BENGAL DISTRIOT GAZETTEERS. BY fl. COT7PLAND, I s o n s civil bannex. b p a t c l i b r a r y Aocesitoa No. - 2££>\ j ClMt No. CALCUTTA: BENGAL 8XCBETAXIAT BOOK BSPOt. PREFACE. T he accoilnt of Manbhum district contained in this volume has. been compiled from the Statistical Account of Bengal, volume XVII, by Sir W. W. Hunter, and from materials gathered from local records. In the sections dealing -with history and* ethnology jV^uent reference has been made to Colonel E. T. Dalton’s Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal and various articles by the same author in the Journals of the Asiatic Society, to Mr. J. D. Beglar-V Report of a Tour through the Bengal Pro­ vinces in 1872-73, published in the Archaeological Survey of India Reports, and also to the various reports and letters ^ unpublished) of Sir H. H. Risley (Superintendent of Ghatwali Survey, 1880-1884), Sir E. N. Baker (Deputy Commissioner), Colonel Dalton, Messrs. Hewett, Forbes and Gait (at various times Commissioners of the Chota Nagpur Division) on the subject of the ghatwals of the district. For the Chapter on Geology I am indebted to Mr. E. W. Yredenburg of the Geological Survey of India; for the article on economical products and also for .much assistance and advice elsewhere in the volume, to the Revd. A. CaDipbell, d .d., of Pokhuria. I desire also to acknowledge gratefully the assistance received from Rai Nanda Gopal Banerji Bahadur in obtaining materials for and revising various articles in regard to which his detailed knowledge of the district extending over 33 years was invaluable, and to express my thanks to Mr. J. H. Lindsay, i .c.h., Subdivisional Officer of Dhanbaid, for revis­ ing the Chapter on the Coal-fields of Manbhum. *H. Coupland. The 24ih December 19.10, PLAN OF* CONTENTS, C h a p t e r .P a g e s . I. P h y s ic a l a s p e c t s ... 1 -2 5 A p p e n d i x — g e o l o g y s y E. W . V r e d e n b u r g ... 26— 46 II. H is t o r y ... 47— 68 III. T h e p e o p l e ... .... ... 6 9 -9 7 IV. P u b l ic h e a l t h . ' .. 98— 112 V. A g r i c u l t u r e ... 113—127 v i : N a t u r a l c a l a m i t i e s . ... 128-142 VII R e n t s , w a g e s a n d p r ic e s ... 143— 156 VIII. O c c u p a t io n s , manufactures a n d t k a d e ... 157-169 IX. T h e c o a l - f i e l d s o f M n b h u m ... 170—182 X. M e a n s o f communication . ... 183-186 XI. L an d revenue administration ... 187-212 A p p e n d i x — a n o t e o n t h e p o l ic e t e n u r b s IN M a n b h u m ... 213— 245 XII G e n e r a l administration ... 246— 253 XIII. L o c a l s e l f - g o v e r n m e n t ... 254-257 XIV. E d u c a t io n ... 258-262 XV. G a z e t t e e r .. 263-289 I n d e x . ... 29]—298 TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTEB I. PHYSICAL ASPECTS. PAGES. General desobiption — Origin of name — Boundaries— Configuration—N atural Divisions and Scenes?—H ills—Rivebs—Barakhar— Damodar— Dhal- kisor and Silai— Kasai— Subamarekha—Lakes and Marshes—Geologt— Minerals— Botany—T rees and vegetation— Economic uses— F auna— Game Birds—Fish— Reptiles— Climate—R ainfall ... ... 1—25 APPENDIX TO CHAPTER I. \ g e o l o g y . G ekbbal F eatures—Geological constitution of the district— Faulted frac­ tures— Absence of well-marked topographical features—Long-cdhtinued subaereal denudation— Topography depending solely On differences of hardness of rocks— Structure of Gondwana basins—Influence of Gondwana rocks on drainage—-Intrusive rocks— Structural directions— Fault-rock— T he G ond­ wana Coal-Jiblds—Talcher stage—Boulder-beds— Permian ice-age Talcher fossils— Damodar stage— Barakhar sub-stage—Ironstone shales— Raniganj sub-stage— Damodar fossils—Intrusive rocks in Gondwana coal­ fields —Mica-peridotite— Exceptional richness in phosphorus— DoleriU dykes—The Gondwana coal— Hot springs along faulted boundaries— T k » D harWar SrSTEM— Northern boundary of main outcrop of Dharwars_ Constitution of Dharwars —Calcareous jasper— Potstone— Sequence amongst Dharwars —Fault-r^cks »long boundary of Dharwars— Physical features of Dharwar outcrop The Dalma Trap—Degree of metamorphism of Dharwars— Auriferous veins— Dharwar outliers near Manbazar— Susunia hill— Altered rocks perhaps referable to the Dharwars— Alluvial gold— Magnetic sands— A hch^ an Gneisses—D istribution of Arcbaann gneisses —The Bengal gneiss — Constitution of gneisses— Composition of porpliyritic gneiss— Garnet „ and pyroxene gneisses—A noibnt intrusive rock s—The “ dome-gneiss ” — Distribution of granitic intrusions—Constitution of “ dome-gneiss” — Pegmatite veins—Exceptional rocks- Kyanite and corundum veins—Cal­ careous schists— Fault-rook and dykes— Epidiorites— Anorthosite—Pyroxene— gneiss of Parasnath—Felspar porphyry— L aterite and' o l a i—.Valuable minerals—Coal— Iron— Building stones— Limestone— In.ad» ... 26—46 x ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER II. HISTORY. • Pages. E a e x .Y h i s i o r y —T he Jain or Buddhistic era— Mr. Beglar’g theory— Colonel Dal­ ton’s theory— M u h a m m a d a n e t il e —P anchet estate— E a b l y * E n g l i s h , A dministration —B arabhtin in 1800— Ganga Narayan’a rebellion— Causes and results of the outbreak— M u t i n y o r 1 8 5 7 —L a t e r H i s t o r y —F o r m a ­ tion of the distrie%-AROH.®oLOGiCAL b e a r a i n s ... ... 47—68 • .CHAPTER III. THE PEOPLE. G r o w t h o p p o p u l a t i o n — c e n s u s o p 1 9 0 1 — M i g b a t i o n — G e n b b a l c h a b a c - t e b i s t i o s —D ensity of population— Towns and villages—L a n g u a g e —R e l i g i o n —H indus and Animists— The Sun God and other local deities — Gramya Devata— W itchcraft— Festivals— Muhammadans— Christians— C a s t b s a n d t r i b e s —K urmis— Sonthals —Bhumij— Bauris— Brahmans— Kamars and Lobars— Bhuiyas— Other Kolarian tribes— Kora— .Mahli— Mundas and Kharias— M aim • -Pahira— Saraks— V i l l a g e o f f i c i a l s —V i l ­ l a g e So c i a l l i f e —G eneral appearance of the village— Dwellings— 'Furni­ ture— Dress—Bedding—Village festivals—Pastimes ... ... 69—97 C H A P T E R Y . PUBLIC HEALTH. G e n e b a l c o n d i t i o n s —V i t a l s t a t i s t i c s —Births—Deaths— Infantile morta­ l i t y — D i s e a s e s —F ever— Cholera— Small-pox— Bowel complaints— Plague — Infirmities— V a c c i n a t i o n — s a n i t a t i o n —I n Purulia— In the villages— In the coal-fields— Necessity for legislation— M e d i c a l I nstitutions —I n d i ­ genous system of medicine—Leper asylum ... ... ... 98—112 CHAPTER V. AGRICULTURE. G e n e b a l c o n d i t i o n s —I n f l u e n c e o p R a i n f a l l —I b b i g a t i o n —W ells— Exten­ sion of irrigation— S o i l s —S cientific classification— Popular classification— E x t e n s i o n o p cultivation —P r i n c i p a l c r o p s —E xtent of cultivation— Bice— Maize— Other crops— Outturn of crops— I mpboyements i n c u l t i ­ v a t i o n —C a t t l e ... ... ... ... ...113—127 CHAPTER VI. NATURAL CALAMITIES. L i a b i l i t y - to * a m S n e —F a m i n e o p 1 7 7 0 — F a m i n e o p 1 8 6 6 — F a m i n e o p 1 8 7 4 — S c a r c i t y i n 18S&— F a m i n e 1 o p 1 8 9 7 — D i s t r e s s i n 1908— General con­ c lu s io n s — F l o o d S ^ e a b t h q u a k B S , L o c u s t s ..