Birbhum district

Birbhum District
District of West Bengal
Country	India
State	West Bengal
Division	Burdwan
Headquarters	Suri
Area
• Total	4,545 km2 (1,755 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	3,502,404
• Density	770/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Demographics
• Literacy	70.68%
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
Website	wb.gov.in

Birbhum district is one of the districts of the Indian state of West Bengal.

History

The district of Birbhum was formed during the administration of the East India Company in 1765. In 1787, it was linked to Vishnupur and transferred to the Burdwan Collectorate. In 1793, it became the Birbhum collectorate. In 1809, it was made a part of the Murshidabad Collectorate. In 1820, Birbhum was reconstituted as a separate district. After the Santhal rebellion, the western part of the district was constituted as the Santhal Parganas district. In 1872 the district had eight thanas: Suri, Rajnagar, Dubrajpur, Kasba (now Bolpur), Sakulipur, Labpur, Barwan and Mayureswar. In 1879 Barwan was transferred to Murshidabad, while the thanas of Rampurhat and Nalhati ( including the present thana of Murarai) were transferred from that district to Birbhum.

Geography

Map of Birbhum district showing CD blocks and municipal areas. Click on the map to view larger map.

The headquarters of the district are at Siuri .

The district has a total area of 4,545 sq km.

There are three subdivisions in the district: Rampurhat, Suri Sadar and Bolpur.

Community development blocks in Birbhum district are: Suri I, Suri II, Sainthia, Mohammad Bazar, Khoyrasol, Dubrajpur, Bolpur Sriniketan, Ilambazar, Nanoor, Labpur, Rampurhat I, Rampurhat II, Nalhati I, Nalhati II, Mayureswar I, Mayureswar II, Murarai I and Murarai II.

Demographics

As per the 2011 census, Birbhum district had a total population of 3,502,404, of which 1,790,920 were male and 1,711,484 were female 449,448 were in urban area and 3,052,956 were in rural area. Literate people were 2,158,447 in number.

Birbhum district has a literacy rate of 70.68% in 2011.

The principal languages spoken, in 2011, in Birbhum district are Bengali 92.38%, Santali 6.01% and Hindi 1.28%..

The principal religions followed in Birbhum district, in 2011, were Hinduism 62.29% and Islam 37.06%..

Economy

Agriculture in the district is monsoon dependent. 54.58% of the total area is irrigated. The main sources of irrigation are the Mayurakshi canal project and ground water. Paddy accounts for 94% of the total cultivated area. Other major crops are oilseeds, wheat & pulses and vegetables.

Industries in Birbhum district based on agriculture and forests include cotton and silk harvesting and weaving, rice and oil seed milling, lac harvesting, textile, art and craft. Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station is the only heavy industry in the district.

Education

According to L.S.S. O’Malley, there were seven High English School at different places in the district in 1909-10. Subsequently, large numbers of schools were established across the district. These schools contributed to the development of education in the district. Colleges started coming up later. Krishna Chandra College at Hetampur was founded by Maharani Padma Sundari Devi of Hetampur Rajbati in 1896. Suri Vidyasagar College was founded in 1942. Santiniketan Ashram was founded by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore in 1863 and Viswa Bharati was registered in 1922. “The establishment of Visva-Bharati infused the ideas of west into the minds of the students to understand Education and Philosophy in much deeper perspective which have influenced the promotion of Western and Scientific Education among the people of the District.“