History

Historical Background Jaina Bhagavati Sutra of circa 5th century A.D. mentions that Purulia was one of the 16 Mahajanpadas and was a part of the courty known as Vajra-bhumi in ancient times. however, little is known about Purulia before the East India Company obtained the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765. by Regulation XVIIII of 1985, a Jungle Mahal District composed of 23 paraganas and mahalas including the present Purulia was formed. by Regulation XVIII of 1833 the jungle mahal district was broken up and a new district called Manbhum was constituted with headquarters at Manbazar. the district was very large in size and included parts of Bankura, Dhalbhum, Saraikela and Kharswan of present states of Jharkhand and Orissa in 1838 the district headquarters was transferred to Purulia of today. Since the formation of the district it was withdrawn from regular administration and placed under an officer called Principal Assistant to the agent to the Governor-General for South-Western Frontier. The title of the Officer Principal Agent was later changed to Deputy Commissioner by Act XX of 1854. Finally in 1956 Manbhum District was partitioned between Bihar and West Bengal under the States Re-originated Act and the Bihar and West Bengal (Transfer of Territories) Act, 1956 and the present district Purulia was born on 1st November, 1956. Purulia is the westernmost district of West Bengal with all-India significance because of its tropical location, its shape as well as function like a funnel. It funnels not only the tropical monsoon current from the Bay to the sub tropical parts of north-west India, but also acts as a gateway between the developed industrial belts of West Bengal and the hinterlands of Orissa, Jharkhand , Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. For its convenient location, this place has acquired an important place in the tourist map in India.