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{{Short description|British Raj areas in West Bengal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
{{Infobox former subdivision
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|nation      = [[British India]]
|nation      = [[British India]]
|subdivision = [[Districts of British India|District]]
|subdivision = [[Districts of British India|District]]
|capital = [[Chhatna]]{{cn|date=January 2025}}
|era =  
|era =  
|year_start = 1805
|year_start = 1805
|date_start =  
|date_start =  
|event_start= Establishment of the district
|event_start= Established
|year_end = 1833
|year_end = 1833
|date_end =  
|date_end =  
|event_end= District broken up
|event_end= Bifurcation
|event1 =  
|event1 =  
|date_event1 =  
|date_event1 =  
|p1      = Burdwan district
| stat_area2 = 18103
|p2     = Birbhum district
| stat_pop2 = 1304740
|p3     = Bankura district
| stat_year2 = 1822<ref>{{cite book|title=Report of the Population Estimates of India (1820-1030) - Census 1961 |year=1963 |publisher=Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs Office of the Registrar General, India |page=71 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/31861/download/35042/53474_1961_REP.pdf}}</ref>
|p4     = Midnapore district
|p1     = Birbhum district
|s1      = Burdwan district
|p2     = Burdwan district
|s2      = Manbhum District
|p3     = Midnapore district
|s1      = South-West Frontier Agency
|flag_p1    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg  
|flag_p1    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg  
|flag_p2    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_p2    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_p3    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_p3    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_p4    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_s1    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_s1    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_s2    = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|image_flag = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|image_flag = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|image_coat =  
|image_coat =  
|image_map  =
|image_map  =
|image_map_caption =  
|image_map_caption =  
|capital =
|stat_area1 =
|stat_area1 =
|stat_year1 =
|stat_year1 =
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|footnotes =  
|footnotes =  
}}
}}
'''Jungle Mahals''', literally 'jungle estates',<ref>[https://www.uea.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.54596.LATEST!7.forest%20tenures%20in%20west%20bengal.pdf Forest Tenures in the Jungle Mahals of South West Bengal]</ref> was a district formed by British possessions and some independent chiefdoms lying between [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]], [[Bankura district|Bankura]], [[Midnapore district|Midnapore]]<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Midnapore |volume=18 |page=419}}</ref> and the hilly country of [[Chota Nagpur Plateau|Chota Nagpur]] in what is now the [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[West Bengal]].<ref name=omalley>O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, ''Bankura'', ''Bengal District Gazetteers'', pp. 21-41, 1995 reprint, Government of West Bengal</ref> The district was located in the area known as the [[Jungle Terry]].<ref>Browne, James (1788). ''India tracts: containing a description of the Jungle Terry districts, their revenues, trade, and government: with a plan for the improvement of them. Also an history of the origin and progress of the Sicks''</ref>
'''Jungle Mahals''' ({{literally}} [[jungle]] estates)<ref name="BFA">{{Cite web |url=https://www.uea.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.54596.LATEST!7.forest%20tenures%20in%20west%20bengal.pdf |title=Forest Tenures in the Jungle Mahals of South West Bengal |access-date=8 August 2014 |archive-date=10 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810045940/https://www.uea.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.54596.LATEST!7.forest%20tenures%20in%20west%20bengal.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> was a district formed by [[British possessions]] and some independent chiefdoms lying between [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]], [[Bankura district|Burdwan]], [[Midnapore district|Midnapore]]<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Midnapore |volume=18 |page=419}}</ref> and the hilly country of [[Chota Nagpur Plateau|Chota Nagpur]] in what is now the [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[West Bengal]].<ref name=omalley>O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, ''Bankura'', ''Bengal District Gazetteers'', pp. 21-41, 1995 reprint, Government of West Bengal</ref> The district was located in the area known as the [[Jungle Terry]].<ref>Browne, James (1788). ''India tracts: containing a description of the Jungle Terry districts, their revenues, trade, and government: with a plan for the improvement of them. Also an history of the origin and progress of the Sicks''</ref>
 
==Background==
{{Main|Chuar Rebellion}}
[[File:Birbhoom and Bissunpour (1776 map by James Rennell).jpg|thumb|The Jungle Mahals area as depicted on a 1776 map by [[James Rennell]].]]
The Chuar Rebellion was a series of uprisings by the tribal communities in the Jungle Mahals region against the oppressive policies of the British [[East India Company]]. The British referred to the rebels as "Chuars," meaning "barbaric," due to their resistance to land revenue collection. The rebellion spread across Midnapore, Bishnupur, and Manbhum district, peaking in 1798-1799. In response to the unrest, the British reorganized the region, establishing the Jungle Mahals district and implementing stricter administrative control. The legacy of the rebellion influenced the socio-political identity of the region.<ref>{{cite web |title=Adivasi resistance in the Jungle Mahals 1767-1799 |url=https://www.wbnsou.ac.in/openjournals/Issue/1st-Issue/January2020/Amrita-final.pdf |website=www.wbnsou.ac.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Adivasi Resistance in Jungle Mahal: A Case Study of Chuar Rebellion |url=http://joais.in/Journal/JAIS-Aug%202021%20Article%201%20A.pdf |website=joais.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=गुहा |first1=Abhijit Guha अभिजीत |title=An early freedom struggle that is still not free of the ‘Chuar’ label |url=https://www.forwardpress.in/2018/07/an-early-freedom-struggle-that-is-still-not-free-of-the-chuar-label/ |website=Forward Press |date=10 July 2018}}</ref>{{Sfn|Das|1984}}


==History==
==History==
The vagueness of the jurisdiction caused inconvenience. In 1805, Regulation XVIII was passed whereby the areas known as Jungle Mahals was separated from the jurisdiction of the [[Magistrate]]s of the districts of [[Bardhaman district|Burdwan]], Birbhum, Bankura and Midnapore and placed under a Magistrate of Jungle Mahals. The district thus formed was composed of 23 [[pargana]]s and mahals.
===Established===
The vagueness of the jurisdiction caused inconvenience. In 1805, the new district of Jungle Mahals was created by a regulation (Regulation XVIII of 1805), comprising areas from Birbhum (the 1787 British district incorporating [[Bishnupur Kingdom|Bishnupur]]), Burdwan, and Midnapore, and placed under the jurisdiction of a new Magistrate.<ref name="BFA"/>


By Regulation XIII of 1833, the district of Jungle Mahals was broken up. The estates of Senpahari, Shergarh and Bishnupur were transferred to [[Burdwan District]] and the remainder constituted the [[Manbhum District]].<ref name=omalley/>
According to [[L. S. S. O'Malley|L.S.S. O'Malley]], the district that was formed consisted of 23 parganas and Mahals.<ref name="BFA"/>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="3" |Jungle Mahals District<ref name="BFA"/>{{Sfn|Das|1973|p=5}}<br/>1805–1833
|-
!District transferred
from Birbhum
!District transferred
from Burdwan
!District transferred
from Midnapore
|-
|Panchet
|Senpahari
|Chhatna
|-
|Bagmundy
|Shergarh
|Barabhum
|-
|Jhalda
|Bishnupur
|Manbhum
|-
|Jharia
|Balsye
|Supur
|-
|Patkum
|
|Ambikanagar
|-
|Unknown
|
|Simlapal
|-
|Unknown
|
|Bhalaidiha
|-
|Unknown
|
|
|-
|Unknown
|
|
|-
|Unknown
|
|
|}


The area of Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore, Jhargram districts of West Bengal is still colloquially referred to as "Jungle Mahal".
===Jungle Mahal Uprising===
{{Main|Ganga Narayan Hungama}}
In 1832–33, the Jungle Mahal Uprising, also known as the Ganga Narayan Hungama, was led by [[Ganga Narayan]] in the Manbhum and Jungle Mahal areas of the erstwhile Midnapore district, Bengal, by Bhumij tribals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jungle Mahal Uprising, 1832-33 |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/node/2825279 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112034842/https://indianculture.gov.in/node/2825279 |archive-date=2024-01-12 |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=INDIAN CULTURE |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Chaudhuri |first1=Sashi Bhusan |title=Civil Disturbances During the British Rule in India (1765 - 1857) |pages=101 |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/ebooks/civil-disturbances-during-british-rule-india-1765-1857 |language=en}}</ref>
 
===Disestablished===
By Regulation XIII of 1833, the district of Jungle Mahals was broken up, and a new administrative unit known as the [[South-West Frontier Agency]] was formed.{{sfn|Das|1984|p=90}}<ref name="Auto1" /> The estates of Senpahari, Shergarh and [[Bishnupur Estate|Bishnupur]] were transferred to [[Burdwan District]] and the remainder constituted the [[Manbhum District]].<ref name=omalley/>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" |{{Center|South-West Frontier Agency<ref name="Auto1">{{Cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Rajiv For |url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.98808/2015.98808.Indias-Struggle-For-Freedom-Vol-3_djvu.txt |title=Indias Struggle For Freedom Vol. 3 |date=1985}}</ref>{{sfn|Das|1984}}}}
|-
| colspan="2" |{{Center|'''Estates transferred'''<br />'''from Jungle Mahals'''}}
|-
|[[Burdwan District]]
|[[Manbhum District]]
|-
|Senpahari
|[[Dhalbhum]]
|-
|Shergarh
|Chhatna
|-
|Bishnupur
|Barabhum
|-
|
|Manbhum
|-
|
|Supur
|-
|
|Ambikanagar
|-
|
|Simlapal
|-
|
|Bhalaidiha
|-
|
|Balsye
|-
|
|Panchet
|-
|
|Bagmundy
|-
|
|Jhalda
|-
|
|Jharia
|-
|
|Patkum
|-
|
|Other estates
|}


==Statehood Demand==
==Statehood Demand==
In 2021, [[Saumitra Khan]], Lok Sabha [[BJP]] MP demanded the creation of Junglemahal state consisting of [[Purulia district|Purulia]], [[Jhargram district|Jhargram]], [[Bankura district|Bankura]], parts of [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]], [[Purba Medinipur district|Purbo Medinipur]], [[Paschim Medinipur district|Paschim Medinipur]] and along with some other areas. He claimed that the Junglemahal area is least development and the demands of employment and development for locals could be met only if it gets statehood. <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/jun/21/bengal-bjp-mp-seeks-separate-junglemahal-state-party-distances-itself-from-demand-2319495.amp|title=Bengal BJP MP seeks separate Junglemahal state, party distances itself from demand|newspaper=NewIndianExpress|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref>
In 2021, [[Saumitra Khan]], Lok Sabha [[BJP]] MP demanded the creation of Junglemahal state consisting of [[Purulia district|Purulia]], [[Jhargram district|Jhargram]], [[Bankura district|Bankura]], parts of [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]], [[Purba Medinipur district|Purbo Medinipur]], [[Paschim Medinipur district|Paschim Medinipur]] and along with some other areas. He claimed that the Junglemahal area is least developed and the demands of employment and development for locals could be met only if it gets statehood.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/nation/2021/jun/21/bengal-bjp-mp-seeks-separate-junglemahal-state-party-distances-itself-from-demand-2319495.html|title=Bengal BJP MP seeks separate Junglemahal state, party distances itself from demand|newspaper=NewIndianExpress|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref>


The West Bengal state [[BJP]] unit, however, distanced itself from the Junglemahal statehood demand.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/bjp-mp-seeks-separate-junglemahal-state-party-distances-itself-from-demand-7369524/lite/|title=BJP MP seeks separate Junglemahal state, party distances itself from demand|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref> A Trinamool congress leader filed Complaint against Saumitra Khan for demanding statehood for Junglemahal.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tmc-leader-lodges-complaint-against-bjp-mps-for-demanding-separate-statehood-2469908%3famp=1&akamai-rum=off|title=Trinamool Leader Lodges Complaint Against BJP MPs For Demanding Separate Statehood|newspaper=NDTV|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref>
The West Bengal state [[BJP]] unit, however, distanced itself from the Junglemahal statehood demand.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/bjp-mp-seeks-separate-junglemahal-state-party-distances-itself-from-demand-7369524/lite/|title=BJP MP seeks separate Junglemahal state, party distances itself from demand|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref> A Trinamool Congress leader filed a complaint against Saumitra Khan for demanding statehood for Junglemahal.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tmc-leader-lodges-complaint-against-bjp-mps-for-demanding-separate-statehood-2469908%3famp=1&akamai-rum=off|title=Trinamool Leader Lodges Complaint Against BJP MPs For Demanding Separate Statehood|newspaper=NDTV|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 56: Line 172:
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
===Bibliography===
* {{Cite book |last=Das |first=Binod S. |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98385 |title=Civil Rebellion In The Frontier Bengal (1760-1805) |date=1973 |publisher=Punthi Pustak |oclc=1105009}}
* {{cite book |last1=Das |first1=Binod Sankar |title=Changing Profile of the Frontier Bengal, 1751-1833 |date=1984 |publisher=Mittal Publications |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UGTxUHzhYXwC&q=lal+singh+satarkhani+chuar+barabhum&pg=PA86 |language=en}}
==External links==
==External links==
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=V1o_PRCLOeMC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=jungle+mahals&source=bl&ots=dZto0Fdpmp&sig=VH9QNWhBalsaiobJbg9VoefA4tw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-3HkU6jRKozt8AXjxICADQ&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=jungle%20mahals&f=false The Jungle and the Aroma of Meats: An Ecological Theme in Hindu Medicine]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=V1o_PRCLOeMC&dq=jungle+mahals&pg=PA17 The Jungle and the Aroma of Meats: An Ecological Theme in Hindu Medicine]
{{Historical districts of India}}
{{Historical districts of India}}
{{coord|23|20|N|86|22|E|display=title|region:IN_type:dist}}
{{coord|23|20|N|86|22|E|display=title|region:IN_type:dist}}


[[Category:History of Bengal]]
[[Category:Bengal Presidency]]
[[Category:Districts of British India]]
[[Category:Districts of British India]]
[[Category:1805 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:1805 establishments in British India]]
 


{{India-hist-stub}}
{{India-hist-stub}}

Latest revision as of 19:02, 7 February 2026


Jungle Mahals
District of British India
1805–1833
Flag of Jungle Mahals
Flag
CapitalChhatna[citation needed]
Area 
• 1822[1]
18,103 km2 (6,990 sq mi)
Population 
• 1822[1]
1304740
History
History 
• Established
1805
• Bifurcation
1833
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Birbhum district
Burdwan district
Midnapore district
South-West Frontier Agency

Jungle Mahals (lit. jungle estates)[2] was a district formed by British possessions and some independent chiefdoms lying between Birbhum, Burdwan, Midnapore[3] and the hilly country of Chota Nagpur in what is now the Indian state of West Bengal.[4] The district was located in the area known as the Jungle Terry.[5]

Background[edit | edit source]

Main article: Chuar Rebellion
The Jungle Mahals area as depicted on a 1776 map by James Rennell.

The Chuar Rebellion was a series of uprisings by the tribal communities in the Jungle Mahals region against the oppressive policies of the British East India Company. The British referred to the rebels as "Chuars," meaning "barbaric," due to their resistance to land revenue collection. The rebellion spread across Midnapore, Bishnupur, and Manbhum district, peaking in 1798-1799. In response to the unrest, the British reorganized the region, establishing the Jungle Mahals district and implementing stricter administrative control. The legacy of the rebellion influenced the socio-political identity of the region.[6][7][8][9]

History[edit | edit source]

Established[edit | edit source]

The vagueness of the jurisdiction caused inconvenience. In 1805, the new district of Jungle Mahals was created by a regulation (Regulation XVIII of 1805), comprising areas from Birbhum (the 1787 British district incorporating Bishnupur), Burdwan, and Midnapore, and placed under the jurisdiction of a new Magistrate.[2]

According to L.S.S. O'Malley, the district that was formed consisted of 23 parganas and Mahals.[2]

Jungle Mahals District[2][10]
1805–1833
District transferred

from Birbhum

District transferred

from Burdwan

District transferred

from Midnapore

Panchet Senpahari Chhatna
Bagmundy Shergarh Barabhum
Jhalda Bishnupur Manbhum
Jharia Balsye Supur
Patkum Ambikanagar
Unknown Simlapal
Unknown Bhalaidiha
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown

Jungle Mahal Uprising[edit | edit source]

Main article: Ganga Narayan Hungama

In 1832–33, the Jungle Mahal Uprising, also known as the Ganga Narayan Hungama, was led by Ganga Narayan in the Manbhum and Jungle Mahal areas of the erstwhile Midnapore district, Bengal, by Bhumij tribals.[11][12]

Disestablished[edit | edit source]

By Regulation XIII of 1833, the district of Jungle Mahals was broken up, and a new administrative unit known as the South-West Frontier Agency was formed.[13][14] The estates of Senpahari, Shergarh and Bishnupur were transferred to Burdwan District and the remainder constituted the Manbhum District.[4]

South-West Frontier Agency[14][9]
Estates transferred
from Jungle Mahals
Burdwan District Manbhum District
Senpahari Dhalbhum
Shergarh Chhatna
Bishnupur Barabhum
Manbhum
Supur
Ambikanagar
Simlapal
Bhalaidiha
Balsye
Panchet
Bagmundy
Jhalda
Jharia
Patkum
Other estates

Statehood Demand[edit | edit source]

In 2021, Saumitra Khan, Lok Sabha BJP MP demanded the creation of Junglemahal state consisting of Purulia, Jhargram, Bankura, parts of Birbhum, Purbo Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and along with some other areas. He claimed that the Junglemahal area is least developed and the demands of employment and development for locals could be met only if it gets statehood.[15]

The West Bengal state BJP unit, however, distanced itself from the Junglemahal statehood demand.[16] A Trinamool Congress leader filed a complaint against Saumitra Khan for demanding statehood for Junglemahal.[17]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Report of the Population Estimates of India (1820-1030) - Census 1961 (PDF). Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs Office of the Registrar General, India. 1963. p. 71.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Forest Tenures in the Jungle Mahals of South West Bengal" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Midnapore" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 419.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, Bankura, Bengal District Gazetteers, pp. 21-41, 1995 reprint, Government of West Bengal
  5. ↑ Browne, James (1788). India tracts: containing a description of the Jungle Terry districts, their revenues, trade, and government: with a plan for the improvement of them. Also an history of the origin and progress of the Sicks
  6. ↑ "Adivasi resistance in the Jungle Mahals 1767-1799" (PDF). www.wbnsou.ac.in.
  7. ↑ "The Adivasi Resistance in Jungle Mahal: A Case Study of Chuar Rebellion" (PDF). joais.in.
  8. ↑ गुहा, Abhijit Guha अभिजीत (10 July 2018). "An early freedom struggle that is still not free of the 'Chuar' label". Forward Press.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Das 1984.
  10. ↑ Das 1973, p. 5.
  11. ↑ "Jungle Mahal Uprising, 1832-33". INDIAN CULTURE. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  12. ↑ Chaudhuri, Sashi Bhusan. Civil Disturbances During the British Rule in India (1765 - 1857). p. 101.
  13. ↑ Das 1984, p. 90.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Gandhi, Rajiv For (1985). Indias Struggle For Freedom Vol. 3.
  15. ↑ "Bengal BJP MP seeks separate Junglemahal state, party distances itself from demand". NewIndianExpress. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "BJP MP seeks separate Junglemahal state, party distances itself from demand". Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "Trinamool Leader Lodges Complaint Against BJP MPs For Demanding Separate Statehood". NDTV. Retrieved 3 July 2021.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

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