Dumka, the headquarters of the Dumka district and Santhal Pargana region, is a city in the state of Jharkhand, India. It was made the headquarters of the Santhal Pargana region, which was carved out of the Bhagalpur and Birbhum district after the Santal Hool of 1855. Dumka was carved out of the southern part of Bihar along with 18 other districts on 15 November 2000 to form Jharkhand as the 28th state of India. Dumka is a peaceful and green city and also the sub-capital of Jharkhand. The nearest important cities are Suri and Deoghar.
Etymology
There are two theories on how Dumka got its name. The first one suggests that Dumka's name derives from the
Santali language word
sumk for "shunted" or "small," because during the
British Raj, it was a small town compared to
Rampurhat and
Bhagalpur.
The other is that Dumka derives its name from the Persian language word damin-i-koh, which means 'skirts (an edge, border or extreme part) of the hills'.
History
Early history
The earlier inhabitants of the present-day district of whom there is some record, it appears, were the
Paharias (for example, the Maler and Sauria Paharias). The
Greeks traveler
Megasthenes identified these people as
Mallis. He referred to the Sauria Paharias as
savars of Odisha. Medieval History: Due to inaccessibility of the area caused by the cliffs of the
Rajmahal Hills, it was a place of strategic economic importance, with a fort at
Teliagarhi. After the 1539 victory of Sher Shah Suri at
Chousa, the area fell into the hands of the
Pashtun people, but it was soon lost to the
Mughals under
Akbar when Hussain Quli Khan was made viceroy of
Bengal.
British Raj
The English representative, Dr. Gabriel Bokgliton, procured a
firman from
Shah Jahan. Between 1742 and 1751 the area of Dumka close to Rajmahal witnessed frequent inroads by the
Marathas under
Raghoji Bhosle and Peshwa Balaji Rao. In 1745 Raghoji Bhosle entered Rajmahal via the hills and jungles of Santhal Pargana Division. The early stay of the English was spent in subduing the
Paharias. In 1769 Dumka remained a
Ghatwali police post under
Birbhum District of Bengal. In 1775 Dumka was transferred to Bhagalpur Division. In 1865 Dumka was made an independent district after being carved out of Bhagalpur. In 1872 Dumka was made headquarters of the whole district of Santal Pargana. In 1889 Paul Olaf Bodding started his service in India (Dumka/Benagaria) after Lars Olsen Skrefsrud, and Bodding created the first alphabet for the Santhals. The NELC-church was created as a
Lutheran Church in this area - before the Catholics had established a mission in this area at all. In 1902 the first
municipality was established. Finally in 1920
Automobile and buses were introduced.
Post Independence
Firstly in 1952 The Apostolic Prefecture of Malda was erected. In 1962, it was promoted to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dumka. Then in 1983 Dumka was made the divisional headquarters of Santhal Pargana. On 15 November 2000 Dumka became the sub-capital of Jharkhand. In 2011 Dumka is connected with the newly built Jasidih-Dumka railway line. In 2012 Intercity express to Ranchi started via Jasidih. Later in 2017 Jharkhand opens pilot training center in Dumka. Finally in 2018 Four-lane road from Dudhani to Tata Showroom constructed.
Geography
Dumka is located at .
It has an average elevation of 137 metres (449 feet).
Demographics
India [[census]],
The population of children aged 0-6 is 5371 which is 11.29% of total population of Dumka (Nagar Parishad). In Dumka Nagar Parishad, the female sex ratio is 876 against state average of 948. Moreover, the child sex ratio in Dumka is around 891 compared to Jharkhand state average of 948. The literacy rate of Dumka city is 89.92% higher than the state average of 66.41%. In Dumka, male literacy is around 93.46% while the female literacy rate is 85.87%. As per official census 2011, Hinduism constitutes 79.06% of Dumka's population, followed by Islam at 8.09% and Christianity with 6.54%.
Religion and Languages
Besides the national official language
Hindi,
Santali language,
Urdu and
Bengali language are mostly spoken followed by regional dialect Khorta.
Here the major religions are:
The Catholic minority is served by its own Roman Catholic Diocese of Dumka.
Languages
Climate
Dumka has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification
Cwa), with warm, wet summers and mild winters.
Economy
| +Industrial areas
!Sl. No.
!Name of Industrial Area
!Land acquired (in hectares)
!Land developed (in hectares)
!Prevailing Rate Per sq. ft. (in Rs)
!No. of plots
!No. of allotted
plots
!No. of vacant plots
!No.of units in production |
| 1. | Industrial Area Dumka | 6.088 | 6.088 | 19.00 | 13 | 13 | 03 | 10 |
| +Industry at a Glance
!Sl. No.
!Head
! Unit
!Particulars |
| 1 | Registered Industrial Unit | No. | 2241 |
| 2 | Total Industrial Unit | No. | 2241 |
| 3 | Registered Medium &Large Unit | No. | NIL |
| 4 | Estimated Avg. No. of daily Worker Employed in small scale industries | No. | 38 |
| 5 | Employment in large and medium Industries | No. | NIL |
| 6 | No of Industrial Area | No. | 1 |
Culture
Dumka District contains many Hindu temples, such as
Basukinath, Sirshanath, Maluti Mandir, Shiv Pahar and Dharamsthana. Crowds visit these places during the month of Sawan.
Hizla Mela (Fair)
is organized every year in Hizla and continues for a week. It is a fair of great cultural importance, thousands of people visit during the fair.
Politics
The first Chief Minister of Jharkhand,
Babulal Marandi, hailed from Dumka constituency. In 2000, when Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar, NDA came to power in Jharkhand with Marandi as the Chief Minister.
Shibu Soren is another politician who is considered to be one of the founders of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and has a temporary residence in Dumka. Hemant Soren, the current Chief Minister of Jharkhand is the son of Shibu Soren.
Education
There are various Higher Secondary schools in Dumka:
-
St. Teresa Girls School
-
Sido Kanhu High School
-
+2 Zila School
-
National School
-
Govt. Girls School
-
Dumka Central School
Some reputed schools which provide secondary level education are:
-
Decent children school, Dumka (Phasiadangal, Dumka)
-
North Valley International School,
-
St. Joseph's High School
-
Bal Bharti School
Other schools include Ananda Marg School (Kurwa), Modern Sainik School, Green Mount Academy and New Life Academy at Kathikund.
To improve academic performance in government schools District administration of Dumka launched Sampurna Shiksha Kavach
-
+2 HS KATHIKUND
-
+2 HS MASALIYA
-
+2 HS JAMA
-
RANI SONAWATI HS
-
EKALAVYA MODEL RES. SCH KATIJORIA
-
+2 OBC RES. GIRLS HS
-
CM School of Excellence Girls, Dumka
-
+2 UHS BUNIYADI GANDO
-
PLUS 2 ST HS INDERWANI
-
+2 RK HS SARAIYHAT
-
+2 HS RAGHUNATHPUR
-
+2 UHS TALJHARI
-
+2 HS BENAGARIA
-
+2 HS THARIHAT KUSIAM
-
+2 UHS CHAPAKANDAR
-
KGBV KATHIKUND
-
+2 UHS MOHANPUR
-
KGBV SARAIYAHAT
-
KGBV JAMA
-
+2 RK HS SHIKARIPARA
-
NATIONAL SCHOOL DUMKA
-
MODEL SCHOOL MASALIYA
-
MODEL SCHOOL SARAIYAHAT
-
+2 HS SAHARA
-
+2 RK HS JARMUNDI
-
MODEL SCHOOL SHIKARIPARA
-
+2 UHS PINDARI
-
DISTRICT CM SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE, DUMKA
This program focuses on improving performance of students across above 28 government schools in the district. Teachers need to ensure that entire curriculum is covered in classroom via online teaching during the academic year. Students also have additional online learning support after school. High performing students are enrolled in additional classes to prepare for competitive exams such as IIT JEE and NEET.
For higher education Dumka offers many colleges e.g.- Sido Kanhu Murmu University was established in 1992 at Dumka and covers whole Santhal Pargana. Many colleges are affiliated or constituent to SKMU in the division.
St. Xavier's College, Dumka offers various courses. Others include Santhal Pargana College (S.P. college),
Phulo-Jhano Murmu College of Dairy Technology at Hansdiha, Dumka is Jharkhand's first Dairy Technology college established in 2019.
GTRTC, Dumka (Government Tool Room and Training Centre) was established in 2007 by the Department of Industries, Government of Jharkahnd with the assistance of Ministry of MSME, Government of India.
Dumka Engineering College was established as an institution under PPP model between the Government of Jharkhand and Techno India.
Phulo Jhano Murmu Medical College and Hospital was established in 2019 and it also contains hospitals for serving population of Dumka.
Tourist places
-
Basukinath Temple of Lord Shiva
Temples
-
Maluti - Maluti is an ancient temple village of Dumka District under Shikaripara police station. It is near the border of West Bengal and Jharkhand State. There are many Shiva, Bishnu, Durga Terracotta temples.
File:Maluti_teracotta_temple.jpg|Maluti terracotta temple
File:Maluti_Temple.jpg|Maluti Temple
File:Malooti1.jpg|Malooti mandir
File:Malooti2.jpg|Malooti mandir
File:Malooti3.jpg|Malooti mandir
File:Malooti4.jpg|Malooti mandir
File:Malooti5.jpg|Malooti mandir
File:Malooti6.jpg|Malooti mandir
Tourist spots
-
Masanjore is a picnic spot situated 30 km to Dumka. This small village is about 30 km south of Dumka. The Masanjore dam on the Mayurakshi River is a tourist draw.
-
Chutonath - It is situated 20 km from the district headquarters. Chutonath is a religious place of Hindu god Lord Chutonath. This festival is celebrated mainly in the month of April. This area has become a tourist attraction.
-
Dharmasthan - It is temple situated in Tin bazaar at the heart of Dumka Town, it is known for the Goddess Bhadrakali, during the Durga puja 7 days special puja is organised here.
Natural places
-
Kurwa park (Shrishti Pahar) - It is a small picnic spot about 5 km to the east of Dumka. It has a park, facilities for boating and a small hill. A temple is also situated here.
Transport
Rail
In July 2011, Dumka was connected to Jasidih with the newly built Jasidih - Dumka railway line. Since then, the city has seen a growing number of three-wheelers on the road. in June 2015, Dumka Rampurhat Train service is also started.
Road
Dumka is connected by road to the neighboring cities such as Deoghar, Bhagalpur, Dhanbad, Rampurhat. Buses are the preferred mode of transport and are run by both government agencies and private operators. Dumka has good connectivity to neighboring districts with buses. There is a luxury night bus service between Dumka–
Ranchi and
Kolkata.
Air
Nearby airports are:
Notes
Further reading
-
Verma, K. K., Alvi, N. M., Lal, B. B., & India. (1981). Special survey reports on selected towns: Series 4. Delhi: Controller of Publications.
External links
