History of Bankura district
History of Bankura district refers to the history of the present Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Historically, the region was under the realm of Rarh in ancient Bengal.
Prehistoric times
The earliest signs of human habitation in the area was at Dihar, discovered by Maniklal Sinha in the early 1970s. By about 1200-1000 BC chalcolithic people had settled on the north bank of the Dwarakeswar.In later pre-historic times this area was inhabited by various Proto-Australoid and a few Proto-Dravidian tribes. The tribes were spread across different strata of development - food-gathering, hunting, animal-raring, and agriculture. Bankura district was part of Rarh in ancient times. This area was dominated by aboriginal tribes, more than other areas of Bengal, and was Aryanised or assimilated with the people and culture of the Proto-Indo-European group, who prevailed in northern India, substantially later than rest of Bengal. There were two primary groups of people, the Nishadas and Dasa-dasyus. Santals and Mal Pahariyas were probably also there from the beginning. There were substantial differences amongst the tribes in relation to food, dress, religion, behavioral patterns, and other matters and there were severe limitations on inter-mixing, not to think of inter-marriage.
Assimilation with Proto-Indo-Europeans
When Proto-Indo-Europeans arrived on the scene, they gradually effected assimilation, based primarily on their concepts of work and quality, which led to the development of caste-based society or it could be the extension of an older system. The assimilation was not easy and took many centuries, and was achieved through both conflict and cordiality.In the religious texts of Baudhayana Dharmasutra, it has been mentioned that while Anga and the middle country has been partially Aryanised, Pundra, Banga and Kalinga had only come in contact with the Aryans or Proto-Indo-Europeans of northern India.
In the 4th century AD, it is learned from the Susunia edicts, in Prakrit and Sanskrit, that Chandravarman, son of Simhavarman, ruled at Pushkarana. The extent of his dominions may have been more or less coterminous with ancient Rarh region or south-west Bengal. According to the inscription on the Allahabad pillar Chandravarman was defeated by Samudragupta and the area became a part of the Gupta Empire. The area was for many years part of Dandabhukti and Bardhamanbhukti.
In the old Jain book Acaranga Sutra there is mention of Sumha and Ladha and there too the reference is to an area inhabited by uncivilised and barbaric people. Many historians opine that assimilation with Proto-Indo-Europeans took place first in northern and eastern Bengal and then in western Bengal. This has also been the broad course of the spread of Buddhism and Jainism in Bengal. There is ample evidence of pre-eminence of Aryan religion and culture in West Bengal from around 6th century AD.
Mallabhum kingdom
| Ruler | Years |
| Adi Malla | 694 - 710 |
| Jay Malla | 710 - 720 |
| Benu Malla | 720 - 733 |
| Kinu Malla | 733 - 742 |
| Indra Malla | 742 - 757 |
| Kanu Malla | 757 - 764 |
| Dha Malla | 764 - 775 |
| Shur Malla | 775 - 795 |
| Kanak Malla | 795 - 807 |
| Kandarpa Malla | 807 - 828 |
| Sanatan Malla | 828 - 841 |
| Kharga Malla | 841 - 862 |
| Durjan Malla | 862 - 906 |
| Yadav Malla | 906 - 919 |
| Jagannath Malla | 919 - 931 |
| Birat Malla | 931 - 946 |
| Mahadev Malla | 946 - 977 |
| Durgadas Malla | 977 - 994 |
| Jagat Malla | 994 - 1007 |
| Ananta Malla | 1007 - 1015 |
| Rup Malla | 1015 - 1029 |
| Sundar Malla | 1029 - 1053 |
| Kumud Malla | 1053 - 1074 |
| Krishna Malla | 1074 - 1084 |
| Rup II Malla | 1084 - 1097 |
| Prakash Malla | 1097 - 1102 |
| Pratap Malla | 1102 - 1113 |
| Sindur Malla | 1113 - 1129 |
| Sukhomoy Malla | 1129 - 1142 |
| Banamali Malla | 1142 - 1156 |
| Yadu/Jadu Malla | 1156 - 1167 |
| Jiban Malla | 1167 - 1185 |
| Ram (Kshetra) Malla | 1185 - 1209 |
| Gobinda Malla | 1209 - 1240 |
| Bhim Malla | 1240 - 1263 |
| Katar Malla | 1263 - 1295 |
| Prithwi Malla | 1295 - 1319 |
| Tapa Malla | 1319 - 1334 |
| Dinabandhu Malla | 1334 - 1345 |
| Kinu/Kanu II Malla | 1345 - 1358 |
| Shur Malla II | 1358 - 1370 |
| Shiv Singh Malla | 1370 - 1407 |
| Madan Malla | 1407 - 1420 |
| Durjan Malla II | 1420 - 1437 |
| Uday Malla | 1437 - 1460 |
| Chandra Malla | 1460 - 1501 |
| Bir Malla | 1501 - 1554 |
| Dhari Malla | 1554 - 1565 |
| Hambir Malla Dev | 1565 - 1620 |
| Dhari Hambir Malla Dev | 1620 - 1626 |
| Raghunath Singha Dev | 1626 - 1656 |
| Bir Singha Dev | 1656 - 1682 |
| Durjan Singha Dev | 1682 - 1702 |
| Raghunath Singha Dev II | 1702 - 1712 |
| Gopal Singha Dev | 1712 - 1748 |
| Chaitanya Singha Dev | 1748 - 1801 |
| Madhav Singha Dev | 1801 - 1809 |
| Gopal Singha Dev II | 1809 - 1876 |
| Ramkrishna Singha Dev | 1876 - 1885 |
| Dwhajamoni Devi | 1885 - 1889 |
| Nilmoni Singha Dev | 1889 - 1903 |
| no king | 1903 - 1930 |
| Kalipada Singha Thakur | 1930 - 1983 |
From around 7th century AD till around the advent of British rule, for around a millennium, history of Bankura district is identical with the rise and fall of the Hindu Rajas of Bishnupur.
Romesh Chunder Dutt wrote in the late 19th century, "The ancient Rajas of Bishnupur trace back their history to a time when Hindus were still reigning in Delhi, and the name of the Muslims was not yet heard in India. Indeed, they could already count five centuries of rule over the western frontier tracts of Bengal before Bakhtiyar Khalji wrested the province from the Hindus. The Muslim conquest of Bengal, however, made no difference to the Bishnupur princes... these jungle kings were little known to the Muslim rulers of the fertile portions of Bengal, and were never interfered with. For long centuries, therefore, the kings of Bishnupur were supreme within their extensive territories. At a later period of Muslim rule, and when the Mughal power extended and consolidated itself on all sides, a Mughal army sometimes made its appearance near Bishnupur with claims of tribute, and tribute was probably sometimes paid. Nevertheless, the Subahdars of Murshidabad, never had that firm hold over the Rajas of Bishnupur which they had over the closer and more recent Rajaships of Burdwan and Birbhum. As the Burdwan Raj grew in power, the Bishnupur family fell into decay; Maharaja Kirti Chand of Burdwan attacked and added to his zamindari large slices of his neighbour's territories. The Marathas completed the ruin of the Bishnupur house, which is an impoverished zamindari in the present day."
The origins of the Rajas of Bishnupur is somewhat clouded in mystery. According to O'Malley, all through the centuries, they were acknowledged as the kings of Bagdis. However, the Rajas of Bishnupur and many of their followers have laid claims to their being Kshatriyas linked to the Kshatriya clans of northern India. The claims seem to have originated or gathered momentum at a later period when assimilation of the region with the Proto-Indo-Europeans gained firm roots. The Rajas of Bishnupur were also known as Malla kings. Malla is a Sanskrit word meaning wrestler but there could be some links with the Mal tribes of the area, who had an intimate connection with the Bagdis.
The area around Bishnupur was called Mallabhum The core area would cover present-day Bankura police station area, Onda, Bishnupur, Kotulpur and Indas. In olden days the term was used for a much larger area, which probably was the furthest extent of the Bishnupur kingdom. In the north it stretched from Damin-i-koh in Santhal Parganas to Midnapore in the south. It included the eastern part of Bardhaman and parts of Chota Nagpur in the west. Portions of the district appear to have been originally the homes of aboriginal tribes, who were gradually subdued. The Khatra region was Dhalbhum, the Raipur region was Tungbhum, and the Chhatna region was Samantabhum. They were eventually overshadowed by the Malla kings of Bishnupur. There also are references in old scripts to Varahabhumi or Varabhumi on whose borders run Darikesi river, and Sekhara mountain.
Adi Malla
Adi Malla was the founder of the Malla dynasty. There is a story associated with his beginning. In 695 AD, a prince of one of the royal families of northern India made a pilgrimage with his wife to the Jagannath temple at Puri. He halted in the midst of a great forest at Laugram, from Kotulpur. He left his wife who was about to give birth to a child in the care of a Brahmin. The wife gave birth to a son and they remained back in Laugram. When the child was around 7 years old, he started working as a cowherd. The child started showing signs of greatness and was ultimately trained as a warrior. When he was 15 years old he had no equal as a wrestler in the territory all around. It was this that earned him the sobriquet of Adi Malla, the original or unique wrestler. He became a chieftain by the grace of Raja of Padampur, near modern Joypur, from Laugram. The Raja made him a grant of Laugram and some villages around it. The veracity of this story is questioned and there are other versions of this story to back up the Kshatriya links of the Bishnupur kings.Adi Malla ruled in Laugram for 33 years and has been known as the Bagdi Raja. He was succeeded by his son, Jay Malla, who invaded Padampur and captured the fort, then the power-centre. Jay Malla extended his domains and shifted his capital to Bishnupur. The subsequent kings steadily extended their kingdom. Among the more renowned are: Kalu Malla, the fourth in line, Kau Malla, the sixth in line, Jhau Malla, the seventh in line, and Sur Malla, the eighth in line, who defeated the Raja of Bagri, a place now in northern Midnapore. He was followed by 40 other kings, all of whom were known as Mallas or Mallabaninath, which means lords of Mallabhum or Mallabani. Family records show that they were independent of foreign powers.
Bir Hambir Malla
Bir Hambir, the 49th ruler of the Malla dynasty who flourished around 1586 AD and ruled in 16th-17th century, was a contemporary of the Mughal emperor Akbar. He was involved on the side of Mughals in their struggle against the Afghans and is mentioned by Muslim historians. He paid an annual tribute to the Muslim viceroys of Bengal and thus acknowledged their suzerainty.Bir Hambir was both powerful and pious. He was converted to Vaishnavism by Srinivasa. There is mention in two Vaishnava works, Prem-vilasa of Nityananda Das and Bhakti Ratnakara of Narahari Chakrabarti, about Srinivasa and other bhaktas being robbed by Bir Hambir, when they were travelling from Vrindavan to Gaur with a number of Vaishanava manuscripts. However, Bir Hambir was so moved by Srinivasa's reading of Bhagavata that he converted to Vaishnavism and gave Srinivasa a rich endowment of land and money. He introduced the worship of Madan Mohan in Bishnupur.
Raghunath Singha
Raghunath Singha, who followed Bir Hambir, was the first Bishnupur Raja family got the title of Singha as an honour due to the strength of Rasliimlli. It is said that he was conferred upon with this title by the Nawab of Murshidabad. Bishnupur kingdom had entered its golden age. With exquisite palaces and temples built during the period that followed Bishnupur was reputed to be the most renowned city in the world, more beautiful than the house of Indra in heaven. However, it has also been recorded that while these royal patrons of Hindu art and religion were busy building temples they had lost much of their independence and sunk to the position of tributary princes. Raghunath Singha built the temples of Shyam Rai, Jor Bangla and Kalachand between 1643 and 1656.Raghunath Singha was married to the daughter of Shobha Singha, Zamindar of Midnapore. During his reign, he is said to be infatuated with a Persian dancer, called Lalbai. He took her under his protection and later dug a large pond in her name. After he decided to marry Lalbai, Raghunath Singha was killed by his queen.