Purnea District, 1908/ Division
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Purnea District (Bengal) 1908
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
District in the Bhagalpur Division of Bengal, lying between 25° 15' and 26° 35' N. and 87° o' and 88° 32' E., with an area of 4,994 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the State of Nepal and Darjeeling District; on the east by Jalpaigurl, Dinajpur, and Malda; on the west by the District of Bhagalpur; and on the south by the Ganges, which separates it from the Santal Parganas and from South Bhagalpur. The District lies therefore at the eastern extremity of the submontane tract known as North Bihar, which is wedged in between the Ganges and Nepal. Purnea originally belonged to Bengal, the river Kosi forming the eastern boundary of trie sub-province of Bihar ; but, in common with the rest of the Bhagalpur Division, the District now forms part of Bihar.
physical aspects
Lying towards the eastern limit of the Gangetic plaln, Purnea presents an almost dead level, with the exception of a few tracts of undulating country in the north, bordering on Nepal, . and a small hill of nodular limestone (kankar) near Manihari in the south, an outlying spur of the Ckota Nagpur plateau. The east of the District is intersected by rivers and natural drainage channels, which give access to all parts of this tract during the rainy season; and the rice swamps are never completely dry. The west, on the other hand, is a sandy grass country seamed by old channels of the Kosi river, which is constantly changing its bed and is now steadily trending westwards. Wherever it goes, the Kosi covers its banks with a thick deposit of sand during its annual inundations ; and the consequence is that this part of the District is comparatively little cultivated, though it affords pasturage for vast herds of cattle.
The rivers are all tributary to the GANGES, the largest being the Kosi, the MAHANANDA, and the Panar, The Panar is formed by the confluence of several hill streams from Nepal, and roughly marks the boundary line between the arable land in the east and the pasture land in the west. It receives several tributaries on its left bank, and sends off the Monain and Bhishna frojn its right bank, eventually joining the Ganges in the south-east corner of the District. Of the other rivers, the most important are the Saura, which, rising in the north-west of the District, flows past the Purnea town and joins the Ganges near Manihari; and the Kankai, the principal tributary of the Mahananda.
The District is covered by alluvial deposits, consisting in the east of a rich loam, while in the west the country is deeply overlald with sand deposited by the Kosi.
In the east, where the ground is not occupied by the usual crops of North Bengal, it is covered by an abundant natural vegetation* Old river-beds, ponds, and marshes, and streams with a sluggish current have a copious vegetation of Vallisneria and other plants. Land subject to inundation has usually a covering of Tamarix and reedy grasses ; and in some parts, where the ground is more or less marshy, Rosa involucrata is plentiful. Few trees occur on these inundated Lands; the most plentiful and the largest is Barringtonia acutangula. Though the District contains no forests, this part of it is well timbered, but the sandy wesstern prairies are nearly treeless. Mango groves are a common feature, and several species of Ficus are also numerous. The villages are generally embedded in thickets or shrubberies of semi-spontaneous and more or less useful trees. Wild hog and hog deer abound ; there are also a few leopards arid wild buffaloes, and tigers are occasionally met with.
There are no extremes of temperature ; the mean is 62 in January, rising to 75 in Mareh and reaching 84, its highest point, in May. The lowest mean minimum is 48 in January and the highest mean maximum 95 in April. Rainfall commences early and is heavy, the annual fall being 71 inches, of which 13*1 inches fall in June, 17.7 in July, 15.8 in August, and 12.9 in September. Destructive floods, due to the overflow of the Ganges, Kosi, and Mahananda, occur almost annually in the south and east of the District. The earthquake of 1897 was severely felt and caused great damage to masonry houses.
History
The Mahananda river traditionally marks the farthest eastern limit of the extension of Aryan influence, and the early history of this District is confused by the struggles which ensued between the wesstern invaders and the aboriginal inhabitants. It is probable that the north of the District was overrun by the Nepalese and other hillmen, until it was finally conquered by Saif Khan in the seventeenth century. According to the Mahabharata, the Mahananda formed the boundary between the kingdom of Anga on the west and Pundra or Paundravardhana, the country of the Pods, whose capital was at Mahasthan in Bogra District. During the ninth century the Pal dynasty rose to power in the country formerly known as Puridra and Anga, and the, monolith near Darara factory, in the west of the District, probably dates from this period. In the beginning of the thirteenth century the south of the District is said to have constituted part of the kingdom of Lakshman Sen, whose capital was at Nadia, and to have been conquered by Muhammad-i-Bakhtyar Khilji. In the early days of Mughal rule Purnea was an outlying military province of the Mughal empire, and its revenues were almost consumed in protecting its borders against the incursions of the wild tribes from the north and east. Early in the seventeenth century a faujddr was appointed with the title of Nawab, who united with the command of the frontier army the fiscal duties of dinil or superintendent of the revenues. At this time the northern frontier was at Jalalgarh, a frontier fort only a few miles north of Purnea town. In 1722 the post of faujddr was held by Saif Khan, the greatest of the governors of Purnea, who extended the frontier on all sides, driving the NepSlese 30 miles northward to the present frontier and taking possession of the Dharampur pargana, which then lay west pf the Kosi and was included in the sarkdr of Monghyr. One of his successors, Shaukat Jang, declared war against Siraj-ud-daula, the Nawab of Bengal; and the latter, flushed with his recent capture of Calcutta, marehed in 1757 to Purnea and gained a great victory at Nawabganj. s The District came into the possession of the British in 1765, along with the rest of Bengal ; but it reMained in a state of anarehy until 1770, when an English official was appointed with the title of Super* intendent. Its present area has been arrived at gradually after the transfer of large portions to create the District of Malda, and more recently to consolidate Bhagalpur upon the wesstern frontier. During the Mutiny two parties of mutineers entered Purnea, but were forced out into Nepal by the energetic action of the Commissioner, Mr. George Yule, before they could do any mischief. There are ruins of old forts at Benugarh, Asurgarh, t)arara, Sikligarh, Jalalgarh and elsewhere.
Population
The population of the present area increased from 1,714,995 in 1872 to 1,849,073 in 1881, and to 1,944,658 in 1891, but fell to 1,874,794 in 1901. The decrease of 3-6 per cent, during the last decade is attributable to the general unhealthiness of the District, and especially to the two great cholera epidemics of 1891 and 1900, the latter of which accounted for over 46,000 deaths, or 24 per 1,000 of the population; while the total recorded death-rate in the same year reached the appalling figure of 56 per 1,000. During the years 1892-1900 the reported deaths exceeded the births by more than 38,000. Fever is the chief cause of the mortality; a peculiar form known as kdtadukha, whose characteristic symptom is pigmentation of the skin, is apparently of malarial origin and is extremely malevolent. Goitre and deaf-mutism are prevalent along the course of the Kamla river. The table below gives particulars of population for each subdivision in 1901 :
The three towns are PURNEA, the head-quarters, KISHANGANJ, and the important railway junction of KATIHAR. The density is less than in any other Bihar District. The only thdna which showed an in- crease during the decade fnding 1901 was Saifganj, which owes its development of 28-6 per cent, to the growing importance of Katihar.
With this exception, the decline is greatest in the thanas in the east, especially in Balarampur, which is studded with marshes unfit for cultivation and is already the most sparsely populated thdna in the District. Numerous graziers from the Bihar Districts, particularly from Bhagalpur, feed their cattle during the cold-season months on the splendid pasture-lands to be found on the left bank of the Kosi river. The Mahananda river forms a linguistic boundary between Hindi on the west and Bengali on the east ; and the Census figures, which" return 94-6 per cent, of the population as Hindi-speaking and only 5 per cent, as Bengali-speaking, are not reliable. Dr. Grierson estimates that a third of the inhabitants speak Bengali, and this is probably correct. The Mahananda is also a religious boundary, as Musalmans number two-thirds of the inhabitants east of this river, but west of it less than one-third. Of the total population, Hindus (1,080,091) constitute 57.6 per cent, and Muhammadans (793,672) 42.3 per cent. In 1901 the number of native Christians was 134.
The majority of the Muhammadans are returned as Shaikhs (671,000) ; and these, together with the Jolaha and Dhunia functional castes, are doubtless the descendants of converts from the aboriginal Rajbansis or Kochs '(103,000) of North Bengal, who are still very numerous east of the Mahananda. Ahlrs and Goalas number 125,000, and most of the other great Bengal and Bihar castes are largely represented. The Kishanganj subdivision is the home of the Gangai or Ganesh (42,000), who are especially numerous along the course of the Kankai river. Of the population, 71 per cent, are supported by agriculture, 12 per cent, by industries, 0-5 per cent, by commerce, and o6 per cent by the professions.
Agriculture
Owing to the extensive pasturage, the proportion of arable land is far below the average of the neighbouring Districts. The agricultural statistics for 1903-4 are shown below, areas being in square miles :
Rice is the principal crop, and is grown on 1,910 square miles, or 65 per cent, of the net area cropped, winter rice covering 40 per cent, and autumn rice 25 per cent. Pulses and oilseeds, principally mustard, "Of which the District is one of the largest producers, are extensively grown, each crop covering 9 per cent, of tfie net cultivated area, while indigo and tobacco occupy 23,000 and 31,000 acres respectively. -The cultivation of indigo, which is grown Mainly in the south and west, is on the decline, but tobacco and jute are gaining ground. Jute covers 3 per cent, of the net cropped area, being grown principally in thg north and east.
Cultivation is gradually increasing, and within the last thirty years a large amount of waste land has been brought under the plough. The cultivators are on the whole well-to-do, and Government loans are rarely needed; Rs. 9,000, however, was advanced in 1892-3 in con- sequence of a partial failure of the crops.
The local cattle are small and feeble ; but good cart-bullocks are imported from Chapra and Tirhut, the principal markets being the Khagra, Shahpara, Islanjpur, and Madanpur fairs in this District, and the Alawakhawa fair in Dinajpuri There are also large cattle markets at IchamatT, Phulbaria (near Kasba), Phulbaria (near Blblganj), and Gandharbdanga. In the vast grass prairies on the banks of the Kosi and Ganges, fine buffaloes are bred in large numbers, the arens or long-horned variety, which is said to contain a strain of the wild buffalo, being more common in the south and the bhangris or short- horns in the north.
Trade and communications
Rough coloured cloths, known as photas cart-wheels, mats, and gunny-bags are manufactured in the Kishanganj subdivision, the last being of superior quality and largely exported ; rough but durable blankets are woven by a colony of Gareris at Katihar. The art-ware known as bidri is manufactured, in the shape of hukka stands, bottles, and plates, from an alloy of brass inlald with silver ; but the industry is declining, being now confined to a few families in the neighbourhood of Purnea and iCasba. Indigo is still the most important manufacture, and there are about twenty-five factories in the District ; but the area under cultiva- tion has much contracted in recent years, and the out-turn in 1903-4 amounted to only 256 tons. Five jute presses, two of which are worked by steam, give employment to about 200 operatives.
The chief exports are rice and food-grains, jute, oilseeds (especially mustard seed), and tobacco ; and the chief imports are rice and paddy from Dinajpur, food-grains, sugar, salt, European piece-goods, kerosene oil, and gunny-bags from Calcutta, sugar and country-made cloths from the United Provinces (chiefly Mirzapur, Azamgarh, and Ghazlpur), and coal. The chief centres of trade are FORBESGANJ, Raniganj, KASBA, PURNEA, KATIHAR, BARSOI, KISHANGANJ, and Kharkhari, all except Raniganj and Kharkhari being situated on the railway, which conveys the bulk of the traffic. The trans-frontier trade with Nepal is carried by carts, coolies, and pack-animals, the principal imports from Nepal being rice^and paddy, jute, guni^-bags, mustard seed, and timber, and the chief exports salt, sugar, kerosene oil, cotton twist, and piece-goods.
The Bihar section of the Eastern Bengal State Railway (metre gauge) traverses the District from Kachna on the border of Dinajpur to Mani- harl on the Ganges, connecting with the Bengal and North-Wesstern Railway at Katihar. A branch line runs from Barsoi to Kishanganj, and a second branch from Katihar via Purnea and Forbesganj to the Kosi at Anchra Ghat. The chief road is the Ganges-Darjeeling road from the Ganges at Karagola to Titalya in Jalpaigurl, which is metalled throughout its length of 105 miles. This is a Provincial road but is Maintained by the District board, which keeps up in all 2,234 miles of roads, of which 120 miles are metalled and 424 are village tracks. The most important of these are the road from Jankinagar to Abadpur, pass- ing through Purnea, Kadba, and Barsoi, and that from Pathardewa to Manihari through Forbesganj, Araria, Purnea, and Katihar. The steamers of the Ganges service of the India General Steam Naviga- tion Company touch at Manihari in the south of the District, and connect at Sakrigali with the East Indian Railway.
The District is not especially liable to famine, but in the great Bengal famine of 1770 more than a third of the inhabitants are said to have perished. There was scareity in 1874, when relief was afforded on a lavish scale.
Administration
For adininistrative purposes the District is divided into three sub- divisions, with head-quarters at PURNEA, KISHANGANJ, and BASANTPUR. The District Magistrate-Collector is assisted by a staff of five Deputy-Magistrate-Collectors. The subdivi- sional officers at Basantpur and Kishanganj are usually Deputy-Magis- trates, though the latter, who is assisted by a Sub-Deputy-Magistrate, is occasionally a Civilian.
The civil courts are those of five Munsifs, two stationed at Kisham ganj, and the others at Purnea, Basantpur, and Katihar ; and of a Sub- Judge subordinate to the District and Sessions Judge, who is ex officio a special judge under the Bengal Tenancy Act. For criminal work, apart from the Sessions court, there are normally five courts of magis- trates at Purnea, two at Kishanganj, and one at Basantpur. Dacoity and burglary are prevalent crimes.
In 1760, shortly before the British took over the administration of the District, the land revenue demand was fixed at 21 lakhs, of which 1.64 lakhs was allotted for collection, garrison, and other charges. In 1764 the demand was reduced to 18 lakhs, and on the Company's occupation it dropped to 15 lakhs, and in 1793 to 12 1/2 lakhs. With a few unimportant exceptions, the whole of the District is permanently settled. In 1903-4 the current demand was n79 lakhs, payable by 1,702 estates, the incidence being R. 0-8-9 Per cultivated acre, or 27 per cent, of the rental. Settlement proceedings under the Tenancy Act are in progress in Surjyapur pargana, which is nearly coterminous with the Kishanganj subdivision, and are being extended to the whole District Many of the proprietors are absentees ; and they frequently experience great difficulty in recovering their rents, as the cultivators arp independent, and prone to combine against their landlords. This has led to a great extension of the farming system, especially in the east of the District, where five-year leases are common. A peculiar tenure, known as the gdch, is prevalent in the Kishanganj subdivision. This tenure was originally a grant of an undefined area of jungle land at a low rental, to encourage reclamation ; but it tends to become hereditary. Rents vary widely in different parts of the District, the prevailing rates ranging between 7 annas and 14 annas per acre in the Kadba* pargana and between Rs. 2 and Rs. 6-4 in the Surjyapur pargana ; while for the best jute and tobacco lands as much as Rs. 30 per acre is sometimes paid.
The following table shows the collections of land revenue and of total revenue (principal heads only), in thousands of rupees :
Outside the municipalities of PURNEA and KISHANGANJ, local affairs are managed by a District board, to which local boards for the three subdivisions are subordinate. In 1903-4 its income was Rs. 2,22,000, of which Rs. 1,13,000 was derived from rates; and the expenditure was Rs. 2,35,000, including . Rs. 1,54,000 spent on public works.
An embankment constructed by the Gondwara indigo concern pro- tects the east bank of the Kosi, and a small Government embankment has been constructed at Belwa to restrain the Fanar from encroaching westwards. The Kosi is spanned near Kursela by a railway bridge which is an excellent piece of engineering work, and there is a fine railway bridge over the Mahananda near Barsoi.
The District contains 15 police stations and 26 outposts. The force under the District Superintendent in 1903 consisted of 4 inspectors, 52 sub-inspectors, 40 head constables, and 485 constables ; the rural police numbered 4,801 chauklddrs and 493 daffadars. The District jail at Purnea town has accommodation for 246 prisoners, and sub- jails at Kishanganj and Basantpur for 40.
Education is exceptionally backward, as only 3.0 per cent, of the population (5.7 males and o.1 females) could read and write in 1901. The number of pupils under instruction increased from 15,483 in 1892-3 to 18,967 in 1901-2. In 1903-4, 23,098 boys and 3,551 Girls. were at school, being respectively 16-0 and 2.5 per cent, of those of school-going age. The number of educational institutions, public and private, in that year was 1,084, including 16 secondary, 918 primary, and 150 special schools. The expenditure on education was Rs. 1,29,000, of which Rs, 9,000 was met from Provincial funds, Rs. 39,000 from District funds, Rs. 1,100 from municipal funds, and Rs. 49,000 from fees.
In 1903 the District contained 17 dispensaries, of which six had accommodation for 59 in-patients. The cases of 66,000 out-patients and 704 in-patients were treated during the year, and 1,851 operations were performed. The expenditure was Rs. 24,000 and the income Rs. 34,000, of which Rs. 3,000 was derived from Government contribu- tions, Rs. 7,000 from Local and Rs. 4,000 from municipal funds, and Rs. 14,000 from subscriptions.
Vaccination is compulsory only within the Purnea and Kishanganj municipalities. The number of successful operations in 1903-4 was 61,000, or 33*2 per 1,000 of the population. [M. Martin, Eastern India, vol.iii (1838) ; Sir W. W. Hunter, Statis- tical Account of Bengal, vol. xv (1877).]
Purnea Division (Bihar), 2001
About
Purnea is famous for its uniquely designed Ramakrishna Mission where Durga Puja in the month of April is celebrated with due devotion and honour. Purnea is also famous for the oldest temple MATA PURAN DEVI,which ishardly 5km away from the main city
Description
Purnia district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. The town of Purnia is the administrative headquarters of this district. Purnia district is a part of Purnia Division. The district extends from the Ganges river northwards to the frontier of Nepal
Purnia is the district headquarter of Purnia district in the state of Bihar, India. It was created in 1912 when Bihar was formed as a separate province. Purnia is sometimes also reffered as "Purnea".
Core statistics
Purnia has an area of 3,229 square km. It is a level, depressed tract of country, consisting for the most part of a rich, loamy soil of alluvial formation. It is traversed by several rivers flowing from the Himalayas, which afford great advantages of irrigation and water-carriage. Its major rivers are the Kosi, the Mahananda, the Suwara Kali and the Koli. In the west the soil is thickly covered with sand deposited by changes in the course of the Kusi. Among other rivers are the Mahananda and the Panar. Its major agricultural products are jute and banana.
It has a total population of 1,878,885 of which 1,720,743 are rural and 158,142 urban. It had 1,185,356 electors in the 2005. The literacy Rate is 28.52%[citation needed]
Purnia district has two subdivisions: Purnea and Dhumdaha and they are further composed of fourteen blocks namely East Purnea, Krityanand Nagar, Banmankhi, Kaswa, Amaur, Bainsi, Baisa, Dhamdaha, Barhara Kothi, Rupauli, Bhawanipur, Dagarua, Jalalgarh and Srinagar.
Origin of name
It is believed that the name Purnia has originated from its older form "Purainia" which was derived from the word "Purain" meaning "Lotus" which was richly grown in river beds. Another derivation is from the word 'Pur Aranya', which means the adobe of forests.
Geography
Purnia division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India. Purnia is the administrative headquarter of the division. The division consists of Purnia district, Katihar district, Araria district, and Kishanganj district .
History
The earliest inhabitants of the district are supposed to have been Anas to the west and Pundras to the east. The former are generally grouped with the Bengal tribes in the epics and formed the easternmost tribes known to the Aryans during the time of the Atharva-samhita. The latter are closed among the most degraded classes of men in the Aitarya-brahmana. But it is also stated that they were descendants of the sage Vishwamitra that would seem to imply that they had Aryan blood, though degraded. This opinion survived in the epic period, for in the Mahabharata and the Harivansa, the Pundras and the Angas are said to be descendents of the blind sage Dhritarashtra who was born to the queen of the demon Bali and according to the Manu-Samhita they sank gradually to the condition of Sudras because they neglected the performance of sacred rites and did not consult Brahmanas.
Some passages in the Mahabharata (Sabhaparva, Adhyaya 30), describe the conquests of Bhima in Eastern India. Bhima is said to have conquered Mahanja king of Kausiki kacha, a tract line between Modadiri (Munger) and the land of the Pundras, which is thus identifiable with south Purnia. It is also said that he also defeated Karna, the king of Anga, conquered the hill tribes, killed the king of Modadiri in the battle, and then subdued the powerful Pundras king, Vasudeva, who is described as the king of the Vangas, Pundras and Kiratas.
The Pundra land appears to have been bounded on the east by the river Kasataya, on the west by the modern Mahananda, which separates it from Anga, on the south by the modern Padma, and on the north by the hills, which were inhabited by aboriginal hill tribes, such as the Kiratas. Local tradition still speaks of the struggle and the conquest of the Kiratas, and the Kirata women from the Morang or Tarai are said to have been the wives of Raja Virat, who according to the legend, gave shelter to Yudhisthira and his four Pandava brothers during the 12 yrs of exile. The site of his fort is still pointed out at Thakurganj in the north of the district.
At the dawn of history, the part of the district, to the west of Mahananda apparently formed a part of Bhagalpur in the kingdom of Anga, while the eastern portion was included in Pundra-Vardhana. Anga was an independent kingdom till the sixth century BC.
During the lifetime of Buddha it was annexed by Bimbisara, the ambitious ruler of Magadh and it never appears to have regained its independence. The Raja of Anga during the time of Buddha was a noble man, of whom nothing is known except that he granted a pension to a Brahmin. Then after its history got merged with that of the Magadh Empire. Later, the district formed a part of the empire of the Imperial Guptas, which extended as early as the reign of the Samudra Gupta (Circa AD 340) to Kumarupa (Assam) and Samatata (East Bengal) on the east. The Gupta Empire was shattered by the invasion of the Huns, and Purnia appears to have passed into the hands of Baladitya, the King of Magadha, who in alliance with other kings, and in particular Yasadharman of central India defeated and captured the Hun King, Mihiragula. Mihiragula later killed the Vajra's son on Baladitya and extinguished the family of the Duttas of Pundra- Vardhana.
Butivarman of Kamarupa possibly had put an end to the Imperial Guptas in the Pundra-Vardhana region in the 6th century AD. A brief account of Pundra-Vardhana and its people has been left by Hiuen Tsian (Yuan-Chwang), who visited around AD 640.
At the beginning of the seventh century the tract now included in the district seems to have been under Sasanka, the powerful king of Aauda, who held North and South Bihar as well as Central Bengal. He was a worshipper of Shiva and hated Buddhism, which he did his best to destroy. He dug up and burned the holi Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, broke the stone marked with footprints of Buddha at Patliputra, destroyed the Buddhist convent and scattered the monks (thus carrying his persecutions to the foot of the Nepalese hills).
Harsha, the great Buddhist emperor of the century (AD 606-647 ), determined to crush Sasanka, and in AD 620, he succeeded in doing so during the course of his conquest of northern India. After the death of Harsha, the empire was dismembered, and it seems likely that Purnia became part of the Magadha kingdom under Adityasena. From the 9th to the 12th century it was under the Pala king, and on the decline became subject to the Senas.
At the end of the 12th century the Muslims under Bakhtiyar Khilji burst down upon Bengal and Bihar. During the Mughal rule, Purnia formed a great military frontier province under the rule of a faujdar, who was nominally subordinate to the subedar. The greater part of Purnia was held in Jagir for the maintenance of himself and his troops. From the Ain-i-Akbari, it appears that the present district was included in Sankar Tejpur, east of the Mahananda and Sarkar Purnia, west of the river. Within its limits were also the two mahals of Sarkar Audumbar and one mahal of Sarkar Lakhnauli in the south. All these sarkars belonged to the Subah Bengal.
English rule and freedom struggle
The last of the Governors was Md. Ali Khan who was replaced in 1770 by Mr. Ducarrel, the first English supervisor or Collector. The early years of British rule were years of trouble for Purnia. The district suffered terribly during the great famine of 1770. From the old records, it appears that there were European settlers in Purnia almost immediately after the establishment of British rule in the district. By 1771, a number of Europeans had settled in the area known as Rambagh, the only building left in Rambagh was the church and the priests' houses. The Roman Catholic Church was dismantled and re-erected in the new station of Purnia where the Europeans had already set up their residences. The foundation of this new church was there until 1934, when it was badly affected by the Bihar earthquake. The church was dismantled again. The nuns of Loretto convent of Darjeeling had come to Purnia near about 1882 and had opened a day school as well as a boarding school for children in Purnia district. When the Jesuit Mission of Bengal took over the Purnia Mission from the Capuchin Mission, the school was closed and the nuns returned to Darjeeling. This house still stands and is known as the Coumblin. It is one of the oldest houses in Purnia town and is now occupied by the Allisons.
Kisan Sabha movement, which had been responsible for an acute agitation in Purnia district in the third decade in 20th century and figured prominently for about 20 years, had its roots in the very agricultural economy and the precious structure of permanent land-lordism in this state. The Kisan Sabha was formed at Munger near about 1922–23. After 1940–41, the kisan sabha movement slowly merged into the Congress Movement.
Purnia district, being so very contiguous to several districts of undivided Bengal, had been promptly affected by the swadeshi movement in the first decade of the 20th century. At that time there were no facilities for higher education in Purnia district and the students who sought higher education had to go to Calcutta or to Patna. The Bihar National College and TK Ghosh Academy were suspected as the two centers for a secret students organization, which indulged in sedition and both these institutions had a sprinkling of students from Purnia. A boy from Purnia, Atul Chandra Mazumdar, a student of the BN College, Patna was arrested under the Defence Act of India.
Since 1919, Purnia had closely followed the policy, aims and objectives of the Indian National Congress. Some of the delegates of Purnia attended the Nagpur session of Congress in 1920 and the moment Mahatma Gandhi gave the call for the Non-Cooperation, there were a number of volunteers in this district. Some of the early local leaders were Gokul Krishna Roy, Satyendra Narayan Roy and a few others who gave up their practice in the Bar and joined the movement.
In 1921, a national school was started in Katihar. Shri Rajendra Prasad toured Purnia district in 1921 and addressed meetings at Purnia and at other places. In 1942 Quit India Movement tactics were fully implemented by the people of Purnia. Mahatma Gandhi visited Purnia in 1929, during which time he met the Raja of Nazargunj and addressed crowded meetings at various places including Kishanganj, Bishnupur, Araria and Purnia. The survey and settlement operations in Purnia district commenced in 1952 and settlement operations were concluded in 1960. During the 1911–20 periods, Purnia suffered from epidemics of cholera every year from 1915 to 1919. A very serious outbreak of cholera occurred in 1925. Incidences of smallpox and malaria was very high during this period.
Places of interest
LINE BAZAR (MEDICAL HUB OF KOSI)
Line Bazar is famous for medical facilities which caters not only to adjoining district ie Araria,Katihar,Madhepura,Supaul, but also part of Nepal.Sadar hospital has multispeciality facility with about 40 doctors.There are about 450 private doctors with multi speciality clinics and hospitals. Dr.A.K Jha Vidya Vihar Residential School is a residential boys school, 8 km from Purnea on Dhamdaha road. Students from all over Bihar come to study here. The school is run by Netarhat Alumni Educational Trust
Maa Kali Mandir, Madhubani, Purnea
Maa Kali Mandir is a very popular mandir in Madhubani (maa kali devi). On the occasion of Deepawali an organised mela occurs for four to five days.
Adampur
Mata Mandir is the very popular devi durga mandir in Adampur Purnia. In Navratra people comes from different place, and it is near the air force station, and very popular name is "matasthan". Pandit name is Parihar baba.
Kamakya Mandir
Kamakya Mandir is also in the Purnea district which is very famous temple people come here for blessing of maa kamakhya which is situated at the border of three villages namely - Rahua, Majra Bhawanipur and Kalayanpur. It is only 14 kilometers (9 mi) from the district headquarters.
Ganga-Darjeeling Road
During the British Rule, Purnia division ranges from Begusarai to Darjeeling and it is almost 250 years old District. This road joins Gulab Bagh - Line Bazar- Tatma Toli - Flower Mill- Polytechnic Chowk of British Purnia and at that time. It was the Outer Circle of Purnia, that's why Khazanchi Haat Thana (Naka) is still there on this road. The most peculiar thing above all is that, after more than 50 years of independence this road has a Wooden-Bridge or Kaath Pool on Purnia - Khuskibagh Road, and not surprisingly. This Bridge is the single Wooden Bridge in National Highways of India (NH-31).
Puran-Devi and Kali Bari Temple
Located in Purnia city about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the main town. It is the temple of Puran devi, a form of goddess Kali.The name of Town Purenea also as per with Goddess Puran Devi. In the July 2011 Abhinav kumar jaiswal, a famous mechanical engineer from Purnia, donated 2.5 lakh for development of infrastructure of this temple.
Dhimeshwarnath Temple-Dhima, Banmankhi
Located in Village Dhima about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from the main town (Banmankhi) and 34 kilometers (21.1 mi) from the District town (Purnia). It is the temple of Lord Shiva.
Baghnagar
A small village to the south-east of Araria town. Some old coins have been found recently below the earth in a cave, the bricks of which seem to be very old.
Baladiabari
A village situated about a mile and a half from Nawajganj in the south of the district. The village was the site of the battle between Shaukat Jang and Sirajuddaula in 1756.
Bandarjhula
It is situated at about 24 miles (39 km) northwest of Kishanganj near the Nepal border. Some excavation has been done here by the Archeological Department and one full size image of God Vishnu made of black marble is kept here. A small fair is held every year near this image. People call this as the "Image of Kanhaiya".
Barhar[a] Kothi
It is a block Headquarter. Name Kothi was added because of Englishman 'Kothi. Here there is famous temple of the Lord Shiva. Name of this famous temple is Baba Barneshwar. It is situated at a distance of 2 KM south of HQ.
Kamalpur
It is one of the village of Barhara Kothi. It is very famous for KOKAFUL, like Lotus Flower. It is situated near a small river named "GADA".Both is famous temple like "SHRIKRISHNA@ MAHADEV Temple in "BATHAILI" village.
Barijangarh
It is a ruined fort in the Kishanganj Subdivision, situated five miles (8 km) to the south of Bahadurganj Police Station. Regarding its name, there is a legend that it was built by Barijan, a brother of Benu, Raja of Benugarh. Inside the enclosure may be traced a tank called Pokhar.
Bathnaha
There are two temples. One is a Mahadeva temple and the other that of the goddess Durga.Both is famous temple in this region.
Benugarh
A ruined fort consists of ramparts, enclosing an area of nearly an acre, and ascribed to Benu Raja, the brother of Asura.
Chakla
This place is famous for manufacture of wheels of bullock carts.
Dhima
It is at a distance of 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the main town (Banmankhi) and 32 kilometers (19.9 mi) from the District town (Purnia). There is a famous temple of Lord Shiva, Maa Durga and Maa Kali.
Dharara
A village in the extreme west of the district, situated about 12 miles (19 km) to the south of Raniganj, and is a few miles to the north of Dhamdaha. The villagers assert that this was the place of Mahabharata episode of the Sivaic Hiranya Kans attempted slaughter of his son Prahlada for devotion to the worship of Lord Vishnu.
There was an indigo factory here and an old fort called Satl garh. At the northwest corner of the forest is a monolith called Maniktdham. The pillar is of thick inelegant shape and has the same proportions and appearance as the Ghazipur edict pillar, now in the grounds of Benaras College. The stone is light reddish granite of such fine texture as to appear almost like sandstone. It is no longer erect, but is inclined at an angle of about 65 degrees.
Forbeshganj
It is the second best commercial place in the district after bhatta bazaar. A big fair is arranged here in the months of Nov-Dec. Here is a famous pond known as Sultanpokhar. The town has strategic and international importance also. This is just at a distance of 12 kilometers from biratnagar which is itself the second biggest city of Nepal. Jogbani is a municipal area under the forbeshganj sub-division. Here lies the J.P.INTERNATIONAL GATE between India and Nepal.
Jalalgarh
A ruined fort in the Purnia subdivision situated 13 miles (21 km) to the north of Purnia close to the Jalalgarh railway station. It stands on what was formerly an island in the old channel of the Kosi river, and is a very conspicuous ruin in good preservation. It is a large quadrangular structure with lofty walls and was built by the Mohammedans as a frontier post to protect the border against invasion from Nepal.
According to the chronicle of the Khagra family, it was built for this purpose by the first Raja of Khagra, Saiyad Muhammad Jalal-ud-din on who the title of Raja was conferred by Jahangir (1605–27), and according to other accounts, by the Nawab of Purnia, Saif Khan, in 1722. It appears, however, to have been in existence before the later date. According to the Riyazu-s-salatin, the Raja of Birnagar had a force of 15,000 cavalry and infantry, and other inhabitants of that part of chakwar, tribe etc. were refractory and of plundering propensity, and used to annoy the travellers. Therefore, on the limits of the Marang, the fort of Jalalgarh was erected and a commandant in charge of the fort was posted here.
The fort is situated at a distance of one-mile (1.6 km) southeast of the Purnia- Araria road.
Kishanganj
Some passages in the Mahabharata describing conquest of Bhima in eastern India furnish further information about the inhabitants of this part of country. Bhima, it is said, conquered Maharaja, the king of Kanski-kocha and the land of the Pandras which is identifiable with the south Purnia. He also defeated Karna, the king of Anga, conquered the hills of tribes, killed the king of Modagri in the battle, and then subdued the powerful Pundra king.
Local tradition still speaks of the struggle and the conquest of the Kiratas. A Kirata woman from the Morang or Tarai is said to have been the wife of Raja Birat, who, it is said in Mahabharata, gave shelter to Yudhisthira and his four Pandava brothers during their 12 years of exile. The site is still pointed out at the Thakurganj in the north of this district. A big pond which is called Bhatdola to the west of Thakurganj is just adjacent to the railways lines still existing. People say that it was used by Draupadi, the wife of Panch Pandavas for cooking rice for the Pandavas. It is said to have been the site of the residence of the Raja Birat. Some stones with inscription were dug up at Thakurganj, which the villagers declare were the remains of the Birat's palace.
Kichaka Badh an ancient place which is only 3–4 miles (1.8-2.5 miles) from the Thakurganj lies in Morang. The brother-in-law of Birat Raja Kichaka was said to have resided at the palace of Birat Raja. It is said Bhima killed Kichaka here. A mela during Baruni-Snan is at this place every year for one day to offer homage to the fountain where Kichaka was killed.
Kursela
A distorted name of Kuru-Shila. Kuru-Shila means hilly part of the region which once belonged to the king Kuru, the descendents of whom were called Kaurawa and according to Mahabharata waged a war with Pandavas, their cousins.
At a distance of four miles (6 km) south, there is a range of hills known as Bateshwar Hills. There is an ancient temple of Mahadeva on the hill. Some associate the once famous Vikramshila University with this site.
Kursela had a young artist Sri Awadesh Kumar Singh, MP, son of the Zamindaar of Kursela and proprietor of the Kursela estate, R.B. Raghubansh Prasad Singh, whose paintings were exhibited at New Delhi under the tenure of Dr. S Radhakrishnan as the President. He died in 1958.
R.B. Raghubansh Prasad Singh was a great philanthropist, and administrator. He was the largest land donor in Vinobha Bhave's "Bhudan movement", wherein he donated 8,000 acres (32 km2) of land. He sponsored the opening of 2 schools and a hospital in Kursela. He also donated many houses and land to the congress party including "Kala Bhavan" in Purnea.
His younger son Sri Dinesh Kumar Singh was a Cabinet minister in the Bihar govt. for over 20 years and held portfolios including Health, Education, and Home. He died in 2005. His valuable contributions to the development of Bihar will not be forgotten by the people of Kursela.
Lalbalu
A wide stretch of maidan runs 9 miles (14 km) from Purnia to the east with a small Idgah at one end, on which the devout Muslims assemble for their prayers. Once at this maidan, there was a fight between the mutineers and a band of loyalties led by Commissioner Yule of Bhagalpur in the Sepoy Mutiny days of 11 December 1857.
Madanpore
A village six miles (10 km) to the north east of Araria. There is a famous Shiva temple locally known as Madaneshwar Nath. A big Mela is held on the eve of Shivaratri.
Manihari
There is a mythological story that during the Mahabharata period, Lord Krishna had come to this place and had lost a Mani (a valuable jewel). Thus it came to be known as Maniharan which was changed into Manihari.
A place to the east of Manihari at a distance of five miles (8 km) is connected to the story of Raja Birat of Mahabharata period that had kept a herd of cows at this place and had constructed a Bathan. There is one black stone Shiva-linga about five feet in length and three feet in width lying in an open field which is said to be of Raja Birat's time.
Sarsi
It is at a distance of 18 miles (29 km) to the northwest of Purnia. There is a temple of Lord Shiva and an Idgah for Muslims. There is a ruined Kothi of an Indigo planter. Sarsi Kothi was famous indigo centre under the Europeans.
Thakurganj
It is said to be named after Bhim - the great hero of Mahabharata who served as a Thakur (cook) in the house of Raja Birat. It is mentioned in the Mahabharata that Raja Birat gave shelter to the five Pandava brothers during their one year incognito exile. There are two tanks of Bhatdhala and Sagdhala, which the local people say were utilized by Bhim as a receptacle of Bhat and Saag after cooking. Biratnagar of the Mahabharata is said to be located here, and not in Nepal, as some stones with inscription were dug up. East of Thakurganj a small town, Sonapur, is situated just on the Siligudi highway.
Vidya Vihar Residential School
It is a residential boys school, 8 km from Purnea on Dhamdaha road. Students from all over Bihar come to study here. The school is run by Neharat Alumni Educational Trust.
Awards
Phanishwar Nath 'Renu'
Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' (फणीश्वर नाथ रेणु) (1921-1977) is one of the great Hindi novelists of the post-Premchand era. The intimacy in writing brought to the reader with use of local flavor of Hindi in contrast to Khari Boli Hindi was entirely new literary experience. His masterpiece is मैला आंचल (Maila Anchal) (The Soiled Linen, 1954), a social novel that depicts the life of a region and its people, especially the backward and the deprived. He got a PadmShri award from Govt. of India for this novel. Which also was his first. Later during Jayaprakash Narayan Andolan, he gave up his award in solidarity. Another of his short story पंचलाइट (Panchlight) (Petromax) is beautiful in its depiction of human behavior.
One can find many parallels between his and Premchand's writings. Also a short story मारे गए गुलफाम (Maare Gaye Gulfam) was adapted into a film by name of Teesri Kasam. Curiously Katihar railway station figures in many of his writings. He wrote descriptive prose with rapid character building senses.. He would then sets about reflecting on his characters and backgrounds from every angle. एक आदिम रात्रि की महक (Ek Aadim Ratri Ki Mehak) which is straight forward story with touchy ending, is one example his unending need for exploring pristine emotions of his characters.
Maila Anchal and Parti Pari Katha are two of his masterpieces. One of his stories, Maare Gaye Gulfam, has been filmed by the name Teesri Kasam. How can one forget the immortal songs: "Paan khaye saiyan hamare" and "Sajan re jhoot mat bolo". Raj Kapoor and Vahida Rehma have retold the story of Hiraman and Hirabai on screen, through their acting. Maila Aanchal has also been captured by the camera and has telecast on TV as a serial. Novels by Renuji
Statistics, 2001
Physical Features
|
|
Araria |
Katihar |
Kishanganj |
Purnea |
|
|
Rural Area |
|
|
|
|
2800.10 sq. kms |
|
Urban Area |
|
|
|
|
400.21 sq. kms |
|
Total Area |
|
2830.00 sq. kms |
3056.00 sq. kms |
193.31 sq. kms |
3202.31 sq. kms |
|
Height above Sea-Level |
|
|
|
|
171.2 Feet |
|
Normal Rainfall |
|
|
|
|
1,470.4 mm |
|
Avg. Number of Rainy Days |
|
|
|
|
73 Days in a Year |
|
Average Temperature |
|
|
|
|
28°C |
|
- Maximum |
|
|
|
|
48°C |
|
- Minimum |
|
|
|
|
03°C |
Administrative Units
|
|
Purnea |
|
Sub-Divisions |
4 |
|
CD Blocks |
14 |
|
Panchayats |
251 |
|
Number of Revenue Villages |
1296 |
|
Number of Urban Agglomerations |
3 |
|
Number of Towns |
3 |
|
- Statutory Towns |
1 |
|
- Non-Statutory Towns |
2 |
|
Police Stations |
27 |
|
- Civil Police Stations |
27 |
|
- Railway Police Stations |
0 |
Key Statistics - as per 2001 Census (Provisional)
|
|
|
|
|
Population |
2,543,942 |
|
|
- Male |
1,328,417 |
|
|
- Female |
1,215,525 |
|
|
Population (0~6 Years Group) |
536,851 |
|
|
- In Absolute Numbers |
|
|
|
|
|
272,748 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
264,103 |
|
|
|
|
|
- Percentage of Total Population |
21.19% |
|
|
|
|
20.53% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21.73% |
|
|
|
|
|
Literacy |
|
|
|
- In Absolute Numbers |
700,070 |
|
|
|
|
478,689 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
221,381 |
|
|
|
|
|
- Percentage of Total Population |
35.10% |
|
|
|
|
45.63% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23.42% |
|
|
|
|
|
- Highest Literacy |
Purnea East |
|
|
- Lowest Literacy |
Baisee |
|
|
Decadal Population Growth (1991-2001) |
|
|
|
- Absolute |
2,543,942 |
|
|
- As Percentage |
35.23% |
|
|
Schedule Caste Population |
312,088 |
|
|
- Percentage to Total Population |
12.27% |
|
|
Schedule Tribe Population |
111,947 |
|
|
- Percentage to Total Population |
4.40% |
|
|
Total Workers |
960,700 |
|
|
- Main Workers |
782,364 |
|
|
- Marginal Workers |
178,336 |
|
|
Density of Population |
794.49 per sq kms |
|
|
- Highest Density |
1246 Per sq kms |
|
|
- Lowest Density |
410.42 Per sq. kms |
|
|
Sex Ratio (Females/Thousand Males) |
915 |
|
|
Sex Ratio (0-6 Years) |
967 |
|
