Ramgarh district is one of the 24 districts in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It was also a military district during the British Regime, referred to then as Ramgarh district. It is the part of State Capital Region (SCR).
Ramgarh was made a district on 12 September 2007. It was carved out of erstwhile Hazaribagh District. Ramgarh lies at the heart of the Jharkhand state. It is a mining, industrial and cultural hub with the Maa Chhinnamasta Temple. In 1670s, the king Dalel Singh shifted the capital of Ramgarh Raj to Ramgarh and named it after his father Ram Singh. The district of Ramgarh has been named after the town of Ramgarh, its present headquarters.
Etymology
Historical Context According to historical records of the Ramgarh Raj (a major medieval kingdom in Chotanagpur), the capital of the kingdom was shifted multiple times. In the 1670s, King Dalel Singh permanently shifted the capital of the regime from Badam to its present location. He officially named the new headquarters Ramgarh to honor his late father, King Ram Singh. Traditional Sanskrit Context The literal breakdown of the name relies on classical Indo-Aryan languages: Ram (राम): Refers to the popular Hindu deity Lord Rama, symbolizing righteousness or divinity. Garh (गढ़): A widely used Sanskritized and Hindi term meaning a fort, stronghold, or fortified settlement. Regional Context The syllable "Ram" is believed to be derived from the regional term Murram (a type of red, gravelly soil heavily found in the Chotanagpur plateau). The syllable "Garh" is said to be derived from Beluagadha (a prominent historical landmark area).
History
Ancient history Stone age: Along the river Damodar in Ramgarh, early Stone Age (Lower Paleolithic) tools were found.
Mahajanapadas: The gigantic king Jarasandh was very powerful. ChotanagpurDistrict gazetteer, hazaribagh chapter IV, page no. – 65 was in his jurisdiction; probably the Chhotanagpur was under sub-ordination of Mahapadam of Magadh Nand Ugrasen of Nagwanshi's.
Maurya Empire: The Chhotanagpur region contains several ancient Buddhist and Jain relics, linking it to the broader cultural shifts of ancient India. While some regional accounts associate the area with the Maurya Empire under Ashoka (c. 268–232 BCE), historians generally view the relationship as one of indirect influence or vassalage rather than complete administrative integration. Buddhism and Jainism: It is certified by the symbolic relics of Buddha period in the temple of Gola. Probably in the 8th century BC. (3) Jain Trithankar was constructed in Parasnath.
Gupta Empire: King Samudragupta ( AD) had invaded Eastern Deccan by passing through this area.
Medieval period In Turk-Afghan period (1206-1526 AD.), Jharkhand the forest country was under subordination of ruler of that time. The Ramgarh Raj was established in 1368.District Gazetteer, Hazaribagh, Chapter IV, Page no.- 68 The founder King of Ramgarh regime was King Bagdeo Singh. At that time the capital of Ramgarh was in Sira. The headquarters of the capital was moved to Urda, Badam, Ramgarh and Padma one by one. In 1670 the headquarters of Ramgarh regime was moved to Ramgarh. The Ramgarh Regime is also known as Padma Raja or Regime.District Gazetteer, Hazaribagh, Chapter IV, Page no.- 69
British regime
The power of obtaining reference from Ramgarh regime was given to East India Company by King Shah Alam II.
In 1771, Captain Comac was made Military Collector of Ramgarh District,District Gazetteer, Hazaribagh Page no.- 70, whose headquarters was in Chatra. The military district of Ramgarh contained Nagpur, Palamu, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Giridih and Kodarma. At that the headquarters of Ramgarh BattalionDistrict Gazetteer, Hazaribagh Chapter IV, Page no.- 72 was Hazaribagh, whose commander was a European. The district name is often spelled "Ramghur" in English documents of the time. Page 190–191 of the reference describes the location of Ramghur district, revealing it to be the modern Ramgarh.
In 1811, Ramgarh Battalion was used for suppressing the Munda, Uraon and Tamad Revolt and Kol revolt. In 1837, Ramgarh was a police station for the British government. In 1938, a new G.T. road was built and Banaras road was closed. In Sitagarh, coffee was grown. The name of Rupu Manjhi is famous in the first national revolt of 1857.
On 8 January 1856, Sheik Bhikari and Thakur Upraon Singh were hanged on a bunyan tree in Chhuttupalu valley. This valley is also known as lalki Ghaati and that bunyan tree is called Phansiyahi bore in Khortha language.
Ramgarh Cantonment council was structured in 1941. There are two Army training centers, Sikh Regimental Centre (SRC) and Punjab Regimental Centre (PRC).
In March 1940, INC 53rd SessionDanik jagran Ranchi Page No.14, 2 October 2011 was accomplished under the presidency of Maulana Abul Qalam Azad at Jhanda Chowk, Ramgarh now Ramgarh Cantonment Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Sarojini Naidu, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Acharya J.B. Kripalani, Industrialist Jamnalal Bajaj and other leaders of the Indian freedom movement attended the Ramgarh Session. Mahatma Gandhi also opened khadi and village Industries Exhibition at Ramgarh.
At that time, under the leadership of Netajee Subhas Chandra Bose, a conference against Samjhauta was also completed. In Ramgarh, Subhsha Chandra Bose was seen as president of All India Forward Block and M.N. Roy was seen as leader of the radical democratic party.
Post-independence After independence in 1947, the territory of the present-day Ramgarh district became a part of erstwhile Hazaribagh district. In 1952 Ramgarh Block was created and in 1991 Ramgarh Subdivision was formed. Sikh Regimental Centre was shifted from Merrut to Ramgarh Cantonment in 1976. On 12 September 2007, Ramgarh was made a district consisting of Ramgarh, Gola, Mandu and Patratu Block, taking the total count of districts in the state to 24.
On 13 September 2012, Ramgarh become the first district in the country where payment of government schemes like KCC and Indra Awash was done through UID or Aadhaar cards.
Administration Ramgarh district consists of six blocks (or 'mandals'). These include Ramgarh, Gola, Mandu, Patratu, Chitarpur, and Dulmi blocks.
Panchayats and Villages See: List of villages in Ramgarh district
Geography Physiography The district is a part of Chotanagpur plateau. Important physiographic regions of the district are Damodar Trough or Upper Damodar basin or Damodar Valley. The majority of the district falls in the Damodar Valley. Damodar Valley is bounded by Hazaribag Plateau in north and Ranchi Plateau in south. Ranchi and Hazaribag plateau is separated by east–west running Damodar Valley.
Barka Pahar (Marang Buru)Survey of India, toposheet No.F45B6, 2009. high above sea level located along the Ramgarh-Ranchi border is probably the highest peak, and it also separates the districts.
Soils and climate The agricultural landscape is largely defined by two major soil types: red soil and sandy loam.
In terms of climate, the area lies in the sub-humid region of Chotanagpur Plateau and has a semi-extreme type of climate. The day temperature rises to around during the summers and drops to around during the winter.
The winter season broadly runs from November to February, the hot season from March to May, and the rainy season from June to October.
Forests and wildlife The forest area of the district is . The district is rich in flora and fauna. The government has planned a deer park in the district. The park will come up on on Gola-Muri Road in Gola block. 30 villages in the district are affected by elephants.
Rivers and river basins Damodar is the main river of the district and it also forms a major river basin, comprising a number of tributaries. Important amongst them are: Naikari, Bhervi or Bhera and Bokaro river.
In Hindu mythology and regional folklore, the Damodar is classified as a nad (a masculine river), unlike most Indian rivers which are personified as feminine.
Small rivers include the Hurhuri, Gomti, Barki, Kurum, Kochi, Sherbhuki, and Dhobdhab rivers.
The Subarnarekha River plays a precise geopolitical role for Ramgarh. It does not cut through the heart of the district. Rather, it touches and traces the southeastern border lines. It acts as a natural geographical barrier dividing the southern limits of Ramgarh from the northern limits of Ranchi district.Survey of India, toposheet No.F45B11 and 73/E. Tributaries of Subarnarekha River include Kadamgara and Khatgara.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Ramgarh district has a population of 949,443, roughly equal to the nation of Fiji or the US state of Delaware. This gives it a ranking of 459th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 13.06%. Ramgarh has a sex ratio of 921 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 73.17%. 44.13% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 11.20% and 21.19% of the population respectively.
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 56.63% of the population in the district spoke Khortha, 18.2% Hindi, 8.17% Urdu, 3.72% Santali, 2.91% Bhojpuri, 2.78% Magahi and 1.59% Bengali as their first language.
Transport Rail In 1927, Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) opened the Chandil-Barkakana section to traffic. The same year, the Central India Coalfields (CIC) Railway opened the Gomoh-Barkakana line. It was extended to Daltonganj in 1929. Later it was extended to Sonnagar on Howrah-Delhi Grand Chord line and one more branch was extended to Singrauli from Garwa Road.
At present the district railway network is divided between two zone East Central Railways and South Eastern Railway.
Ramgarh Cantonment, Mael, Barkipona, Gola Road, Harubera, Sondimra and Barlanga Station come under Ranchi Division of SER.
Ranchi Road, Chainpur, Argada, Barkakana Junction, Bhurkunda, Patratu and Tokisud station come Under Dhanbad Division of ECR.
Barkakana is a railway sub-division under Dhanbad division of East Central Railway zone. Doubling of Danea-Ranchi Road line has announced in the Railway Budget 2013–14.
New rail line project Ranchi-Koderma-Tilaiya Junction railway station (Bihar) new rail line project of the state passes through the district. The district portion between Sidhwar-Barkakana-Kuju and Mandu is already completed. The distance between Ranchi and Barkakana by train will be reduced by half with the new rail line. Completion of this project will also shorten the distance between Barkakana, Patna and Delhi. The Bakhtiyarpur–Rajgir line was extended to Tilaiya in 2010. After completion of the line, Barkakana will be connected to Bakhtiyarpur. Rajgir, Biharsharif, etc. Tilaiya Junction railway station is situated near Rajoli of Nawada district of Bihar, not to be confused with Tilaiya, Tilaiya Dam, or Jhumri Tilaiya of Jharkhand.
The -long Barkakana-Hazaribagh section of the new Koderma-Ranchi line project was inaugurated on 7 December 2016 by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in the presence of Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
Special passenger train service started on 31 March 2017 from Barkakana Junction to Sidhwar station of Barkakana–Ranchi new line section.
A trial run of the passenger train between Tatisilwai and Sanki railway stations (31.4 km) on Ranchi Barkakana's new rail line was conducted on 17 January 2018.
The 31-kilometer railway line section between Tatisilwai and Sanki was officially dedicated and inaugurated on August 29, 2019, by the then Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das, alongside the Minister of State for Railways, Mangal Suresh Angadi. Concurrently, new unreserved passenger train services (initially implemented as two pairs connecting Hatia and Sanki) were flagged off.
Roads