Birbhum is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. West Bengal (পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... West Bengal (পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ...

Important places

The Headquarters of Birbhum is Siuri. A world famous location in birbhum is Santiniketan, which is the seat of Nobel laureate Sir Rabindranath Tagore's Visva-Bharati University. Santiniketan is also a prime tourist attraction. Other important locations in Birbhum include: Rampurhat, Bakreshwar, Nalhati, Murarai, Marureswar, Muhammad Bazar, Sainthia, Rajnagar, Khairasol, Dubrajpur, Lavpur, Nanur, Ilambazar, Kankalipith, Masanjore,Kendubillo, Hetampur, Birsingpur . Lavpur is the home of the famous writer Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Kendubillo or Kenduri is the home of the famous historical poet Jaydev, and Nannur is the birthplace of Chandidas. Dubrajpur famous for the Mama Bhagne Pahar. Siuri, also known as Suri, is the district headquarter of Birbhum in West Bengal, India. ... Santiniketan is a small town in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, and approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). ... The Nobel Prizes (pronounced no-BELL or no-bell) are awarded annually to people who have done outstanding research, invented groundbreaking techniques or equipment, or made outstanding contributions to society. ... Rabindranath Tagore (or Rabindranath Thakur) (May 6, 1861 – August 7, 1941), also called Gurudev, was an Indian poet, Brahmo philosopher and nationalist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913, becoming the first Asian to be awarded a Nobel Prize. ... Established by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, the Visva-Bharati University, located at Santiniketan, West Bengal in India is a central university and an institution of national importance. ... Bakreshwar is in the Birbhum district of West Bengal and is home to a thermal power plant operated by West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL). ... Tarasankar Bandopadhya (23 July 1887 -14 September 1971) at Lavpur, Birbhum in the state of West Bengal. ... Chandidas (Bangla: চন্ডীদাস) (born 1408 CE) refers to (possibly more than one) medieval poet of Bengal. ...

Geographical features

This district about 1,757 sq mi (4,550 sq km) in area is triangular in shape with the apex pointing noeth and base formed by river ajay bordering approximately 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 part historically part of the "Rarh" bengal, is a densely populated, alluvial plain of the Gangetic Delta. The Ajay, Mor, Mayurakshi, Bakreswar, and Dwarka, Brahmani are the principal rivers of Birbhum. Bardhaman is a district town in West Bengal. ... Chhotanagpur is an area including the tribal areas of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal states in India. ... In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat open country if the uplift was recent in geologic history. ...

The weather in the western side relatively extreme. 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. Coal, china clay, iron-ore and granite are mined in the west Birbhum.

A project on the Mayurakshi (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. Rice, legumes, wheat, corn (maize), and mangoes are the chief crops in the east Birbhum. Early morning on the Ganges The River Ganges (Ganga in Indian languages) (Devanagiri गंगा) is a major river in northern India. ... Siuri, also known as Suri, is the district headquarter of Birbhum in West Bengal, India. ...

Important geographical features in Birbhum are the khoai, the red, laterite soil, date plum and palm trees visible from long diatance and multiple protected forested areas. Khoai refers to a geological formation specifically in Birbhum, Bardhaman, and Bankura districts of West Bengal, India and some parts of Jharkhand, India that is made up of laterite soil rich in iron oxide, often in the shapes of tiny hills. ... Laterite is a red-colored clay rich soil found in the tropics and subtropics. ... Soil is material capable of supporting plant life. ...

History

The name Birbhum comes from Land(bhumi) of Bir (courageous) kings. Some of the the archaeological sites related to Pandu Rajar Dhibi of chalcolithic remains [1] are located in Birbhum. Birbhum has many old temples with delicate decorative tiles made of terracotta (burnt clay). Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Terra cotta is a hard semifired waterproof ceramic clay used in pottery and building construction. ...

Mahavira, the last great Jain Tirthankara, wandered through these this land in the 5th Century, B.C. The older tirthankars were buried in Pareshnath which is only 70 miles from the boundary of Birbhum. Gautam Buddha probably crossed this place to go upto Pundrabarshan which is south bengal (inferred by Dr Atul Sur, based on "Divyabdan" - a Buddhist text). To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... JAIN is an activity within the Java Community Process, developing APIs for the creation of telephony (voice and data) services. ... In Jainism, a Tirthankara (Fordmaker) is a human who achieved enlightenment, became a Jiva, and whose religious teachings have formed the canon of Jainism; although not Gods, statues of Tirthankaras are found in temples. ...

Rarh was part of the territory ruled over by the Mauryan Emperors and Emperor Ashoka's father Bindusar was probably born in Gaura. It was subsequently included in the empire of the imperial Guptas, of Shashanka and of Harshavardhana. After dismemberment of Harshavardhan's Empire , it was included in the Pala dynasty kingdom and formed a part of it until middle of 12th Century A.D. when the overlordship passes to the Sena dynasty kings. During the Pala dynasty Buddhist cultures, particularly the Vajrayana cult became prevalent here. In 7th Century A.D. Chineese Wang Chuang is supposed to have described some of these monasteries he visited (Ref: Bangla o Bangalir Bibartan, by dr Atul Sur). In the 13th Century A.D. the region was mainly under the the Muslim rulers of Bengal. They destroyed most of the Biddhist 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. The Mauryan empire (321 to 185 BCE), at its largest extent around 230 BCE. The Mauryan empire was Indias first great unified empire. ... Emperor Ashoka (a possible picturisation) Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक; IAST transliteration: ) was the emperor of the Mauryan Empire from 273 BCE to 232 BCE. After a number of military conquests, Ashoka reigned over most of South Asia and beyond, from present-day Afghanistan to Bengal and as far south as... Silver coin of the Gupta King Kumara Gupta I (414-455) CE. The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire ruled by the Gupta dynasty in ancient India from around 320 to 550 CE. // Origins The origins of the Guptas are shrouded in obscurity. ... Shashanka (Bangla: শশাঙ্ক) is often attributed with creating the first unified political entity in Bengal. ... Harsha or Harshavardhana (606-648) was an Indian emperor who ruled northern India as paramount monarch for over forty years. ... Buddha and Bodhisattvas, 11th century, Pala Empire. ... The Sena dynasty ruled Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. ... Buddha and Bodhisattvas, 11th century, Pala Empire. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... A mandala used in Vajrayana Buddhist practices. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla, is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: བོད་, Bod, pronounced pö in Lhasa dialect; Chinese: 西藏, Pinyin: Xīzàng or Chinese: 藏区, Pinyin: Zàngqū [the two names are used with different connotations; see Name section below]) is a region in Central Asia and the home of the Tibetan people. ... Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chaṭṭagrām) is the major sea-port and second largest city of Bangladesh. ... A Hindu (archaic Hindoo), as per modern definition is an adherent of philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural system of the Indian subcontinent and the island of Bali. ...

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. 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 Baishnav cults. Ashrams in ancient India were Hindu hermitages where sages lived in peace and tranquility amidst nature. ... The Shakti Peethas are places of worship consecrated to the Goddess Shakti, the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. ... Bakreshwar is in the Birbhum district of West Bengal and is home to a thermal power plant operated by West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL). ... Baidyanath dham means home of baidyanath, baidyanatha refers to one of the many names of lord SHIVA ... Deoghar is the headquarter of Deoghar District of Jharkhand state, India. ... The Santals are a tribal people of Bangladesh and India, residing mainly in Western Bangladesh and the Indian states of Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. ...

People and culture

Other than the locals speaking the Birbhum dialect of Bengali, there are tribal Santhals migrating from adjascent Singbhum and Santhalpargana of jharkhand/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 Santals are a tribal people of India, residing mainly in states of Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. ... Jharkhand (झारखंड in Devanagari) is a state in eastern India. ... For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ...

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 Bauls, their philosophy and their songs. Baulism is a religeously liberal philosophy and lifestyle which might have some link to sahajia cult (Sahajyan branch of buddhism). The bauls earn their living by singing and collecting alms. They accomodate people from any cast and creed. Lalan Fakir was one of the most historically famous bauls. Among the singers who braught baul songs to worldwide fame are Purnachandra Das popularly known as "Purnadas baul".

The poush mela in winter happens on the day of Makar Sankranti at many places like Kenduli (kendubilwa) etc including the one at Shantiniketan patronized by Visva-Bharati. Poush mela celebrates the congregation of local arts crafts and cultural program with performance by bauls as one of the star attractions. Makar Sankranti is a mid-winter festival of India. ... Santiniketan is a small town in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, and approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). ... Established by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, the Visva-Bharati University, located at Santiniketan, West Bengal in India is a central university and an institution of national importance. ...

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. Cotton ready for harvest. ... Silk weaver Silk is a natural protein fiber that can be woven into textiles. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice refers to two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia and to Africa, which together provide more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans. ... Vegetable oil or vegoil is fat extracted from plant sources. ... Unfired green ware pottery on a traditional drying rack at Conner Prairie living history museum. ...

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). A cottage industry is an industry – primarily manufacturing – which includes many producers, working from their homes, typically part time. ... This article is about the type of fabric. ... A decidous beech forest in Slovenia. ... It has been suggested that Handicraft be merged into this article or section. ... Santiniketan is a small town in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, and approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). ...

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.

External links

• Official webpage

• Temples and legends of Bengal[2]