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Date of issue. Date of returu. \ Date of issue. Date of return.
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BSP {P-& A.) 62A-Il-6,O 0-3·3·1962-TD3
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Gazetteer Qf India : Bihar
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PURN·EA
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Bihar\ District -Gazetteers
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PURNEA
By
P. C. ROY CHAUDHURY, M.A., B.L.,
Special Office?") Gazetteer Revision Section,
Revenue Department) Bihar) Patna.
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PRINTED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT
SECRETARIAT PRESS, BIHAR, PATNA
1963
'-Rupees Ten only.]
,
/
PREFACE.
The first District Gazetteer of Purnea by L. S. S.
O'Malley, I.c.s.~ was published in 19 11. ..,
The State Government of Bihar in the Revenue Department
have undertaken the work of re-writing and publishing District // is
Gazetteers. In ~he last few decades there had been very many
basic changes in the district and the country. The old series of
District Gazetteers had a very limited objective ~nd were meant
more Qr less to be the administrators' handbook. vVith the
independence of the country the very character of the State
Government has changed. The old District Gazetteer of PtL1'nea
even if available is of little use now.
The Ministry of Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs has
recently taken up the work of publishing four Central volumes I
for India (in place of the Old Imperial Gazetteers) and in
consultation with the State Governments has drawn up a general
plan to be followed as far as possible by the States for their
District Gazetteers. The State Government of Bihar have agreed
to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Scientific Research
and Cultural Affairs.
This re-written District Gazetteer of Purnea is my 10th
publication in the new series. The re-written District Gazetteers
of Hazaribagh, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Singhbhum, Saran,
Champaran, Monghyr, Palamau and Bhagalpur have already been
published. In the last three we have followed India's plan.
The work of re-writing the Dist-rict Gazettee1' of Purnea has
its own difficulties. Although there have been recently Survey
and Settlement Operations, the Final Report has not yet been
published. No comprehensive socio-economic survey of the
district has been undertaken. Portions of the district have' gone
over to West Bengal in implementation of the recommendations
of the States Reorganisation Commission. The Annual
Administrative Reports are not always published now. The
march of events has been extremely rapid in the last three decades
and the very face of the district has been changed. Officers in
key positions have their own problems which leave them little
leisure to give active collaboration in a task of this type.
In my task of re-writing the District Gazettee-r of Pu-rnea I
have been immensely profited by my long association with the
2
district. I was posted to th~ ~i~trict in 1 ?33: .Since ~hen I ha."e
had the opportunity of re-vIsItmg the. dIstrIct m varIOUS officIal
capacity. Some of the older generatIon who ar~ permanen~
residents of Purnea like Raja P. C. Lal of NazarganJ, Mr. Satkan
Dey, Advocate, the late Mr. Johnstone, H. M. Weatherall, et~"
have helped me considerably in my work. Old Records ll1
Purnea Collectorate were looked into by me and some of the
materials collected on them were utilised. Institutions like
National Archives, New Delhi,~ National Library, Calcutta,
Asiatic Society of Bengal have continued giving me their valuable
help as before. . They have ungrudgingly allowed me loan of
rare books and study in their Archives. For the later events I
have had help from various books, Census' reports, manuscripts
and data collected from collaborators, personal investigations and
research.
It is only by the pooling of resources, personal contacts,
extensive tours, observation' and study that a book of this type
could be compiled. I am particularly grateful to Pandit
Binodanand Jha, Chief Minister 9f Bihar, Shri Mahe h Pra ad
J.
Sinha, Revenue Minister, and Shri .S. Mazumdar, I.e. Chicl
'J
Secretary. They have always taken keen interest in this work
and have given me all possible help and encouragement. My
th~nk~ are due to the Central Gazetteer Unit in the Ministry o[
SClentl~c Research and Cultural Affairs for. giving some valuable
suggestIOns on the' texts. Shri Bhola Shastri Minister in the
Bihar Government comes from Purnea district and the Editor
had some very helpful di~cussions with him.
, I have tri~~ ~o provi~e an objective book for a wide range
of readers, pohtIcIans, wrIters, schol;:trs, administrators, tourists
a~d by no means the least, the interested man in the street. It
wIll be a privilege if the book is of some help to the readers of the
present and coming generation.
1
PATNA:
5 P. C. ROY CHAUDHURY.
The 1st October 1962
II
PLAN OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER. PAGES.
I-GENERAL 1-63
II-HISTORY 64-113
III-PEOPLE 114-178
IV-AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION 179-226
V-INDUSTRIES 227-269
VI-JUTE 270-285
VII-BANKING, TRADE AND COMMERCE 286-336
VIII -COMMUNICATIONS 337-385
IX-EcONOMIC TRENDS 386-455
X-GENERAL ADMINISTRATION 456-488
XI-LAND REVENUE ADMINISTRATION 489-530
I
XII-LAW, ORDER AND JUSTICE 531-551
XIII-LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT 552-590
XIV-EDUCATION AND CULTU~ 591-629
XV-MEDICAL ·AND PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES 630-661
XVI-OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES 662-677
XVII-PUBLIC LIFE AND ' VOLUNTARY SOCIAL 678-690
SERVICE ORGANISATIONS.
XVIII-PLACES OF INTEREST - 691-795
APPENDIX. I .. 796
APPENDIX II .. 797-799
800-815
ENCLOSURE
816-822
GLOSSARY
i-v
INDEX
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I
CHAPTER I.
GENERAL.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
Purnea district, as at present (1960) constituted, is roughly
a square in shape, of which the side is about sixty-six miles. It is
bounded on the north by Nepal and part of Darjeeling district of
West Bengal; on the east by the districts of West Dinajpur and
MaIda of West Bengal, on the south by the districts of Bhagalpur,
San thai Parganas and Maldah (West Bengal) and on the west
by Saharsa. It is the most easterly district of the State. Before
States Reorganisation in India (1956), Purnea was contiguous to
East Pakistan.
Purnea forms the north-eastern portion of the Bhagalpur
Division, being situated between ~OO 15' and 200 35' north
latitude and between 87(J 0' and 880"' 32' east longitude.
The population of the district as at the census of 190] was
18,74,794 and the population at the census of 1951 was 25,25,231,
there being an increase of 6,50,437 people sin.ce 1901. The
reasons for this heavy growth in the population are partIy the
influx of the displaced persons from the East Bengal (East
Pakistan) and partly the changes in the geological conditions of
the district, the changes in the beds of rivers Kosi and Kankai
and the old beds now coming under cultivation and being inhabit
able. But as an effect of the transfer of six thanas from the district
to West Bengal on the 1st November, 1956, as a result of the
States Reorganisation, viz., Karandighi, Kishanganj, Golpokhar,
Islampur, Chopra and Thakurganj, the population has decreased
to 22,47,943, there being a transfer of 2,77,288 people. Details of
the transfer of an area of 759 square miles are given later.
The last District Gazetteer of Purnea district was published
in 1911 being compiled by Mr. L. S. S. O'Malley. In 1912 Bihar
and Orissa were carved as a separate province out of the old
Bengal Province, and Purnea became a district of the new
provincial unit. The area mentioned in the old District Gazetteer
1 14 Rev.
2 PURNEA
of 1911 was 4,994 square 'miles, but as an eff:ct ?f t?e transfer of
759 square miles the present area of the district IS 4,239 square
miles. The slight difference may be ignored.
FORMATION OF THE DISTRICT.
Buchanan Hamilton, the first historio-geographer of India,
visited Purnea in 1809-10 and has left us a good account of his
travels. His memoirs were published by the Bihar and Orissa
Research Society in 1928 and form a good source book. Buchanan,
however, did not give details of local administration.
The district took its present form about 1813, when MaIda
district was first established. In 1869 a transfer was made to
Bhagalpur of parts of Parganas Harawat and Dhaphar.
A very rare book "Statistics of the Lower Provinces of Bengal.
for 1868-69" printed at the Bengal Secretariat Press was published
in 1872 as Board's Return no. 41B. It will be interesting to take
some facts and figures from this book in order to show some or
the features of Purnea district at that time.
The boundaries according to this book of Purnea district
were on the north by Subtree Morung and British Sikim, east by
Rungpore, Dinagepore and Maldah, south by Ganges and West
by Bhaugulpore.
The most recent survey was Thakbust and Revenue from
1840 to 184 7 a~d the Ganges frontage was re-surveyed under
Act IX of 1847 m 1856-57. The total area in square miles was
as follows
Cultivated
3,841
. {
Culturable
Waste 635
U nculturable
742
5,218
The mileages of communications accordino- to this Return
were as follows : _
b
Water, River.s 660 miles; Canal none, 1st class roads 100
as agamst 634 miles of 2nd class roads. The mileage
of 3rd clas~ roads was not ascertained. Against Rail
Roads a 1111 return was shown.
