Nishant taliyan at 13:32, 7 February 2026

2026-02-07T13:32:57Z

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{{Short description|British Raj areas in West Bengal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
|conventional_long_name =Jungle Mahals
|common_name =Jungle Mahals
|nation = [[British India]]
|subdivision = [[Districts of British India|District]]
|capital = [[Chhatna]]{{cn|date=January 2025}}
|era =
|year_start = 1805
|date_start =
|event_start= Established
|year_end = 1833
|date_end =
|event_end= Bifurcation
|event1 =
|date_event1 =
| stat_area2 = 18103
| stat_pop2 = 1304740
| stat_year2 = 1822<ref>{{cite book|title=Report of the Population Estimates of India (1820-1030) - Census 1961 |year=1963 |publisher=Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs Office of the Registrar General, India |page=71 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/31861/download/35042/53474_1961_REP.pdf}}</ref>
|p1 = Birbhum district
|p2 = Burdwan district
|p3 = Midnapore district
|s1 = South-West Frontier Agency
|flag_p1 = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_p2 = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_p3 = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|flag_s1 = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|image_flag = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
|image_coat =
|image_map =
|image_map_caption =
|stat_area1 =
|stat_year1 =
|stat_pop1 =
|footnotes =
}}
'''Jungle Mahals''' ({{literally}} [[jungle]] estates)<ref name="BFA">{{Cite web |url=https://www.uea.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.54596.LATEST!7.forest%20tenures%20in%20west%20bengal.pdf |title=Forest Tenures in the Jungle Mahals of South West Bengal |access-date=8 August 2014 |archive-date=10 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810045940/https://www.uea.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.54596.LATEST!7.forest%20tenures%20in%20west%20bengal.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> was a district formed by [[British possessions]] and some independent chiefdoms lying between [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]], [[Bankura district|Burdwan]], [[Midnapore district|Midnapore]]<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Midnapore |volume=18 |page=419}}</ref> and the hilly country of [[Chota Nagpur Plateau|Chota Nagpur]] in what is now the [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[West Bengal]].<ref name=omalley>O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, ''Bankura'', ''Bengal District Gazetteers'', pp. 21-41, 1995 reprint, Government of West Bengal</ref> The district was located in the area known as the [[Jungle Terry]].<ref>Browne, James (1788). ''India tracts: containing a description of the Jungle Terry districts, their revenues, trade, and government: with a plan for the improvement of them. Also an history of the origin and progress of the Sicks''</ref>

==Background==
{{Main|Chuar Rebellion}}
[[File:Birbhoom and Bissunpour (1776 map by James Rennell).jpg|thumb|The Jungle Mahals area as depicted on a 1776 map by [[James Rennell]].]]
The Chuar Rebellion was a series of uprisings by the tribal communities in the Jungle Mahals region against the oppressive policies of the British [[East India Company]]. The British referred to the rebels as "Chuars," meaning "barbaric," due to their resistance to land revenue collection. The rebellion spread across Midnapore, Bishnupur, and Manbhum district, peaking in 1798-1799. In response to the unrest, the British reorganized the region, establishing the Jungle Mahals district and implementing stricter administrative control. The legacy of the rebellion influenced the socio-political identity of the region.<ref>{{cite web |title=Adivasi resistance in the Jungle Mahals 1767-1799 |url=https://www.wbnsou.ac.in/openjournals/Issue/1st-Issue/January2020/Amrita-final.pdf |website=www.wbnsou.ac.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Adivasi Resistance in Jungle Mahal: A Case Study of Chuar Rebellion |url=http://joais.in/Journal/JAIS-Aug%202021%20Article%201%20A.pdf |website=joais.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=गुहा |first1=Abhijit Guha अभिजीत |title=An early freedom struggle that is still not free of the ‘Chuar’ label |url=https://www.forwardpress.in/2018/07/an-early-freedom-struggle-that-is-still-not-free-of-the-chuar-label/ |website=Forward Press |date=10 July 2018}}</ref>{{Sfn|Das|1984}}

==History==
===Established===
The vagueness of the jurisdiction caused inconvenience. In 1805, the new district of Jungle Mahals was created by a regulation (Regulation XVIII of 1805), comprising areas from Birbhum (the 1787 British district incorporating [[Bishnupur Kingdom|Bishnupur]]), Burdwan, and Midnapore, and placed under the jurisdiction of a new Magistrate.<ref name="BFA"/>

According to [[L. S. S. O'Malley|L.S.S. O'Malley]], the district that was formed consisted of 23 parganas and Mahals.<ref name="BFA"/>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="3" |Jungle Mahals District<ref name="BFA"/>{{Sfn|Das|1973|p=5}}<br/>1805–1833
|-
!District transferred
from Birbhum
!District transferred
from Burdwan
!District transferred
from Midnapore
|-
|Panchet
|Senpahari
|Chhatna
|-
|Bagmundy
|Shergarh
|Barabhum
|-
|Jhalda
|Bishnupur
|Manbhum
|-
|Jharia
|Balsye
|Supur
|-
|Patkum
|
|Ambikanagar
|-
|Unknown
|
|Simlapal
|-
|Unknown
|
|Bhalaidiha
|-
|Unknown
|
|
|-
|Unknown
|
|
|-
|Unknown
|
|
|}

===Jungle Mahal Uprising===
{{Main|Ganga Narayan Hungama}}
In 1832–33, the Jungle Mahal Uprising, also known as the Ganga Narayan Hungama, was led by [[Ganga Narayan]] in the Manbhum and Jungle Mahal areas of the erstwhile Midnapore district, Bengal, by Bhumij tribals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jungle Mahal Uprising, 1832-33 |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/node/2825279 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112034842/https://indianculture.gov.in/node/2825279 |archive-date=2024-01-12 |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=INDIAN CULTURE |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Chaudhuri |first1=Sashi Bhusan |title=Civil Disturbances During the British Rule in India (1765 - 1857) |pages=101 |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/ebooks/civil-disturbances-during-british-rule-india-1765-1857 |language=en}}</ref>

===Disestablished===
By Regulation XIII of 1833, the district of Jungle Mahals was broken up, and a new administrative unit known as the [[South-West Frontier Agency]] was formed.{{sfn|Das|1984|p=90}}<ref name="Auto1" /> The estates of Senpahari, Shergarh and [[Bishnupur Estate|Bishnupur]] were transferred to [[Burdwan District]] and the remainder constituted the [[Manbhum District]].<ref name=omalley/>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" |{{Center|South-West Frontier Agency<ref name="Auto1">{{Cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Rajiv For |url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.98808/2015.98808.Indias-Struggle-For-Freedom-Vol-3_djvu.txt |title=Indias Struggle For Freedom Vol. 3 |date=1985}}</ref>{{sfn|Das|1984}}}}
|-
| colspan="2" |{{Center|'''Estates transferred'''<br />'''from Jungle Mahals'''}}
|-
|[[Burdwan District]]
|[[Manbhum District]]
|-
|Senpahari
|[[Dhalbhum]]
|-
|Shergarh
|Chhatna
|-
|Bishnupur
|Barabhum
|-
|
|Manbhum
|-
|
|Supur
|-
|
|Ambikanagar
|-
|
|Simlapal
|-
|
|Bhalaidiha
|-
|
|Balsye
|-
|
|Panchet
|-
|
|Bagmundy
|-
|
|Jhalda
|-
|
|Jharia
|-
|
|Patkum
|-
|
|Other estates
|}

==Statehood Demand==
In 2021, [[Saumitra Khan]], Lok Sabha [[BJP]] MP demanded the creation of Junglemahal state consisting of [[Purulia district|Purulia]], [[Jhargram district|Jhargram]], [[Bankura district|Bankura]], parts of [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]], [[Purba Medinipur district|Purbo Medinipur]], [[Paschim Medinipur district|Paschim Medinipur]] and along with some other areas. He claimed that the Junglemahal area is least developed and the demands of employment and development for locals could be met only if it gets statehood.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/nation/2021/jun/21/bengal-bjp-mp-seeks-separate-junglemahal-state-party-distances-itself-from-demand-2319495.html|title=Bengal BJP MP seeks separate Junglemahal state, party distances itself from demand|newspaper=NewIndianExpress|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref>

The West Bengal state [[BJP]] unit, however, distanced itself from the Junglemahal statehood demand.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/bjp-mp-seeks-separate-junglemahal-state-party-distances-itself-from-demand-7369524/lite/|title=BJP MP seeks separate Junglemahal state, party distances itself from demand|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref> A Trinamool Congress leader filed a complaint against Saumitra Khan for demanding statehood for Junglemahal.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tmc-leader-lodges-complaint-against-bjp-mps-for-demanding-separate-statehood-2469908%3famp=1&akamai-rum=off|title=Trinamool Leader Lodges Complaint Against BJP MPs For Demanding Separate Statehood|newspaper=NDTV|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Chhota Nagpur Division]]
*[[Jungle Terry]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{Cite book |last=Das |first=Binod S. |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98385 |title=Civil Rebellion In The Frontier Bengal (1760-1805) |date=1973 |publisher=Punthi Pustak |oclc=1105009}}
* {{cite book |last1=Das |first1=Binod Sankar |title=Changing Profile of the Frontier Bengal, 1751-1833 |date=1984 |publisher=Mittal Publications |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UGTxUHzhYXwC&q=lal+singh+satarkhani+chuar+barabhum&pg=PA86 |language=en}}

==External links==
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=V1o_PRCLOeMC&dq=jungle+mahals&pg=PA17 The Jungle and the Aroma of Meats: An Ecological Theme in Hindu Medicine]
{{Historical districts of India}}
{{coord|23|20|N|86|22|E|display=title|region:IN_type:dist}}

[[Category:Bengal Presidency]]
[[Category:Districts of British India]]
[[Category:1805 establishments in British India]]

{{India-hist-stub}}

Jungle Mahals - Revision history

Nishant taliyan at 13:32, 7 February 2026