NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Birbhum District

Birbhum (Bengali: বীরভূম) is a district in West Bengal state of India. It lies at the middle of the western border of West Bengal right below the narrow waist of the state_name. Birbhum is the northernmost district of "Bardhaman Division" -one of the three administrative divisions of the state_name. Called by the name of "The land of red soil" Birbhum is famous for its topography and cultural heritage which is unique and is somewhat different from that of the other districts in West Bengal. Image File history File links India-locator-map-blank. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... India is subdivided into twenty-eight states and seven union territories; the states and territories are themselves further subdivided. ... West Bengal (Bengali: à¦ªà¦¶à§à¦šà¦¿à¦®à¦¬à¦™à§à¦—, PoshchimbÃ´Å‹go) is a state in eastern India. ... The divisions of a district. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... Indian Standard Time (IST) is the time zone for India. ... Population density by country, 2006 Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. ... India is subdivided into twenty-eight states and seven union territories; the states and territories are themselves further subdivided. ... ISO 3166-2 is the second part of the ISO 3166 standard. ... ISO 3166-2 for India (ISO 3166-1 : IN) The purpose of this family of standards is to establish a worldwide series of short abbreviations for places, for use on package labels, containers and such. ... This page as shown in the AOL 9. ... Image File history File links Birbhum_district. ... Image File history File links Birbhum_district. ... Bangla (à¦¬à¦¾à¦‚à¦²à¦¾, IPA: ) or Bengali is an Indo-Aryan language of East South Asia, evolved from Sanskrit and Prakrit. ... West Bengal (Bengali: à¦ªà¦¶à§à¦šà¦¿à¦®à¦¬à¦™à§à¦—, PoshchimbÃ´Å‹go) is a state in eastern India. ...

Birbhum has a dual blend of bushy plateau (Chhotanagpur) terrain from the west with its partly migratory tribal (Santhal) anthropological components, that gradually merges with the alluvial plainland terrain with stable farmer communities towards the east, and is cyclically dried and flooded by the rain-fed rivers like Ajay and Mor. Ridden with this geo-anthropological diversity this land has given birth to many cultural and religious movements in history. As a single district it harbours the largest number of shakti peethas exemplified particulalry by Bakreshwar and Tarapeeth. Visva Bharati University at Santiniketan, established by Rabindranath Tagore, is one of the places Birbhum is internationally renowned for. The star attraction of many of the famous festivals of this district, including Pous mela, are the safron clad bauls singing their deep philosophical songs in the local dialect along with playing their folk music typified by the indigenous instrument called ektara. Chhotanagpur is an area including the tribal areas of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal states in 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. ... 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). ... 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. ... Santiniketan (Bangla:à¦¶à¦¾à¦¨à§à¦¤à¦¿à¦¨à¦¿à¦•à§‡à¦¤à¦¨) is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, and approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). ... Rabindranath Tagore in Kolkata, c. ... Bauls (Bangla: à¦¬à¦¾à¦‰à¦²) are a group of mystic minstrels from the Bengal region, now divided into Bangladesh and West Bengal. ... Ektara (Bangla: à¦à¦•à¦¤à¦¾à¦°à¦¾) is a one string instrument used in Bangladesh and India. ...

Origin of name

The name Birbhum comes probably from the Land ("Bhumi") of the Brave ("Bir"). Some have opined that the district bears the name of Bir kings who ruled in the area. ‘’Bir” in Mundari language means forests. Therefore, it could also mean a land of forests.

History

The area now known as Birbhum was inhabited from pre-historic times. Some of the archaeological sites related to Pandu Rajar Dhibi of chalcolithic remains [ banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/A_0068.htm] are located in Birbhum. Stone age implements have been found at several places in the district. 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. Gautam Buddha probably traversed this area to go to Pundrabardhan and Samatat (inferred by Dr Atul Sur, based on Divyabdan - a Buddhist text). According to some historians, the spread of the Jain religion in the Rarh region was synonymous with the Aryanisation of the area. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (684x943, 592 KB) Pic by courtesy Information & Culture Deptt. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (684x943, 592 KB) Pic by courtesy Information & Culture Deptt. ... Jaina redirects here. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 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. ... Standing Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE. Gautama Buddha was a South Asian spiritual leader who lived between approximately 563 BCE and 483 BCE. Born Siddhārtha Gautama in Sanskrit, a name meaning descendant of Gotama whose aims are achieved/who is efficacious in achieving...

The Rarh region was part of the Maurya empire. It was subsequently included in the empire of the imperial Guptas, of Shashanka and of Harshavardhana. After dismemberment of Harshavardhana’s empire, the region was ruled by the Palas till 12th century AD, when overlordship of the area passed into the hands of the Senas. During the rule of the Pala dynasty Buddhism, particularly the Vajrayana cult, flourished here. In 7th Century A.D., the Chinese traveller, Wang Chuang, described some of the monasteries he visited.^[1] The Senas were staunch Hindus and ensured the dominance of the religion in Bengal. Rarh region of West Bengal is the region that intervenes between the Western plateau and high lands and the Ganges delta. ... The Maurya Empire, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty, was the largest and most powerful political and military empire of ancient India. ... Harsha or Harshavardhana (606-648) was an Indian emperor who ruled northern India as paramount monarch for over forty years. ... This article is about a village in Estonia. ...

The 13th century witnessed the advent of Muslim rule in the region. They destroyed most of the remaining Buddhist monasteries. However, Muslim control over the western parts of the district appears to have been nominal, and the area was ruled by the local Hindu chiefs, known as the Bir Rajas. The three towns of Hetampur, Birsingpur and Rajnagar contain their relics.

Minhaj i Siraj, the author of the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri mentions about Lakhnur, the headquarters or thanah of the Rarh wing of the Muslim rule and an important frontier post. The location of Lakhnur, though still not exactly identified, falls in Birbhum.

Mythologically the forests of Bajrabhumi (west Birbhum) were hot-spots of Hindu and tantric activities. According to historian Dr. Atul Sur, the solitude of the less populated jungles of Bajrabhumi made it an ideal place for sacred rituals.^[2] Some old authors have called Birbhum by the name Kamkoti which relates to its tantric heritage. Bhandirban was the ashram (hermitage) of Bibhandak Muni (sage). Rishasringya Muni lived in Siyan, and Shitalgram was the place of Sandipan, Garga and Durbasa.

Tantrics (including the Vajrayana Buddhists and Shaktas) established many temples for tantra sadhana rituals and Shakti worship. Birbhum has many Shakti Peethas such as Bakreshwar, Tarapith, Kankalitala, Lavpur, Fulberia and Nalhati. Prior to 1856 AD Baidyanathdham / Deoghar was within Birbhum. Chinese : é‡‘å‰›ä¹˜ jin gang cheng A mandala used in Vajrayana Buddhist practices. ... Shaktism is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Shakti, the Divine Mother, in all of her forms whilst not rejecting the importance of masculine and neuter divinity. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 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. ... 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. ...

Out of the numerous Shakti Peethas, Tarapith/ Siddhapith is the most famous. One of the famous Shakti worshippers of Tarapith was 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 Shakti Peethas (places of strength) are places of worship consecrated to the goddess Shakti, the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. ...

During the time of British East India Company there was no existence of any administrative unit by the name Birbhum till 1787, and this area was administratively a part of Murshidabad district. In 1787 when the official designation "District Beerbhoom" started the District was much bigger and included "Bishenpore" or Bishnupur (now part of Bankura district) till 1793. Till 1857 Sepoy Mutiny Santhal Pargana was also part of Birbhum, the district thus sprawled upto Deoghar in the west. The immediate reason then for separating the western tribal majority areas was the Santhal rebellion of 1855-56, which was quelled with the martyrdom of Sidhu and Kanu in Birbhum. The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was a joint-stock company which was granted an English Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intention of favouring trade privileges in India. ... Murshidabad is a city in West Bengal, India as well as a district in the state. ... Detail of terracotta relief from the Rasmancha Bishnupur (Bankura, West Bengal)is famous for its terracotta temples and the balucheri sarees. ... Bankura is a famous historical district of West Bengal, India. ... An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from a strictly British perspective. ... Deoghar is the headquarter of Deoghar District of Jharkhand state, India. ... The Santhal rebellion was a short-lived rebellion in India. ...

Geography

Situated between 23° 32' 30"(right above the tropic of cancer) and 24° 35' 0" north latitude and 87° 5' 25" and 88° 1' 40" east longitudes, and about 1,757 sq miles (4,550 km²) in area, this district is triangular in shape with the apex pointing north and the base (southern boundary) formed by the river Ajay. The river forms the boundary between Birbhum and Bardhaman districts. This area lies at the north eastern end of the Chota Nagpur plateau, as it slopes down and merges with the alluvial plains of the Ganges. The western portion of the district is historically known as Vajjabhumi or Bajrabhumi from bajra meaning thunderbolt or strong and bhumi meaning land. It is an undulating, generally barren, upland. The comparatively more fertile eastern portion, constituting the northeastern Rarh region, merges with the Gangetic plain. Vajjabhumi is also included in the Rarh region, and rest of Rarh is called Sumha to differentiate it from Vajjabhumi. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (854x1070, 373 KB) Own map specaially drawn for use in Wikipedia Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (854x1070, 373 KB) Own map specaially drawn for use in Wikipedia Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... World map showing the Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer (cancer is Latin for crab), or Northern tropic is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ... Bardhaman is a district in West Bengal. ... The Chota Nagpur Plateau (also Chhota Nagpur) is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Orissa, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh. ...

Landscape and vegetation

Important geographical features in Birbhum are the khoai (eroded undulated patches of barren area), the red, laterite soil (ranga mati), with palm trees visible from a long distance and multiple protected forested areas on the western side. 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. ... Cutting of laterite brickstones, Angadipuram, India Laterite is a surface formation in tropical areas which is enriched in iron and aluminium and develops by intensive and long lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. ...

Although the majority of Birbhum is rural, in recent times, it has been the site of many development projects such as condominiums and gated communities for people from numerous urban centres in West Bengal. This has raised many issues. Some fear that these projects do not take into account the lives of the local people and that this will threaten the natural environment for which Birbhum is so renowned for.

Rivers

The rivers of Birbhum are: Ajay, Mor (Mayurakshi), Bakreswar, Kopai, Dvarka, Brahmani, Hinglo, Chapala, Bansloi, Pagla etc. A project on the Mayurakshi (Mor, a tributary of Ganges), that includes the Tilpara Barrage (near Siuri), provides irrigation for about 600,000 ac (2400 km²).Almost all the rivers originate higher up on the Chota Nagpur plateau and flow across Birbhum in a west-east direction. These river are furious during the monsoons but shrink during the dry summer months. The cyclical rotation of drought and floods of the rivers destroy lives and property, and adds to the cruelty of life in the region.

That description is from Tarashankar Bandopadhyay.^[3] However, that was before barriers were built across the Mayurakshi. The picture continues to be similar for other Birbhum rivers, although dimensions may differ. Tarasankar Bandopadhya (23 July 1887 -14 September 1971) at Lavpur, Birbhum in the state of West Bengal. ...

Climate

The climate on the western side is dry and extreme, but is relatively milder on the eastern side. In summer temperatures can shoot above 40 degrees celsius and in winters it can drop to around 10 degrees Celsius. It receives annual rainfall of around 1,300 mm, mostly in the monsoon months (June to September). The dry plateau feature makes the land in the west less fertile compared to the plains in the east. Agriculture is dependent upon the rains in monsoon or has to be supplemented with irrigation in other seasons.

Geology

The most interesting part of the geology of Birbhum stems from the gradient of red soil. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (5776x4345, 2735 KB) Summary Title: National Atlas of India. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (5776x4345, 2735 KB) Summary Title: National Atlas of India. ...

If one looks at the soil map of India one 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).

Birbhum has some mineral reserves that are relatively unimportant in the national context but are important locally. Coal, China clay, low grade iron-ore and granite are mined in west Birbhum.

Economy

Birbhum is primarily an agricultural district. While 15,930 hectares of land are occupied by forests, 3,32,905 hectares are used for agricultural purposes. 91.43 per cent of the population live in the villages. Around 75 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1366x965, 961 KB) Pic by courtesy Deptt. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1366x965, 961 KB) Pic by courtesy Deptt. ...

Agriculture

Rice, legumes, wheat, corn (maize), and mangoes are the chief crops harvested largely in the east Birbhum. Canada Dam on the Mayurakshi at Massanjore is virtually on the border of Birbhum and Dumka district in Jharkhand. Further down the Mayurakshi is the Tilpara Barrage at Siuri. Land with irrigation facilities in 2001-02 totaled 276,390 hectares. There are five barrages, providing irrigation support. The district has 13 cold storages.

Industry

The district's principal industries include cotton and silk harvesting and weaving, rice and oilseed milling, lac harvesting, and metalware and pottery manufacture.

Birbhum is a major centre for cottage industries. Perhaps the most famous cottage industry is a non-profit rural organization Amar Kutir. Other main industries in Birbhum are agriculture-based industries, textiles, forestry, arts and crafts. Sriniketan is a famous dairy and forestry center. Some of the notable forms of cottage industries of Birbhum include textile- especially cotton and locally harvested tussar silk, jute works, batik, kantha stitch, macrame (weaving by knotting threads), leather, pottery and terracotta, solapith, woodcarving, bamboo and cane craft, metal works and various tribal crafts. There are 8,883 small and medium scale industries. Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station (210 MW x 3 + 210 MW x 2 under construction)is the only heavy industry. A cottage industry is an industry – primarily manufacturing – which includes many producers, working from their homes, typically part time. ...

one of the famous industrialist was Late Nitai Pada Ghosh from Mohammed Bazar who was the founder Patel Nagar Minerals & Industries Limited specilising in China Clay.

Divisions

Birbhum district is divided into three subdivisions: Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (817x1057, 17 KB) From the official Dist website of India Government: http://birbhum. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (817x1057, 17 KB) From the official Dist website of India Government: http://birbhum. ...

Totalling above Birbhum has 19 blocks (each block has one police station) which together comprise of 2467 villages. Siuri, Dubrajpur, Bolpur, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Sainthia have municipalities. Other than them, the district is dotted with small towns such as Murarai, Mayureshwar, Muhammad Bazar, Rajnagar, Khairasol, Hetampur, Ilambazar, Kankalipith, Birsingpur and Patharchapuri (or Patharchapri). The district has 2 seats for the Lok Sabha (parliament) and 12 seats for the state assembly.

Transport

The major modes of transportation are trains, buses and bullock carts. Historically the palki or palanquin was another common transport now seen very rarely.

The Panagarh-Morgram Expressway runs through the district. All the towns and villages are connected by roads. The total length of roads in the district are: surfaced – 2,413 km and unsurfaced – 4,674 km. Against this the total length of rail track in the district is 201.32 km, icluding 26.55 km of the Ahmadpur-Katwa narrow gauge track, laid in 1917.

The Howrah-Sahibganj loop of the Eastern Railway, laid in 1862, passes through this district. There is a junction at Nalhati for the connection to Azimganj in Murshidabad district. The Andal-Sainthia line connects it to the main Howreh-Delhi line. Murshidabad is a city in West Bengal, India as well as a district in the state. ...

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:

The percentage of Muslims in the district have been growing, while the percentage of Hindus have been declining. In 1981, Muslims formed 30.98 per cent of the population. It increaed to 33.02 per cent in 1991 an to around 35 per cent in 2001. There has been a proportionate fall in the percentage of Hindus in the toatal population from 68.61 per cent in 1981 to 66.61 per cent in 1991 to around 65 per cent in 2001. There is a sprinkling other religious groups in the population. According to the 2001 census, 29.51 per cent of the population belong to the scheduled castes and 6.74 per cent to the scheduled tribes.

Other than the locals speaking the Birbhum dialect of Bengali, there are tribal Santhals, local as well as those migrating seasonally from neighbouring areas. The local industry and agriculture partly depends on the Santhal labourers who come in during the work seasons (like planting of rice seedling during rainy season). Apart from the Santhals, there are ten tribal communities in Birbhum with a sizeable presence, amongst whom Koda, Mahali and Oraons are prominent.

Culture

The red soil and the shallow serpentine rivers ridden with sand islands have inspired the poets from this land. Many poets of Vaishnav and Shakta Padavali fame were born in this land, as for example, Jaydeb, the celebrated author of Geetagovinda, and Chandidas (Rami). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1441x950, 1131 KB) Pic by courtesy Information & Culture Deptt. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1441x950, 1131 KB) Pic by courtesy Information & Culture Deptt. ...

The folk culture of Birbhum is specially enriched with the contribution of bauls, their philosophy and their songs. Baulism is a religiously 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 Vaishnavism and Sufism). Chandidas and many other poets were part of the Sahajiya movement. The Bauls earn their living by singing and collecting alms. They accommodate people from any caste and creed. Rabindranath Tagore was inspired by their philosophy and patronized them actively. Birbhum has also been home to famous kabiyals, kirtaniyas and other folk culture groups. Bauls (Bangla: à¦¬à¦¾à¦‰à¦²) are a group of mystic minstrels from the Bengal region, now divided into Bangladesh and West Bengal. ...

The many fairs of Birbhum starts with Pous Mela (from 7th Pous onwards) at Santiniketan and follows through the Bengali month of Pous (spread across December and January) till Makar Sankranti. Particulalrly lively is the fair at Kendubillo, with the participation of bauls, the itinerant singers, in large numbers. Birbhum has a number of other major attractions. The temple and hot spring at Bakreshwar is famous and draws in pilgrims from far and near. Tarapith attracts pilgrims throughout the year. It has many old temples with delicate decorative tiles made of terracotta (burnt clay). Makar Sankranti is a mid-winter festival of India. ... 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). ...

Gramdevta

In addition to being a confluence of Vaishnav, Shakta and Saiva cultures, Birbhum villages also observe prehistoric customs like worship of gramdevta (gram means village and devta means deity) in many forms at different places.

One form of gramdevta is Dharma Thakur, symbolized by a stone, worshipped mainly by Bauri, Bagdi, Hari, Dom etc. castes. According to the Dharmapuran, even kings 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 castes accepted Buddhism as a result of the oppression by the higher castes. Later on these old deities were equated to either Shiva or Buddha. This article is about the Native American term. ...

Another Gramdevta is Manasa who might have been a transformation of the feminine snake totem to a form more acceptable to later society. Vajrayana Buddhists had an equivalent of Manasa named Janguli. In Manasamangal, the house made for Lakhinder was on top of Santhal Pargana mountains, which is historical part of Birbhum.

Personalities, literature and films

Rabindranath Tagore made this district his home and established his great centre of learning, Visva Bharati University at Santiniketan. Kendubillo, the birthplace of the 12th century Sanskrit poet, Joydeb, is on the bank of the river Ajay. Nanur is the birthplace of the poet Chandidas Rami. He possibly wrote in the 14th century. There are several counter claims about these poets. Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, one of the leading Bengali literary figures in recent times and who wrote extensively about life in Birbhum, belongs to Lavpur. Rabindranath Tagore in Kolkata, c. ... 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. ... Santiniketan (Bangla:à¦¶à¦¾à¦¨à§à¦¤à¦¿à¦¨à¦¿à¦•à§‡à¦¤à¦¨) is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, and approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). ... Tarasankar Bandopadhya (23 July 1887 -14 September 1971) at Lavpur, Birbhum in the state of West Bengal. ...

Satyajit Ray shot major portions of the film Abhijan in Birbhum and made the Mama Bhagney pahar, near Dubrajpur, well known to the outside world. Two rocks sit delicately, one on another, in close embrace, but they do not fall off. One is mama (maternal uncle) and the other is bhagnney (nephew). The entire hillock strewn with rocks is known by that name.

Apart from those mentioned above, many famous people lived and worked in Birbhum, specially at Santiniketan. Amongst the notable personalities linked with Birbhum district are:

Bauls (Bangla: à¦¬à¦¾à¦‰à¦²) are a group of mystic minstrels from the Bengal region, now divided into Bangladesh and West Bengal. ...

Flora

The laterite soil of the 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 fruit, arjun, sal, date plum, piar, dhau, kend and mahua. Species Stipa arundinacea Stipa avenacea - black oat grass Stipa brachytricha - Korean feather grass Stipa calamagrostis - Spear Grass Stipa canadensis Stipa capillata Stipa comata Stipa gigantea - giant feather grass, golden oats Stipa joannis Stipa mollis Stipa pennata - feather grass Stipa pulchra - purple stipa Stipa spartea - porcupine grass Stipa splendens Stipa tenacissima... In front of the concha, and projecting backward over the meatus, is a small pointed eminence, the tragus, so called from its being generally covered on its under surface with a tuft of hair, resembling a goatâ€™s beard. ... Species About 40 species, including: Ziziphus angolito Ziziphus apetala Ziziphus attopensis Ziziphus celata Ziziphus cinnamomum Ziziphus fungii Ziziphus funiculosa Ziziphus glabarrima Ziziphus guaranitica Ziziphus horrida Ziziphus incurva Ziziphus joazeiro Ziziphus laui Ziziphus lotus Ziziphus mairei Ziziphus mauritiana Ziziphus melastomoides Ziziphus mexicana Ziziphus mistol Ziziphus montana Ziziphus mucronata Ziziphus nummularia Ziziphus... Species About 35 species, including: Mangifera altissima Mangifera applanata Mangifera caesia Mangifera camptosperma Mangifera casturi Mangifera decandra Mangifera foetida Mangifera gedebe Mangifera griffithii Mangifera indica Mangifera kemanga Mangifera laurina Mangifera longipes Mangifera macrocarpa Mangifera mekongensis Mangifera odorata Mangifera pajang Mangifera pentandra Mangifera persiciformis Mangifera quadrifida Mangifera siamensis Mangifera similis Mangifera... Diversity Around 91 genera and 1,000 species Subtribes Arthrostylidiinae Arundinariinae Bambusinae Chusqueinae Guaduinae Melocanninae Nastinae Racemobambodinae Shibataeinae See the full Taxonomy of the Bambuseae. ...

Fauna

Other than feral dogs, and domestic cattle, the most frequently encountered non-human mammal is the hanuman (semnopithecus entellus formerly presbytis entellus), a long tailed grey langur prevalent in the gangetic plain. Hanumans live near human community and are not easily scared by them. Some wild boars and wolves may still be found in the small forests of Chinpai, Bandarsol and Charicha. Wild leopards and bears are not to be seen any more. Sometimes wild Asiatic elephants from Jharkhand come in during the mahua bloom, trampling crops and threatening life and property. Species Semnopithecus schistaceus Semnopithecus ajax Semnopithecus hector Semnopithecus entellus Semnopithecus hypoleucos Semnopithecus dussumieri Semnopithecus priam The gray langurs are a group of Old World monkeys and make up the entirety of the genus Semnopithecus. ... Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig. ... Binomial name Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 Wolf redirects here. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Proboscidea is an order including only one extant family, Elephantidae or the elephants, with three species: the Savannah Elephant and Forest Elephant (which were collectively known as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant (formerly known as the Indian...

Birds of Birbhum include a mix of hilly and plain-land dwelling species like partridge, pigeon, green pigeon, various water fouls, doyel, Indian robin, drongo, hawk, cuckoo, koel, sun bird, Indian roller (nilkanth), parrot, babbler, and some migratory birds. Genera Perdix Alectoris Lerwa Bambusicola Ptilopachus Rollulus Haematortyx Caloperdix Arborophila Xenoperdix Melanoperdix â€ See also Pheasant, Quail, Grouse Partridges are birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. ... Pigeon redirects here. ... Binomial name Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus, 1766) The Indian Robin, Saxicoloides fulicata, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, family Muscicapidae. ... Genera Chaetorhynchus Dicrurus The drongos are a subfamily of small passerine birds of the Old World tropics. ... The term hawk refers to birds of prey in any of three senses: Strictly, to mean any of the species in the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis, and Megatriorchis. ... Genera See text. ... Binomial name Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Indian Roller also earlier locally incorrectly called the Blue Jay, (Coracias benghalensis) is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds in tropical southern Asia from Iraq to Thailand. ... Families Cacatuidae Psittacidae Parrots or Psittacines (order Psittaciformes) includes about 353 species of bird which are generally grouped into two families: the Cacatuidae or cockatoos, and the Psittacidae or true parrots. ... Babbler can refer to bird species that belong to either of two unrelated families. ... Long-distance land bird migration Many species of land birds migrate very long distances, the most common pattern being for birds to breed in the temperate or arctic northern hemisphere and winter in warmer regions, often in the tropics or the southern hemisphere. ...

Literacy and education

According to the 2001 census Birbhum district had a literacy rate of 62.16 per cent, 71.57 per cent for males and 52.21 per cent for females. In 1951 the literacy rate was 17.74 per cent. It increased to 48.56 per cent in 1991.

The growth of literacy in the last deacade of the twentieth century was particulalrly remarkable with special empahsis on the eradication of illiteracy. While it is feared that Birbhum may not be able to fulfil the national objective of sending all children in the age group 6-14 years to school by 2010, efforts are on in that direction. Educational facilities in the district are as follows:

The district has 2 engineering colleges, 1 polytechnic and 1 industrial training institute (ITI).

There are 127 libraries supported by the Government, 1 private libaray and 1 district library.

Sports

One of the most popular village outdoor sports in this area used to be "danguli" or guli-danda (literal meaning "ball and stick") which is somewhat equivalent of "goli danda" in North India but doesn't involve a "guli" i.e. ball, instead a spindle shaped wood (small stick with two ends sharpened) is used as a ball. The spindle shaped small stick is kept on an uneven surface and is tumbled off ground by hitting with a long handled stick (danda) and then hitting again a second time to pitch it to a long distance. However, in recent times cricket has replaced some of the popularity of this game, partly because danguli used to create eye injury as the most frequent sports accident. Another sport that can be played both outdoors and indoor, and still popular among children here is "marble", which involves projecting a striker bead with fingers to hit an ensemble of black or green glass beads. It is a kind of an aerial version of carrom, which itself is a locally popular indoor game. In addition to cricket the other most popular outdoor sport of this district are football and kabadi. In the DevanÄgarÄ« script, the danda (à¤¦à¤‚à¤¡, lit. ... For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ... Carrom is a family of tabletop games sharing a similarity in that their mechanics lie somewhere between billiards and shuffleboard. ... For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ... Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Kabaddi or Kabadi is a team pursuit sport, primarily played in South Asia. ...

One traditional village level religious team sport of Birbhum is "baich khela" which is a competition of taking the whole idol of goddess Durga and her companion icons on bamboo supports and carrying it around with lots of lightings ("hajak lights"), dhak (drum) beat and fanfare all around the village. In Hinduism, Durga (Sanskrit: , Bengali: ) is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess, also identified with Parvati. ...

Santhals living in and around Birbhum are good archers too and have many a time reached the national level of all India-archery competitions. The Santals are a tribal people of India, residing mainly in states of Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. ...

References

External links

Category: Districts of West Bengal West Bengal (à¦ªà¦¶à§à¦šà¦¿à¦® à¦¬à¦™à§à¦—, PosÌcim BÃ´ngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... Bankura is a famous historical district of West Bengal, India. ... Bardhaman is a district in West Bengal. ... Cooch Behar (Bengali : à¦•à§‹à¦šà¦¬à¦¿à¦¹à¦¾à¦°) is a district of the state of West Bengal, India, as well as the name of the town which gives its name to the district. ... Darjeeling is a district of West Bengal whose headquarters are at the hill station of Darjeeling. ... The District of Uttar Dinajpur ( view map) came into existance on 1st April,1992 after the bifurcation of erstwhile West Dinajpur District. ... West Dinajpur District was created out of the erstwhile Dinajpur district in 1947 at the time of partition of India. ... It has been proposed below that Hooghly District be renamed and moved to Hooghly district. ... Howrah is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... // General Information Jalpaiguri is the largest district of North Bengal convering 6245 sq. ... Kolkata is an administrative district of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Malda (Bengali: à¦®à¦¾à¦²à¦¦à¦¾) is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Midnapore East is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal, India. ... Midnapore West is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal, India. ... Murshidabad District - 2,062 sq mi (5,341 sq km), population 5. ... Nadia is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of the Republic of India. ... North 24 Parganas is a district of West Bengal, India. ... South 24 Parganas is an important district of West-Bengal. ... Purulia district (also spelled Puruliya) is one of the 16 districts of West Bengal state, India. ...

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