Hazaribag-My First Love

In ancient times the district was covered with inaccessible forests inhabited by tribes who remained independent. The entire territory of Chhotanagpur, known as Jharkhand (meaning forest territory) was presumably beyond the pale of outside influence in ancient India. Throughout the Turko-Afghan period (up to 1526 CE), the area remained virtually free from external influence. It was only with the accession of Akbar to the throne of Delhi in 1556 that Muslim influence penetrated Jharkhand, then known to the Mughals as Kokrah. In 1585, Akbar sent a force under the command of Shahbaj Khan to reduce the Raja of Chotanagpur to the position of a tributary. After the death of Akbar in 1605, the area presumably regained its independence. This necessitated an expedition in 1616 by Ibrahim Khan Fateh Jang, the Governor of Bihar and brother of Queen Noorjehan. Ibrahim Khan defeated and captured Durjan Sal, the 46th Raja of Chotanagpur. He was imprisoned for 12 years but was later released and reinstated on the throne after he had shown his ability in distinguishing a real diamond from a fake one.
In 1632 CE, Chotanagpur was given as Jagir to the Governor at Patna for an annual payment of Rs.136,000. This was raised to Rs.161,000 in 1636 CE. During the reign of Muhammad Shah (1719–1748), Sarballand Khan, the Governor of then Bihar, marched against the Raja of Chotanagpur and obtained his submission. Another expedition was led by Fakhruddoula, the Governor of Bihar in 1731.
He came to terms with the Raja of Chotanagpur. In 1735 Alivardi Khan had some difficulty in enforcing the payment of the annual tribute of Rs. 12000 from the Raja of Ramgarh, as agreed to by the latter according to the terms settled with Fakhruddoula.
This situation continued until the occupation of the country by the British. During the Muslim period, the main estates in the district were Ramgarh, Kunda, Chai and Kharagdiha. Subsequent to the Kol uprising in 1831 that, however, did not seriously affect Hazaribag, the administrative structure of the territory was changed. The paraganas 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 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.
After 1991 census, the district of Hazaribag has been divided into three separate districts, viz., Hazaribag, Chatra and Koderma. The two sub-divisions namely Chatra and Koderma were upgraded to the status of independent districts.
During British rule, one had go by train to Giridih and then travel in a vehicle called push-push to Hazaribagh. It was pushed and pulled by human force over hilly tracts. It was exciting journey across rivers and through dense forests infested with bandits and wild animals. Rabindranath Tagore travelled in a push-push along the route in 1885. He has recorded the experience in an essay, Chotanagpur families. When the Grand Chord was opened in 1906, Hazaribagh Road station was linked with the town. For many years, Lal Motor Company operated the rail-cum-bus service between Hazaribagh town and Hazaribagh Road station.

The town became a cantonment in 1790, the Ramgarh battalion having been raised ten years earlier. It was then part of Ramgarh district. It became a district headquarter in 1834. The cantonment flourished till 1884.This resulted in a planned old city. This part of the town is known as Boddam Bazar, after the officer who laid it out. Many Englishmen settled in Hazaribagh during the British period. They built large bungalow type houses, quite often with sloping roofs. Many of them were great hunters and hunting stories abound in the town by word of mouth. Most of them left after independence. Tutu Imam topped the list of hunting legends in the town along with Prof Rajendra Pandey. A century back it was common for tigers and leopards to poach upon livestock in the outskirts of the town.
Hazaribagh Central Jail housed many leaders of the Indian freedom movement, including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, later the first president of India. The popular leader Jayaprakash Narayan was put under arrest in this jail during the Quit India Movement of 1942. His escape from this high security prison(with the help of 53 dhotis to cross the wall of jail) and the support he received from the local people is one of the legends of the Indian Independence movement.
During the early years of World War II an internment camp ("parole camp") for German civilians was in the town. In June 1942 it housed 36 women, 5 men and 16 children. 21 females with 13 children, had been transferred on 25. February 1942 from Diyatalawa. In autumn they were transferred to the family camps at Purandhar or Satara.[2]

The cool climate and the quiet environs of Hazaribagh attracted educationists to set up institutions in the town. The Dublin Mission has a big presence with educational institutions and a women’s hospital. Activities of the mission were started at Hazaribagh in 1890, under the aegis of Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. St. Columba's College was one of the oldest in Bihar. A.F.Markham attached to the college for many years was a legend in his lifetime. He later became vice chancellor of Ranchi University.Hazaribag now has Vinoba Bhave University within city limits, named after Saint Vinoba Bhave.It is the 2nd largest university of Jharkhand.St. Columba's College,Medical College of Dhanbad and many Engineering and local colleges are affiliated to this university now. Jajnery Institute of Technology, Hazaribag is one of the prominent College for Polytechnic, Management & IT.
After independence Roman Catholics,established a girls’ school - Mount Carmel. Parallel to this Reverend Father John Moore, an Australian Jesuit missionary, set up St.Xavier’s in 1952. D.A.V Public School Hazaribagh started in 1992 and run by D.A.V College Managing Committee (New Delhi), is another major educational center of the city. The school has made immense progress in the past 20 years and has a Modern state of the art building located on the foothills of famous Canary Hill.Ashok Srivastava (Principal) has been one of the pioneer's in taking this school to this level.

Tourist attractions[edit source | editbeta]

Barso Pani Cave is located at Barkagaon in Hazaribagh District.
Budhwa Mahadev Mandir (Lord Shiva Temple)
Canary Hill is a popular spot for nature lovers. There is a guest house and a watch tower on the top of the hills. Recently[when?] a proposal has been submitted for setting up a tiger and deer safari at the place.
Hazaribagh National Park is located with hillocks, deep nullahs, thick tropical forests and grassy meadows. The Sanctuary has wild bears, sambhar, nilgai, chital and kakar, sloth bears, tigers and leopards.
Konar Dam situated about 50 km East of Hazaribag.
Narsingh Temple dedicated to Narsingh avatara (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu.
Panchmandir.
Rajrappa Mandir which is 80 km away at the bank of river Damodar is a very sacred place.
Surajkund hot spring which is 60 km away from city on NH2 near Barkattha village.
Swarnajayanti Cafeteria at Hazaribagh Jheel (Natural Lake)is a major family attraction.
Tillaya (Jhumri Tillaya) Dam 45 km North from Hazaribag.
The lake of hazaribag is also famous as cafeteria which is the picnic spot in the heart of the town
The Chadwa Dam, about 15 km away from the town, is another picnic spot.