Giridih district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Giridih is the administrative headquarters of this district. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Jharkhand (out of 24), after Ranchi and Dhanbad.

History Giridih district was a part of Kharagdiha till late 18th century. Kharagdiha was founded in 15th century when the then Maharaja was able to influence and impress the Ghatwals of Kharagdiha Gadis. The Hazaribagh Gazetteer describes this kingdom 600 miles long which spread from Hazaribagh to Gaya. The Kharagdiha gadis were semi-independent chiefdoms. All that the ruler of the Gadi had to do on succession was to acknowledge the supremacy of the Kharagdiha Maharaja. Koderma, Palganj, Ledo, Ghoranji, Srerampur, and Sirsia were notable gadis.

During the British Raj, Kharagdiha became a part of Jungle Terry. The Gadis of Kharagdiha were permanently settled and they became Zamindari estates. The rulers of Kharagdiha were separately settled the zamindari estate of Raj Dhanwar in 1809. There was a total of 84 divisions of Kharagdiha called gadis, but 33 of these were transferred to other perganas, there were only 51 of these left who paid their rent through 36 toujis, and all of the gadidars/ ghatwals received mokarari Pattas from the Collector at different times. And in 1809, the remainder of Kharagdiha Perganan consisting of 54 villages was settled permanently with Girwar Narayan Deo on a revenue of Rs 5,226-12-10. This completed the settlement of Kharagdiha by creating 50 mukarrari gadis/ mahals and one permanently settled estate. Subsequently, the pargana contained, among its various classes of landholding, 20 Shamilat Taluks and 58 further Mukarrari Taluks created under later written engagements.

Subsequent to the Kol uprising in 1831 that, did not seriously affect Hazaribag, however, the administrative structure of the territory was changed. The parganas of Ramgarh, Kharagdiha, Kendi and Kunda became parts of the South-West Frontier Agency and were formed into a division named Hazaribag as the administrative headquarters.

In 1854, the designation of South-West Frontier Agency was changed to Chota Nagpur Division and it began to be administered as a Non-regulation province under the Lieutenant Governor of the then Bihar. In 1855-56 there was the great uprising of the Santhals against the British but was brutally suppressed.Wilson Hunter, Sir William; Sutherland Cotton, James; Sir Richard Burn, Sir William Stevenson Meyer. Great Britain India Office. The Imperial Gazetteer of India. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908.

Giridih district was created on December 4, 1972Giridih District, Official website by carving some parts of Hazaribagh district. In 1999 part of it became Bokaro district.

It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.

Geography The district, covering an area of around 4854 km2, is bounded on the north by Jamui district and Nawada district of Bihar state, on the east by the districts of Deoghar and Jamtara, on the south by Dhanbad and Bokaro, and on the west by Hazaribagh and Koderma districts.

Giridih has an average elevation of 289 metres (948 feet). Śrī Sammeta Shikharji also known as the Parasnath Hills,it is one of the holiest place of Jainism, located in Giridih is the highest mountain peak in Jharkhand. It is a conical granite peak located 4,477 feet (1,382 metres) above the sea level.

Gawan and Tisari blocks of the district have several mica mines, and coal is found abundantly at several places throughout the district.

Parasnath Hills are located in the district. There are two major rivers, namely, the Barakar River and the Sakri River. Barakar River passes through Birni and Pirtand blocks. Sakari river drains the areas of Deori and Gawan blocks. There are several smaller rivers, including Usri, with a major tourist attraction - Usri Falls.

Administration

Subdivisions Following are the four subdivision of the district: Giridih subdivision Bagodar-Sariya subdivision Khorimahua subdivision Dumri subdivision

Blocks Giridih district comprises the following 13 blocks:

Economy In 2006 the Indian government named Giridih one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 21 districts in Jharkhand currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

The DDP of Giridih District is ₹1,97,771(2003–04) and Income Per Capita is ₹9921(2003–04).

Divisions There are six Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) constituencies in this district. Dhanwar, Bagodar, Jamua and Gandey assembly constituencies are part of Kodarma constituency. Giridih and Dumri assembly constituencies are part of Giridih constituency.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Giridih district has a population of 2,445,474 roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait or the US state of New Mexico. This gives it a ranking of 182nd 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 28.33%. Giridih has a sex ratio of 943 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 63.14%. 8.51% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 13.31% and 9.74% of the population respectively.

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 68.71% of the population in the district spoke Khortha, 13.55% Hindi, 8.99% Santali and 7.47% Urdu as their first language.

Khortha, a Sadani language closely related to the Nagpuri language (Sadri), is the main language spoken in Giridih district. The tribal people speak Khortha as well as Santali.

Flora and fauna

The district has rich forest resources and have several jungles of sal trees and bamboos, and a variety of other indigenous trees. Among other common trees are bamboo, semal, Mahua, palash, kusum, kend, Asian pear and bhelwa. Parasnath hills have a number of plants having medicinal use. Leopards, bears, jackals, wild pigs, and hares are the wild animals found in certain parts of the district which have thick forests.

Politics

Tourism

Notes

References

External links Official government website