Hazaribagh

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Hazaribag | type = city | latd = 23.98 | longd = 85.35
locator_position = right | state_name = Jharkhand
district = Hazaribag
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altitude = 604
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 127,243| population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
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area_telephone =
postal_code =
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Hazaribagh ( _hi. हजारीबाग) 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. Later in 2007, the sub-division of Ramgarh was also upgraded to the status of independent district.

Cantonment town

The town became a cantonment in 1790, the Ramgarh battalion having been raised ten years earlier. It was then part of Ramgarh district. It became a district headquarter in 1834. The cantonment flourished till 1884. One of the beneficial results of the town being a cantonment was the laying out of a large part of the town according to regular plan. This part of the town is known as Boddam Bazar, after the officer who laid it out. Many Englishmen settled in Hazaribagh during the British period. They built large bungalow type houses, quite often with sloping roofs. Many of them were great hunters and hunting stories abound in the town by word of mouth. Most of them left after independence. Tutu Imam topped the list of hunting legends in the town. A century back it was common for tigers and leopards to poach upon livestock in the outskirts of the town.

Hazaribagh Central Jail housed many leaders of the Indian freedom movement, including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, later the first president of India. The popular leader Jayaprakash Narayan was put under arrest in this jail during the Quit India Movement of 1942. His escape from this high security prison and the support he received from the local people is one of the legends of the Indian Independence movement.

Ramgarh is a cantonment town about 50 km from Hazaribagh. The 53rd session of the Indian National Congress was held at Ramgarh in 1940. Ramgarh Cantonment railway station is on the Barkakhana-Muri section. Ranchi Road railway station, near Ramgarh is on the Barkakhana-Gomoh section. Situated on the banks of the Damodar River, it is also a major centre of coal mining activity.In recent years there has been a spurt in the coalmining activities in the region by Central Coalfields, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited. This is benefitting Hazaribagh economically. Damodar Valley Corporation has a number of offices in Hazaribagh.

Hazaribagh does not have a railway connection but is well connected by bus service with Ranchi, Dhanbad, Patna, Gaya, Daltonganj, Koderma, Chatra and other major towns in the region.

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 was 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. Rev. Fr. John Moore, an Australian Jesuit missionary, set up St.Xavier’s in 1952. Now DAV Public School, Hazaribag established in 1994 located near Canary Hill is imparting education up to 10+2 level.

Tha Markham College of Commerce has specialized education for commerce graduates.

Hazaribag has also got Vinoba Bhave University named after saint Vinoba Bhave.

The Ananda college is the other college which helps in the education system of hazariagh.for the school system the oldest English medium school is now other than St.Xavier’s it changed into Co-Ed medium in the year 2005. It is having 4 fields for the sports.

Amongst other institutions are the Police Training College, Reformatory School and Zilla School.

East Point School and St. Paul's School are other institutions providing quality education to young generation and play important role in shpaing the young minds to lead the country.

Bengali community

A small but effective Bengali community settled at Hazaribagh in the nineteenth century when the area was in Bengal presidency and the British administration was looking for people with English education. The small community contributed considerably towards the development of the place.

Ray Bahadur JADUNATH MUKHERJEE one of early settlers is much talked about. He helped in setting up the Durga Puja mandap, the Brahmo Samaj and the first girls’ school in the town. Chanchala Niyogi physically got the school going around 1895. Those were the days when people thought that by educating their daughters they were paving the way for their widowhood. Around 1920, the new school building was built with the initiative of Braja Kumar Niyogi with funds mainly from the estate of Raja of Ramgarh. Great scholars such as Mahesh Chandra Ghosh, and Dhirendranath Choudhury, made the town their home. The poet Kamini Roy lived in the town for some years. Manmathanath Dasgupta, a Brahmo missionary spent many years in Hazaribagh working amongst the down trodden. Surad Kumar Gupta contributed towards the development of the town in many ways. Doctors such as Sambhu Nath Roy and Benoy Chandra Chatterjee were prominent personalities. The noted Bengali author Subodh Ghosh was born and brought up in Hazaribagh. Many of his stories are set in the region.

In earlier days, one had go by train to Giridih and then travel in a vehicle called "push-push" to Hazaribagh. The "push-push" was sort of a palquin with wheels. It was pushed and pulled by human force over hilly tracts. It was exciting journey across rivers and through dense forests infested with bandits and wild animals.Rabindranath Tagore travelled in a "push-push" along the route in 1885. He has recorded the experience in an essay, "Chotanagpur". Stories about how their forefathers reached the town by "push-push" still circulate amongst Bengali families. When the Grand Chord was opened in 1906, Hazaribagh Road station was linked with the town. For many years, Lal Motor Company operated the rail-cum-bus service between Hazaribagh town and Hazaribagh Road station. The State Road Transport Corporation now operates it.

Keshub Chunder Sen, the great Brahmo leader, accompanied by Trailokyanath Sanyal, had visited Hazaribagh in 1874 to recoup his health. He wrote many pieces during his short stay and participated in Bhadrotsav celebrations. After his death in 1884, a public hall on the Main Road was named Keshub Hall in his memory. Amongst the Brahmo missionaries who visited Hazaribagh regularly was Pramathalal Sen.

Geography

Hazaribag is located at coord|23.98|N|85.35|E|. [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/38/Hazaribag.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Hazaribag] ] 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.

coor title dm|24|00|N|85|21|E|type:city

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, [GR|India] Hazaribagh had a population of 127,243. 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 communities.

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 the only newspaper having the local, political news gets published solely from Hazaribag.

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.

Nearby places

*Koderma is producing the world's 60%-65% of Mica, it is 60Km away from city.
*Tilaiya Dam across Barakar River has beautiful hillocks all around and there also nestles one Sainik School nearby.
*Konar Dam is 51 km from Hazaribagh
*A hot water spring named Suraj Kund is 72 km from Hazaribagh.The water is boiling hot and benefiacial for the treatment of skin diseases and rheumatism. It is 2 km from Belkappi, near Barakattha, located half way between Barhi and Bagodar on Grand Trunk Road.
*Deochanda is situated in this district.(Information supplied by Dipu Tiwari)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.hazaribag.nic.in/ Hazaribag district administration]
* [http://www.ccl.cmpdi.co.in Central Coalfields Ltd.]
* [http://www.dvcindia.org Damodar Valley Corporation]
* [http://www.hoxa.in Hazaribagh Old Xaverians Association]
* [http://www.jharkhand4all.com Hazaribagh online business directory / yellow pages]
* http://sccbiotech.com/default.htm
* [http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=5236967 The Lovers of Hazaribag group]

Please see travel details - Wikitravel|Hazaribag