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{{Short description|Princely estate in British India}}
{{About|the medieval historical region|its namesake administrative subdivision|Dhalbhum subdivision|the community development block|Dhalbhumgarh block|its namesake village|Dhalbhumgarh}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
|conventional_long_name = Dhalbhum
| native_name =
| common_name =
| nation = [[British India]]
| subdivision = [[Zamindari Estate]]
| today = [[East Singhbhum district]] of [[Jharkhand]]
| year_start = 15th century
| date_event1 = 1767
| event1 = Beginning of Revenue Settlement negotiation with British
| date_event2 = 1777
| event2 = Revenue Settlement with British
| date_event3 = 1833
| event3 = Merged with [[Manbhum]]
| date_event4= 1846
| event4 = Merged with [[Singhbhum district|Singhbhum]]
| date_event5 = 1879
| event5 = [[Khatra subdivision|Khatra, Raipur and Simlapal]] area curved out and merged with [[Bankura district|Bankura]]
| year_end =
| event_end =
|p1 =
|s1 =Republic of India
|flag_s1 = Flag of India.svg
|image_map = Singhbum-Sairakela-Kharsawan.jpg
|image_map_caption = Dhalbhum as part of extended [[Singhbhum district]] in 1909 map of [[The Imperial Gazetteer of India]]
| capital =
| government_type = Royal rules
| status_text =
| stat_year1 = 1872
| stat_area1 = 3111
| stat_pop1 = 117,118
| stat_year2 = 1891
| stat_area2 = 2970
| stat_pop2 = 194,469
| stat_year3 = 1941
| stat_area3 = 3004
| stat_pop3 = 533,402
}}

'''Dhalbhum''' was an estate in [[early modern period]] and [[British India]], spread across the [[East Singhbhum district]] in present-day [[Jharkhand]],<ref name=Ghosh>Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', (in Bengali), part II, 1978 edition, p. 56, Prakash Bhaban</ref> western part of [[Bankura district|Bankura]],<ref name=omalley>{{cite book|last=O'Malley |first=L.S.S. | title=Bengal District Gazetteers – Bankura |pages= 166 |year=1908 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.105557/|publisher=The Bengal secretariat book depot}}</ref> and [[Midnapore district]] of West Bengal.

==History==
{{See also|Singhbhum district}}
===Prehistory===
====Dhalbhum Raj====
According to [[Edward Tuite Dalton|Colonel Dalton]] and [[Herbert Hope Risley|H.H. Risley]], the Dhal zamindar family of Dhalbhum was the members of the primitive [[Bhumij people|Bhumij]] race, who was selected by the other Bhumij chiefs as their feudal ruler.<ref>{{Cite book |last=J |first=Reid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hPk2AQAAMAAJ |title=Final Report on the Survey and Settlement of Pargana Dhalbhum in the District of Singhbhum, 1906 to 1911 |date=1912 |publisher=Bengal Secretariat Book Departmentôt |language=en}}</ref> The zamindars later became Hinduised, and adopted the title 'Dhal' or 'Dhabal Deo'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Commissioner |first=India Census |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qUJAAAAIAAJ&dq=dhalbhum+bhumij&pg=PA150 |title=Census of India, 1901: India (4 v.) |date=1903 |publisher=Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India |language=en}}</ref> The family is related to the families of [[Bishnupur Kingdom|Bishnupur]], [[Raipur, Bankura|Raipur]], Shyamsundarpur and others.<ref name="omalley" /> {{cns|They ruled for about 700 years.|date=November 2025}} A branch of the same family ruled in Chikligarh or Jamboni.<ref name="Ghosh" />

[[Rankini|Rankini Devi]] is established as the family goddess of the Dhalbhum rulers. It is said that human sacrifice was offered to the goddess every year.<ref name=Ghosh/>

===Colonial period===
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2025}}
[[File:Southwest Bengal, 1776, by Rennell.jpg|thumb|Dhalbhum under jurisdiction of Medinipur, 1776]]

Dhalbhum was part of the [[Midnapore district|Midnapore region]] of Bengal until 1760 when the [[East India Company]] (EIC) acquired Midnapore and Burdwan. Following the cession, the EIC continued revenue surveys and settlements, expanding westward into tribal-concentrated areas where many local chiefs were either of tribal origin or had tribal support. This led to a series of civil and military conflicts, collectively known as the [[Chuar Rebellion]] (c. 1760–1833), aimed at resisting British authority. The [[Tamar block|Tamar Revolt]] (c. 1783–1793), [[Kol uprising|Kol Uprising]] (c. 1831–1832), and [[Bhumij rebellion|Bhumij Rebellion]] or ''Ganga Narayan Hangama'' (c. 1832–1833) were part of this larger resistance. To control the unrest, the British created the [[Jungle Mahals|Jungle Mahal]] administrative unit in 1805, which was bifurcated into smaller districts in 1833, with Dhalbhum becoming part of [[Manbhum District|Manbhum district]]. It was merged into [[Singhbhum district]] in 1846, while the Porihati area comprising {{convert|14.5|sqmi|sqkm}} transferred to [[Jhargram district|Jhargram]] of Midnapore district in 1847 and Khatra, Raipur, and Simlapal areas were transferred to Bankura district in 1879. By 1872, Dhalbhum had a population of {{formatnum:117118}} across 1,201 square miles. It became part of the [[Bihar and Orissa Province]] in 1912 and remained in [[Bihar Province]] after 1932. Following India's independence in 1947, Dhalbhum was reorganized as [[East Singhbhum district]] in 1990 after being carved out from the extended Singhbhum district.

==Demographics==
{{bar box
|title=Religion in Dhalbhum (1891)
|titlebar=#Fcd116
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=left
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|darkorange|65.34}}
{{bar percent|[[Animism]]|silver|34.06}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|green|0.55}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity]]|dodgerblue|0.05}}
}}
According to the [[Census in British India|Census of 1891]], Dhalbhum covered an area of {{convert|1,147|sqmi|sqkm}} and was inhabited by 194,469 people. Hindus formed 65.34 of the population, while 34.06 followed animistic beliefs; Muslims accounted for 0.55 and Christians for 0.05.

Ethnically, [[Santals]] constituted the largest group (29.52), followed by [[Bhumij people|Bhumij]] (21.74), Tatwa or [[Tanti]] (4.62), [[Kudmi Mahato|Kurmi]] (3.73), [[Gowala (caste)|Goala]] (3.31), [[Munda people|Munda]] (3.11), [[Bagal (caste)|Bagal]] (2.99), [[Lohar (caste)|Lohar]] and [[Kamar (caste)|Kamar]] (2.37), [[Deswali Majhi|Manjhi]] (2.19), [[Bhuiya]] (1.90), [[Kharia people|Kharia]] (1.79), [[Kumhar]] (1.77), [[Teli]] and Kalu (1.37), [[Brahman (caste)|Brahman]] (1.32), and [[Vaishnavism|Baishnab]] (1.16). The remaining population comprised smaller communities such as [[Mahali people|Mahili]], [[Mal (caste)|Mal]], [[Hajjam]] or [[Nai (caste)|Napit]], [[Dhobi]], [[Domba|Dom]], [[Hari caste|Hari]] and Mihtar, [[Kalwar (caste)|Kalwar]] and Sunri, [[Kayastha]] and [[Karan (caste)|Karan]], [[Kharwar]], [[Ghasi]], [[Ho people|Ho]], [[Gondi people|Gond]], [[Bania (caste)|Baniya]], [[Rajput]], [[Shaikh (caste)|Shaikh]], [[Oraon people|Oraon]], [[Chamar]] and Muchi, [[Bagdi (caste)|Bagdi]], [[Kewat]], and Pan.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Bankura topics}}
{{Paschim Medinipur topics}}
{{Kolhan Division topics}}

{{coord|22.9460243|N|86.7568016|E|source:yahoomaps_region:IN-WB |format=dms|display=title}}

[[Category:Bankura district]]
[[Category:Paschim Medinipur district]]
[[Category:East Singhbhum district]]

Dhalbhum - Revision history

Serzccd at 18:08, 23 November 2025