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MANBHUM

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 542 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MANBHUM , a See also:

district of See also:British See also:India, in the See also:Chota See also:Nagpur See also:division of See also:Bengal. The administrative headquarters are at See also:Purulia. See also:Area, 4147 sq. m.; pop. (19o1), 1,301,364, showing an increase of 9.1% since 1891. Manbhum district forms the first step of a See also:gradual descent from the table-See also:land of Chota Nagpur to the See also:delta of See also:lower Bengal. In the See also:northern and eastern portions the See also:country is open, and consists of a See also:series of See also:rolling See also:downs dotted here and there with isolated conical hills. In the western and See also:southern tracts the country is more broken and the scenery much more picturesque. The See also:principal hills are Dalma (3407 ft.), the crowning See also:peak of a range of the same name; Gangabari or Gajboro (2220 ft.), the highest peak of the Baghmundi range, about 20 M. See also:south-See also:west of Purulia; and Panchkot or Panchet (1600 ft.), on which stands the old fort of the rajas of Panchet. The hills are covered with dense See also:jungle. The See also:chief See also:river is the See also:Kasai, which flows through the district from See also:north-west to south-See also:east into See also:Midnapore, and on which a considerable floating See also:trade in sal See also:timber is carried on. The most numerous aboriginal tribe are the Sontals; but the Bhumij See also:Kols are the characteristic See also:race. In Manbhum they inhabit the country lying on both sides of the Subanrekha.

They are pure See also:

Mundas, but their compatriots to the east have dropped the See also:title of Munda and the use of their distinctive See also:language, have adopted See also:Hindu customs, and are fast becoming See also:Hindus in See also:religion. The Bhumij Kols of the Jungle Mahalswere once the terror of the surrounding districts; they are now more peaceful. Three principal crops of See also:rice are grown, one sown broadcast See also:early in May on table-lands and the tops of ridges, an autumn See also:crop, and a See also:winter crop, the last forming the chief See also:harvest of the district. Other crops are See also:wheat, See also:barley, See also:Indian See also:corn, pulses, oilseeds, linseeds, jute, See also:hemp, See also:sugar-See also:cane, See also:indigo, See also:pan and See also:tobacco. Owing to the completeness of the natural drainage, floods are unknown, but the country is liable to droughts caused by deficient rainfall. The principal articles of export are oilseeds, pulses, ghi, See also:lac, indigo, tussur See also:silk (manufactured near Raghunathpur), timber, See also:resin, See also:coal, and (in See also:good seasons) rice. The chief imports are See also:salt, piece goods, See also:brass utensils and unwrought See also:iron. See also:Cotton See also:hand-See also:loom See also:weaving is carried on all over the district. Manbhum contains the Jherria coalfield, in the Damodar valley, where a large number of mines have been opened since 1894, The See also:United See also:Free See also:Church of See also:Scotland has a See also:mission at Pakheria, with a See also:printing See also:press that issues a monthly See also:journal in Sonthali; and a See also:German Lutheran mission has been established since 1864. The district is traversed by the Bengal–Nagpur railway, while two branches of the East Indian railway serve the coalfield.

End of Article: MANBHUM

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