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Birbhum is a District of the Indian state of West Bengal . Important places The Headquarters of Birbhum is , Nalhati , Murarai , Mayureshwar , Muhammad Bazar , Sainthia , Rajnagar , Khairasol , Dubrajpur , Lavpur , Nanur , Illambazar , Kankalipith , Masanjore , Kendubillo , Hetampur , Birsingpur , Bakreshwar , Patharchapuri (or Patharchapri). Lavpur is the home of the famous writer Tarashankar Bandopadhyay , Kendubillo or Kenduli is the home of the famous historical poet Jaydev , and Nannur is the birthplace of Chandidas_Rami . Dubrajpur famous for the Mama Bhagne Pahar . GEOGRAPHY This district, about 1,757 sq mi (4,550 sq km) in area, is triangular in shape with the apex pointing north and base (south boundary) formed by river ajay bordering the boundary between Birbhum in north and Burdwan in south. Birbhum lies at the junction of the Chhotanagpur Plateau and the Gangetic plain. So the western portion of the district historically known as "vajjabhumi"(Bajrabhumi, bajra=thunderbolt/hard) is an undulating, generally barren upland, part of the eastern fringe of the Chota Nagpur plateau, rising to 3,000 ft (900 m); the eastern side constituting the north " Rarh Region " of Bengal, is merging into the densely populated, Alluvial plain of the Gangetic Delta . Sometimes Vajjabhumi is also included into the Rarh Region , and rest of rarh is called Sumha to differentiate from Vajjabhumi. Subdivisions 1. Siuri 2. Bolpur 3. Rampurhat Rivers The rivers of Birbhum: Ajay , Mor ( Mayurakshi ), Bakreswar , Kopai , Dvarka , Brahmani , Hinglo , Chapala , Bansoli , Pagla etc. A project on the Mayurakshi (Mor, a tribitary of Ganges ), that includes the Tilpara Barrage (near Siuri ), provides irrigation for about 600,000 ac (240,000 ha) and 2,000 kW of electric power. Climate The weather in the western side is dry, extreme, relatively milder on the eastern side. The dry plateau feature makes the land less fertile compared to the plains in east. The argiculture thus dependent on irrigation from the rivers and the rainy season. Landscape and vegetation Important geographical features in Birbhum are the Khoai (eroded undulated patches of barren area), the red, Laterite Soil ("Ranga mati"), palm trees visible from long diatance and multiple protected forested areas in the western side. The laterite soil of western highlands is iron rich and alkaline. It grows characteristic shrubs, herbs and some trees. These include species of Wendlandia , Evolvulus , Stipa , Tragus , Perotis , Spermacoce , Zizyphus , Capparis . Trees like Mango and Bamboo are also frequently found. Other abundant species are jack, arjun, sal, date plum, piar, dhau, kend and mahua. Geology The most interesting part of the geology of Birbhum stems from the gradient of red soil. If we look at the soil map of india we will notice that actually the Rarh Region has Laterite soil(type 28 in the map), and the Vajjabhumi has a different kind of sandy hard red soil of the "Alfisoil" type (type 21 in the map). Minerals Birbhum is one of the major mineral reserves of Bengal. Coal, china clay, iron-ore and granite are mined in the west Birbhum. Agriculture Rice, legumes, wheat, corn (maize), and mangoes are the chief crops harvested largely in the east Birbhum. Demography In 1901 Birbhum had a population of 902,280, which by 1981 rose to 2,095,829. According to the 2001 census data, the total population has further risen to 3,015,422. The following table summarises the population distribution: Transport The major routes of transportation are Train , Bus and Bullock Carts . Historically Palki was another common transport now seen very rarely. The old Howrah - Sahebganj loop of the Eastern Railway passes through this district, which had a junction at Nalhati for the connection to Ajimganj , Murshidabad district. HISTORY The name Birbhum comes probably from Land(bhumi) of Bir (courageous) kings. Some of the the (burnt clay). According to Acharanga Sutra , the old Jain book, Mahavira , the last(24th) great Tirthankara , had wandered through this land ("pathless country of 'Ladha'(rarh) in Vajjabhumi and Subbhabhumi") in the 5th Century, B.C. The older tirthankars were buried in Pareshnath pahar(named after the Tirthankar Parswanath ) which is only about 110 km from the boundary of Birbhum. Gautam Buddha probably crossed this place to go to Pundrabardhan and Samatat (inferred by Dr Atul Sur, based on " Divyabdan " - a Buddhist text). . They destroyed most of the Buddhist monasteries and made the buddhists flee to Tibet , Nepal and Chattagram( Chittagong ). After this, for many centuries the controls of the muslim rulers over the Western part of the district appears to have been merely nominal, and the country was left under the rule of Hindu chiefs, called Bir Rajas . Hetampur , Birsingpur and Rajnagar triple towns carry their relics. Minhaj I Siraj , the author of the Tabaqat I Naciri mentions about Lakhnur , the headquarter or 'thanah' of the of the rarh 'wing' of the muslim rule and an important frontier post. The location Lakhnur, still not exactly identified, falls in Birbhum. Mythologically the forests of Bajrabhumi (west Birbhum) were hot-spots of Hindu and Tantric activities: Bhandirban was the Ashram of Bibhandak Muni (Muni=sage). Rishasringya Muni lived in Siyan, and Shitalgram was the place of Sandipan, garga and durbasa. According to Historian Dr Atul Sur the solitude of the less populated jungles of bajrabhumi made it an ideal place for sacred rituals. Some old authors have called Birbhum also by the name "Kamkoti" which relates to the tantric heritage. Tantrics (including Vajrayana Buddhists and Shakta s) established many temples for rituals like Tantra Sadhana and Shakti worship. Birbhum harbors the highest number of Shakti Peethas , like Bakreshwar , Tarapith , Kankalitala , Lavpur , Fulberia , Nalhati (and formerly Baidyanathdham / Deoghar was within bounds of Birbhum before 1856 AD -the time of Santhal rebellion, till which Santhalpargana was part of Birbhum). Out of these Tarapith/ Siddhapith is most famous. One of the famous Shakti warshippers of Tarapith is Bamdev popularly known as Bama Khyapa . The actual stone idol which is kept hidden at Tarapith is decapitated probably bearing the signs of rave of the muslim rulers. The fertle lands of Rarh was the site of the softer Vaishnav cults. PEOPLE AND CULTURE Other than the locals speaking the Birbhum dialect of Bengali, there are tribal Santhals migrating from adjascent Singhbhum and Santhal Parganas of Jharkhand (former Bihar ). The local industry and agriculture partly depends on the Santhal labourers who come in during the work seasons (like planting rice seedling during rainy time). The red soil and the shallow serpentine rivers ridden with sand islands have inspired many poets from this land. But the seasonal draught and flood of the river also has destroyed many lives and property which is part of the reason for the hardhip of the life around them. Many poets of Baishnav and Shakta Padavali were born in this land, exemplified by Jaydev the celebrated author of Geetgovinda , and Chandidas(Rami). The folk culture of Birbhum is specially enriched with contribution of Baul s, their philosophy and their songs. Baul ism is a religeously liberal philosophy and lifestyle which might have some links to Sahajiya movement of 16th Century A.D. (derived from Sahajyan , a form of Vajrayana Buddhism , influenced also by Vaishnav ism and Sufism ). Chandidas and many other poets were part of the Sahajiya movement. The Bauls earn their living by singing and collecting alms. They accomodate people from any cast and creed. Lalon Fakir was one of the most historically famous bauls (not from Birbhum though). Among the singers who braught baul songs to worldwide fame are Purnachandra Das popularly known as " Purnadas Baul ". Rabindranath Tagore was inspired by their philosophy and patronized them actively. The Poush Mela in winter happens on the day of Makar Sankranti at many places like Kenduli (kendubilwa).The Poush Mela at Shantiniketan organized by Visva-Bharati has been more publicized. Poush mela celebrates the congregation of local arts crafts and cultural program with performance by bauls as one of the star attractions. In addition to being a confluence of Vaishnav , Shakta and Saiva cultures, Birbhum villages also observe perhistoric customs like worship of Gramdevta (gram=village, devta=deity) in many forms in many places. One form of gramdevta is "dharma thakur", symbolized by a stone, worshipped mainly by Bauri, bagdi, hari, dom etc casts. According to Dharmapuran, even kings also worshipped Dharma Thakur. In some places there are festivals called Dharmer Gajan . According to some authorities these are transformed old Deities and Totems which continued even after these casts accepted Buddhism due to oppression by the so called higher casts. Later on these old deities were equated to either Shiva or Buddha . Another Gramdevta is Manasa who might have been a transformation of the feminine snake totem to a form more acceptable to the later society. Vajrayana Buddhists had an equivalent of manasa named "Janguli". In Manasamangal the house made for Lakhinder was on top of Santhali mountains which is historical part of Birbhum. Many accomplished people were born in Birbhum:
Many famous people lived and worked in Birbhum, specially Shantiniketan. INDUSTRY The district's principal industries include Cotton and Silk weaving, Rice and Oilseed milling, and Metalware and Pottery manufacture. Birbhum is also one of the mineral reservoirs of Bengal. Birbhum is a major centre for Cottage Industries . Perhaps the most famous of cottage industry is a non-profit rural organization is Amar Kutir . Other main industries in Birbhum are Agriculture , Textiles , Forestry , Arts And Crafts . Sriniketan harbours Bolpur / Shantiniketan a cooperative dairy (and forestry). Although the majority of Birbhum is rural, in recent times, it has been the site of been the site of many development projects such as condominiums and gated communities for people from numerous urban centres in West Bengal. This has caused many issues. Some fear that these projects do not take account of the lives of the local people as well that this will threaten the natural environment of Birbhum which Birbhum is most renowned for. SUGGESTED READINGS Bangla o Bangalir Bibartan (An Ethno-Cultural History of Bengal) by Dr Atul Sur, (Published by Sahityalok, Kolkata, 1986, 1994) EXTERNAL LINKS
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