihar and brother of Queen Noorjehan. Ibrahim Khan defeated and captured Durjan Sal, the 46th Raja of Chotanagpur. He was imprisoned for 12 years but was later released and reinstated on the throne after he had shown his ability in distinguishing a real diamond from a fake one. In 1632 Chotanagpur was given as Jagir to the Governor at Patna for an annual payment of Rs. 136000. This was raised to Rs. 161000 in 1636 A.D. During the reign of Muhammad Shah (1719-1748), Sarballand Khan, the Governor of then Bihar, marched against the Raja of Chotanagpur and obtained his submission. Another expedition was led by Fakhruddoula, the Governor of Bihar in 1731. He came to terms with the Raja of Chotanagpur. In 1735 Alivardi Khan had some difficulty in enforcing the payment of the annual tribute of Rs. 12000 from the Raja of Ramgarh, as agreed to by the latter according to the terms settled with Fakhruddoula. This situation continued until the occupation of the country by the British. During the Muslim period, the main estates in the district were Ramgarh, Kunda, Chai and Kharagdiha. Subsequent to the Kol uprising in 1831 which, however, did not seriously affect Hazaribag, the administrative structure of the territory was changed. The paraganas Ramgarh, Kharagdiha, Kendi and Kunda became parts of the South-West Frontier Agency and were formed into a division named Hazaribag as the administrative headquarters. In 1854 the designation of South-West Frontier Agency was changed to Chota Nagpur and it began to be administered as a Non-regulation province under the Lieutenant Governor of the then Bihar. In 1855-56 there was the great uprising of the Santhals against the British but was brutally suppressed. After 1991 census, the district of Hazaribag has been divided into three separate districts viz. Hazaribag, Chatra and Koderma. The two sub-divisions namely Chatra and Koderma were upgraded to the status of independent districts.
Educational centre
The cool climate and the quiet environs of Hazaribagh attracted educationists to set up institutions in the town. The Dublin Mission has a big presence with educational institutions and a women’s hospital. Activities of the mission were started at Hazaribagh in 1890, under the aegis of Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. St. Columba's College was one of the oldest in Bihar. A.F.Markham attached to the college for many years was a legend in his life time. He later became vice chancellor of Ranchi University. The Roman Catholics have a seminary with well laid out gardens at Sitagarha near the town. After independence, they established a girls’ school - Mount Carmel. Reverend Father John Moore, an Australian Jesuit missionary, set up St.Xavier’s in 1952. DAV Public School, Hazaribag was established in 1992 and is located near Canary Hill is imparting education up to 10+2 level.St.stephens school,swami vivekanand school,East Point School and St. Paul's School are other educational institutions providing quality education to kids at school level. Saraswati Vidya Mandir is a school which is providing good education and discipline by keeping the Indian culture alive.Naman vidya the latest entry is costliest school in hazaribagh which is can be termed as a school for all aroud development,facilities it provides include horse riding,swimming with many other. The Markham College of Commerce specializes in the commerce education at undergraduate level. Hazaribag also has Vinoba Bhave University within city limits, named after Saint Vinoba Bhave. The Annada College is the other college which helps in the education system of Hazariagh. Amongst other institutions are the Police Training College, Reformatory School and Zilla School.
Geography
Hazaribag is located at 23°59′N 85°21′E / 23.98°N 85.35°E / 23.98; 85.35. It has an average elevation of 604 metres (1981 feet). Hazaribagh town is located at a height of 2019 feet above sea level on the Chota Nagpur plateau. The town is considered a health resort. Hazaribagh Lake is a good spot for picnics and outings, whereas Kanhari Hill, which lies very close to the town, has a well-laid out park and has three small lakes. It is called Houlton Park. From the watch-tower on top of the hill, one can have a panoramic view of the scenic beauty around and below. Justice S.C.Mullick, who had settled in the town in olden days, used to call the hill Rock of Gibraltar for obvious similarities and even named his palacious house nearby ‘Gibraltar’. A branch of the renowned Bhagyakul family had settled and developed a diary farm in that area. There are several other small hills near the town – Sitagarha, Bamanbere and Tower Hill to name a few. All the roads leading in to Hazaribagh town traverse thickly forested areas River Konar, a tributary of Damodar River flows past the town.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census,Hazaribagh had a population of 1527,243. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Hazaribagh has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 70%. In Hazaribagh, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. The population of the town and the area is over whelmingly Hindi-speaking. The local language of the area is the Magadhi dialect. There is a sprinkling of Santhali-speaking population mainly in the rural areas. There is a sizeable Muslim population. Bengalis, Marwaris and Punjabis form small minority.
Political activity
Raja of Ramgarh had a big presence in the area, initially during the British period and then after independence when he set up the Janata Party that had a large following in the region for many years. His palace at Padma was a prominent spot on the road to Barhi. Krishna Ballabh Sahay, the renowned freedom fighter and subsequently chief minister of Bihar belonged to Hazaribagh. As Revenue Minister, he was instrumental in the abolition of zemindaries in Bihar. In 1952 that was the first such legislation in the country. The political rivalry between the Kamakhya Narayan Singh, the Raja of Ramgarh and K.B.Sahay was talk of the town in the fifties of the twentieth century. Electricity and water supply was extended to the town during the period. In the elections for the first Lok Sabha held in 1951, Nageshwar Prasad Sinha of Congress won the Hazaribagh East seat and Baboo Ram Narayan Singh, an Independent candidate, won the Hazaribagh West seat. In 1957, Lalita Rajya Lakshmi, of the Ramgarh Rajfamily, won the seat. Basant Narayan Singh, younger brother of Kamakhya Narayan Singh, won the seat four times, in 1962, 1967 and again in 1977 and 1980. Damodar Pandey of Congress had won it in 1971. Yadunath Pandey of BJP won it in 1989. Bhubneshwar Prasad Mehta of CPI won the seat in 1991. Mahabir Lal Viswakarma of BJP won the seat in 1996. Yashwant Sinha of BJP won the seat in 1998 and went on to become Finance Minister and latter Foreign Ministerin the NDA government. He lost the seat to Bhubneshwar Prasad Mehta of CPI in 2004 but was subsequently elected to the Rajya Sabha.Hazaribag Times is a local newspaper which publishes the local news.
Tourist attractions
1. Canary Hill is a popular spot for nature lovers. There is a guest house and a watch tower on the top of the hills. Recently a proposal has been submitted for setting up a tiger and deer safari at the place.
2. Swarnajayanti cafeteria at Hazaribagh lake is a major family attraction.
3. Panchmandir
4. Narsingh Temple dedicated to Narsingh avatara (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu.
5. Hazaribagh National Park is located with hillocks, deep nullahs, thick tropical forests and grassy meadows. The Sanctuary has wild bears, sambhar, nilgai, chital and kakar, sloth bears, tigers and leopards.
6.Surajkund hot spring.