Rajmahal is a subdivisional town and a

notified area A nagar panchayat () or town panchayat or Notified Area Council (NAC) in India is a settlement in transition from rural to urban and therefore a form of an urban political unit comparable to a municipality. An urban centre with more than 12,00 ...

Rajmahal subdivision Rajmahal subdivision is an Administrative divisions of India, administrative subdivision of the Sahibganj district in the Santhal Pargana division in the state of Jharkhand, India. History As a result of the Santhal rebellion, Act XXXVII of 1855 w ...

of the

Sahebganj district Sahibganj district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Sahibganj is the administrative headquarters of this district. Divisions Sahibganj district is divided into two subdivions: Sahibganj subdivision and Rajmahal ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

. It is situated at the banks of

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

and was former capital of

Bengal Subah The Bengal Subah (Bengali language, Bengali: সুবাহ বাংলা, ), also referred to as Mughal Bengal and Bengal State (after 1717), was one of the puppet states and the largest subah, subdivision of The Mughal India, Mughal Emp ...

under Mughal governor,

Man Singh I Mirza Raja Man Singh I (21 December 1550 – 6 July 1614) was the 24th Raja, Kachawaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber from 1589 to 1614. He also served as the foremost imperial Subahdar of Bihar Subah from 1587 to 1594, then for Ben ...

Geography

Area

Rajmahal has an area of .

Overview

The map shows a hilly area with the

Rajmahal hills The Rajmahal Hills are located in the Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand, India. They were located on the northern margin of the Gondwana supercontinent, and its hills are today inhabited by the Sauria Paharia people whilst its valleys are do ...

running from the bank of the

in the extreme north to the south, beyond the area covered by the map into Dumka district. ‘Farakka’ is marked on the map and that is where Farakka Barrage is, just inside West Bengal. Rajmahal coalfield is shown in the map. The entire area is overwhelmingly rural with only small pockets of urbanisation. Note: The full screen map is interesting. All places marked on the map are linked and you can easily move on to another page of your choice. Enlarge the map to see what else is there – one gets railway links, many more road links and so on.

History

Rajmahal region was earlier ruled by Raja Mal sub-group of Mal Paharia tribes. Earlier this place was known as "Agmahal" and is surrounded by

on one side and river

on another side. The region was also known as ' Daman-i-Koh' during Mughal rule. In 1576,

Battle of Rajmahal The Battle of Rajmahal () took place between the Mughal Empire and the Karrani Dynasty that ruled the Sultanate of Bengal in the 16th century. The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Mughals. During the battle, the last Sultan of Benga ...

was fought between

Mughal Emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

and Sultan of Bengal,

Daud Khan Karrani Daud Khan Karrani (died 12 July 1576) was the last ruler of Bengal's Karrani dynasty as well as the final Sultan of Bengal, reigning from 1572 to 1576. During the reign of his father Sulaiman Khan Karrani, Daud commanded a massive army of 40,00 ...

Karrani Dynasty The Karrani dynasty (, ) was founded in 1564 by Taj Khan Karrani, an ethnic Afghan from the Karlani tribe, hailing from Bangash district. It was the last dynasty to rule the Sultanate of Bengal, before the region became a Subah of the Mugha ...

. After war, Daud Khan was captured and later executed by the Mughals. Later, after the conquest of Odisha in 1592, Raja Man Singh I, Mughal governor of

came to Rajmahal. He chose the site for his capital in 1595–96 because of its strategic command of the

Teliagarhi Teliagarhi (also written as Teliagarih) is a village in Mandro CD block in Sahibganj subdivision of Sahibganj district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. History Teliagarhi became the main gateway for Muslim armies coming from northern India a ...

Pass and the Ganges River. Raja Man Singh I, also renamed the town in 1595 as 'Akbarnagar' in tribute to

Emperor Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand ...

and he also constructed palace, garden and mosque on behalf of Mughal rulers. In 1610, the capital of Bengal was transferred to

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

(now Dhaka, Bangladesh) by Islam Khan. In 1639, Rajmahal regained its glory and was once more made the capital of Bengal by Shah Shuja, governor of

and second son of Emperor Shah Jahan. It continued as the seat of the Mughal Viceroy up to 1660 and a mint town till 1661. In 1757,

Battle of Plassey The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company, under the leadership of Robert Clive, over the Nawab of Bengal and his French Indies Company, French allies on 23 June 1757. The victory was made possible by the de ...

was fought between

Robert Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British List of governors of Bengal Presidency, Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for l ...

and Nawab of Bengal,

Siraj-ud-Daulah Mir Syed Jafar Ali Khan Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah (1733 – 2 July 1757), commonly known as Siraj-ud-Daulah or Siraj ud-Daula, was the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Nawab of the Bengal Subah. The end of his reign marked the start o ...

where Nawab lost the war due to treachery of

Mir Jafar Mir Jafar ( – 5 February 1765), was a commander-in-chief or military general who reigned as the first dependent Nawab of Bengal of the British East India Company. His reign has been considered by many historians as the start of the expansion ...

and he fled from

Murshidabad Murshidabad (), is a town in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. This town is the headquarters of Lalbag subdivision of Murshidabad district. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, Bhagirathi Riv ...

towards

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

. During his halt at Rajmahal,

was captured by Mir Jafar's son Miran and was murdered at the site. Battle of Udhwa nala at Rajmahal was fought between

Mir Qasim Mir Qasim () was the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763. He was installed as Nawab with the support of the British East India Company, replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been supported earlier by the East India Company afte ...

, and British in 1763. Nawab Mir Qasim was defeated by the British and fled with his family to the Rohtas (Bihar), but was not able to hide at the Rohtasgarh Fort. During British rule,

Permanent Settlement The Permanent Settlement, also known as the Permanent Settlement of Bengal, was an agreement between the East India Company and landlords of Bengal to fix revenues to be raised from land that had far-reaching consequences for both agricultural m ...

was passed in 1793 and it forced the landlords to improve productivity of the land. The

Santals The Santal (or Santhal) are an Austroasiatic-speaking Munda ethnic group of the Indian subcontinent. Santals are the largest tribe in the Jharkhand and West Bengal in terms of population and are also found in the states of Odisha, Bihar, Assam ...

were increasingly used for land reclamation and improvement and further Santals got permanently settled in the region. British also constructed Neel-Kothi for process and storage of Neel (

Indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

) which was used for dying cotton cloth. Later, Daman-i-Koh became the origin of

Santhal Rebellion The Sonthal Rebellion, also known as the Santhal Rebellion, Santal Rebellion, or Santhal Hool, was a rebellion in present-day Jharkhand against the East India Company (EIC) and zamindari system by the Santals. It started on 30 June 1855, and on ...

and leaders like Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, Chand and Bhairab, etc. and they fought against the British colonial authority and the corrupt zamindari system mobilizing more than 10,000 Santhals.

Geology

Plant Fossil bearing Inter-trappean beds of Rajmahal Formation nearby has been declared the

National Geological Monuments of India National Geological Monuments are geographical areas of national importance and Geoheritage, heritage, as notified by the Government of India's Geological Survey of India (GSI), for their maintenance, protection, promotion and enhancement of g ...

by the

Geological Survey of India The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is a scientific agency of India. It was founded in 1851, as a Government of India organization under the Ministry of Mines, one of the oldest of such organisations in the world and the second oldest survey ...

(GSI), for their protection, maintenance, promotion and enhancement of

geotourism Geotourism is tourism associated with geological attractions and destinations. Geotourism (tourism with a geological base) deals with the abiotic natural and built environments.Sadry, B.N.(2009)''Fundamentals of Geotourism: with special emphasis ...

.national geo-heritage of India
,

INTACH The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with the ...

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Rajmahal had a total population of 22,514, of which 11,755 (52%) were males and 10,730 (48%) were females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 3,985. The total number of literate persons in Rajmhal was 11,618 (62.70% of the population over 6 years).

Languages

Infrastructure

According to the ''District Census Handbook 2011, Sahibganj'', Rajmahal covered an area of 7.5 km². Among the civic amenities, it had 10 km roads with both open and closed drains, the protected water supply involved hand pump, uncovered well. It had 4,025 domestic electric connections, 456 road lighting points. Among the medical facilities, it had 3 hospitals, 2 dispensaries, 2 health centres, 1 family welfare centre, 6 maternity and child welfare centres, 1 maternity home, 1 TB hospital/ clinic, 1 nursing home, 1 charitable hospital/ nursing home, 1 veterinary hospital, 20 medicine shops. Among the educational facilities it had 15 primary schools, 6 middle schools, 2 secondary schools, 2 senior secondary schools, 1 general degree college, 1 non-formal education centre (Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan). Among the social, cultural and recreational facilities, it had 2 cinema theatres, 2 auditorium/ community halls, 2 public libraries, 2 reading rooms. Three important commodities it produced were china clay products, electrical goods, wooden goods. It had the branch offices of 3 nationalised banks, 1 private commercial bank, 1 cooperative bank, 2 agricultural credit society.

Tourist attractions

* Teliagarhi Fort, It was built by family of Teli Zamindar before Islamic rule in the region. Teliagarhi is also called 'Ancient Gateway of Bengal'. *The Jami Mosque, built in reign of

at Mangalhat *Baradari, build by Fateh Jung khan, a wealthy zamindar of Bengal. Half of the structure was bombed by Mughal governor, Man Singh. *Akbari Mosque built in 1556 by Mughal governor,

*Palace of Shah Shuja, consists Singhi Dalan, a marble pavilion facing the river Ganges *Palace of Mīr Qasīm, Nawab of Bengal. *Tomb of Maina-Bibi, built in 1779. Historian H.M Qureshi has identified the tomb with Munni Begum, who was a Begum of the harem of Nawab Mir Jaffer of Bengal *Tomb of Miran, son of

, Nawab of Bengal *Neel Kothi, built by British *Taksal of

Jagat Seth Jagat Seth was a wealthy merchant, banker and money lender family from Murshidabad in Bengal during the time of the Nawabs of Bengal. Though not at the same scale, but the influence exercised by this family in the finances of the Mughal Empir ...

, notable banker of Bengal *Kanhaiyasthan, It is believed that the place was visited by

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; ), born Vishvambhara Mishra () (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindus, Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bha ...

*Shivgadi, a cave temple of Hindu god, Shiva * Bhognadih, the place where

initiated, a monument is also erected on the place and every year Shaheed Mela is organised *

Moti Jharna Moti Jharna is a village in Taljhari Community development blocks in India, CD block in Rajmahal subdivision of Sahibganj district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Jharkhand. Geography Location Moti Jharna is located at ...

waterfalls * Udhwa Bird Sanctuary

Rajmahal paintings gallery

File:AkbariMosqueOverlookingGanges-Sita-Ram1804.jpg, Akbari mosque overlooking the Ganges at Rajmahal File:William Hodges - Tomb and Distant View of the Rajmahal Hills - B1978.43.1765 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, ''Tomb and Distant View of the Rajmahal Hills'',

William Hodges William Hodges (28 October 1744 – 6 March 1797) was an English painter. He was a member of James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific Ocean, and is best known for the sketches and paintings of locations he visited on that voyage, includin ...

Yale Center for British Art The Yale Center for British Art at Yale University in central New Haven, Connecticut, houses the largest and most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom. The collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, rare ...

File:'Tomb and Distant View of Rajmahal Hills' (1782) by William Hodges.jpg, Tomb with a distant view of the Rajmahal hills by

File:William Hodges - A View of the Gate of the Caravan Serai at Raje Mahel (Rajmahal) - B1978.43.1726 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, ''A View of the Gate of the Caravan Serai at Rajmahal'',

File:Gateway to the caravanserai at Rajmahal, Bihar. Coloured etc Wellcome V0050431.jpg, Gateway to a caravan serai at Rajmhal by

File:Sontalvillage.jpg, Santal village at Rajmahal (wood etching) File:William Hodges - View of a Mausoleum at Rajmahal - B1978.43.1781 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, ''View of a Mausoleum at Rajmahal'', 1781,

File:William Hodges - View of the Rajmahal Hills - B1978.43.1768 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, ''View of the Rajmahal Hills'', 1782,

File:William Hodges - View of the Rajmahal Hills With a Sentenial in the Foreground - B1978.43.1740 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, ''View of the Rajmahal Hills With a Sentenial in the Foreground'',

File:William Hodges - Ruins of Prince Shuja's Palace at Rajmahal - B1978.43.1773 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, ''Ruins of Prince Shuja's Palace at Rajmahal'',

File:Samuel Davis - Old Mosque at Rajemahl (Rajmahal) - B1977.14.271 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, ''Old Mosque at Rajemahl'',

Samuel Davis Samuel or Sam Davis may refer to: * Samuel Davis (orientalist) (1760–1819), British orientalist and amateur artist * Samuel Davis (American politician) (1774–1831), U.S. representative from Massachusetts * Samuel Davis (Canadian politician) (19 ...

File:Samuel Davis - River View near Rajmahal - B1977.14.181 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, ''River View near Rajmahal'',

Administration

Assembly segments

Presently, Rajmahal Lok Sabha constituency comprises the following six

Vidhan Sabha The State Legislative Assembly, also known as the Vidhan Sabha or the Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in each of the states and certain union territories of India. Members of the legislative assembly are often directly elected to serve fiv ...

(legislative assembly) segments:

Members of Parliament

The

Rajmahal (Lok Sabha constituency) Rajmahal Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 14 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Jharkhand state in eastern India. This constituency covers the entire Sahebganj and Pakur districts. This constituency is reserved for the candidates ...

is centered around the city and Vijay Kumar Hansdak is the M.P of the region from Jharkhand Mukti Morch.

References

{{Santhal Parganas Division Sahibganj district Pakur district History of Jharkhand Former capital cities in India Cities and towns in Sahibganj district