Ancient History of Jharkhand | Jharkhand State (JPSC) PSC: Preparation - JPSC (Jharkhand) PDF Download

 Page 1


Amar Ujala Publications Jharkhand : General Knowledge
ANCIENT HISTORY
According to writers including Gautam Kumar Bera there was already a
distinct geopolitical, cultural ertily called Jharkhand even before the Maghada
Empire. Bera’s book (page 33) also refers to the Hindu epic Bhavishya Purana.
The tribal rulers, some of whom continue to thrive till today were known as the
Mundas Rajas, who basically had ownership rights to large farmlands.
The most primitive tribes of Jharkhand were the Kharias, Birhors and Asurs.
The Mundas, Oraons and Hos came after them. The Korba tribes came to this
area in between them. Others like The Cheros, the Kharwar, the Bhumij and the
Santhal entered subsequently. The Kharias and Birhors probably came to
Jharkhand from other places. The Kharias lived from Rohtas to Pataliputra in
ancient period. Later they settled on the banks of Koel River after being dislodged
from their original home. The Birhors has also entered Chotanagpur through the
Kaimur Mountains. They were one of the first tribes to move in Chotanagpur like
the Asurs and the Birjias.
The route and the timing of entry of the Mundas in the state are not exactly
known. According to B.C. Mazumdar, the Mundas had pushed the original tribes
of Jharkhand towards south-east. In the opinion of another scholar, they came
from Utter Pradesh where their land was captured by Aryans. The expansion of
the Aryans forced the Mundas to escape towards Rohtas and then they gradually
moved towards Jharkhand. According to another view the Mundas came to
south Bihar from Tibet. They were pushed in course of time towards Chotanagpur
by the Oraons, the Cheros and the Kharwar. Finally they contributed to the
foundation of Nagbanshi Dynasty.
According to scholars, the Oraons were inhabitants of South India.
According to another school of thought, the Mundas and Oraons had
settled in various parts of Jharkhand long before the arrival of the Aryans.
Whatever the truth, this much is certain that Rohtasgarh was an important stage
of their migration. After their exit from Rohtasgarh, the Oraons moved into two
directions. One of the branches proceeded along the bank of the Ganges and
reached Rajmahal. The Malers of these areas are the descendants of the Oraons.
The second branch crossed the son River and entered the part of Nourth Koel
River.
Here, few of them settled in Chotanagpur and some of them back in Palamu
area.
The Bhumij and the Santhal were the largest tribes in Singhbhum, Marldun
and Hazaribagh. Aryans called them anti-Brahman as they were the rivals of the
Aryans.
They regarded them as flesh-eaters and sorcerers. The Bhumij and Bhuiyan
tribes had also settled in Chotanagpur in ancient times. Their origin and later
Page 2


Amar Ujala Publications Jharkhand : General Knowledge
ANCIENT HISTORY
According to writers including Gautam Kumar Bera there was already a
distinct geopolitical, cultural ertily called Jharkhand even before the Maghada
Empire. Bera’s book (page 33) also refers to the Hindu epic Bhavishya Purana.
The tribal rulers, some of whom continue to thrive till today were known as the
Mundas Rajas, who basically had ownership rights to large farmlands.
The most primitive tribes of Jharkhand were the Kharias, Birhors and Asurs.
The Mundas, Oraons and Hos came after them. The Korba tribes came to this
area in between them. Others like The Cheros, the Kharwar, the Bhumij and the
Santhal entered subsequently. The Kharias and Birhors probably came to
Jharkhand from other places. The Kharias lived from Rohtas to Pataliputra in
ancient period. Later they settled on the banks of Koel River after being dislodged
from their original home. The Birhors has also entered Chotanagpur through the
Kaimur Mountains. They were one of the first tribes to move in Chotanagpur like
the Asurs and the Birjias.
The route and the timing of entry of the Mundas in the state are not exactly
known. According to B.C. Mazumdar, the Mundas had pushed the original tribes
of Jharkhand towards south-east. In the opinion of another scholar, they came
from Utter Pradesh where their land was captured by Aryans. The expansion of
the Aryans forced the Mundas to escape towards Rohtas and then they gradually
moved towards Jharkhand. According to another view the Mundas came to
south Bihar from Tibet. They were pushed in course of time towards Chotanagpur
by the Oraons, the Cheros and the Kharwar. Finally they contributed to the
foundation of Nagbanshi Dynasty.
According to scholars, the Oraons were inhabitants of South India.
According to another school of thought, the Mundas and Oraons had
settled in various parts of Jharkhand long before the arrival of the Aryans.
Whatever the truth, this much is certain that Rohtasgarh was an important stage
of their migration. After their exit from Rohtasgarh, the Oraons moved into two
directions. One of the branches proceeded along the bank of the Ganges and
reached Rajmahal. The Malers of these areas are the descendants of the Oraons.
The second branch crossed the son River and entered the part of Nourth Koel
River.
Here, few of them settled in Chotanagpur and some of them back in Palamu
area.
The Bhumij and the Santhal were the largest tribes in Singhbhum, Marldun
and Hazaribagh. Aryans called them anti-Brahman as they were the rivals of the
Aryans.
They regarded them as flesh-eaters and sorcerers. The Bhumij and Bhuiyan
tribes had also settled in Chotanagpur in ancient times. Their origin and later
developments are not very clear. But it is certain that they were established in
different parts of Jharkhand. B Virottam has stated that the Bhumijs settled in
Manbhum; the Hos and the Bhuiyans were confined to Singhbhum and Palamu
areas. The latter always encountered the outside invaders and checked their
entry in Jharkhand.
It is apparent that most of the tribes of Jharkhand except the Cheros, the
Kharwars and the Santhals had settled in Jharkhand before one thousand B.C.
The Mundas and Oraons got settled in Chotanagpur area; the Hos settled in
Singhbhum and Hazaribagh area; the Bhumij in Manbhum area; the Oraons in
Palamu area and the Birjias also settled in Palamu itself. The Santhals became
established in pre-Mughal period and similarly the Cheros –Kharwar enter in
Palamu around the same time.
According to some scholars Gautam Buddha was born in Chotanagpur.
According to scholar Amar Nath Das the Chotanagpur was the Karm-Bhumi of
Gautam Buddha.
He has mentioned the names of some places in Chotanagpur, which were
related to the life and times of Buddha. But his view is not supported by
archaeological evidences. Only this much can be said with certainty that the
Buddhism had left deep impact on Jharkhand. There are several ruins of the
Buddhist monuments and statues in different places of Jharkhand. Some of them
have been brought and preserved in the post-graduate department of history of
Ranchi University. But, the upkeep of these archaeological materials is not good
and they should be kept in a Government Museum.
Many remains of Budhism found in Dalmi and Budhpur in Dhanbad district.
Buddhist ruins have been found in Purulia district of West Bengal. Beglar had
come across some Buddhist remains near Lathon Tongri hill between Pakbira and
Barahmasia villages.
There is a village named Karra six kilometer south of Purulia. A Shastri had
seen some Buddhist ruins in a garden situated at Gholmara three kilometer North
West of Purulia. There are some hot springs in Suraj Kund Village under
Barhi sub-division of Hazaribagh district. Mr. F. M. Molo had found some
figures there in 1918. One of them resembled Budha. There are some remains
which resembles Buddha’s Vihar in Belwadag village located three kilometer east
of Khunti in Ranchi sub-division. Excavation of this site two meters inside the
ground has revealed that the Vihara had the solid foundation of’the brick-size
of seventy inches into ten inches into three inches. This bricks size is similar to
the bricks size of Sanchi Stupa. Several Buddhist statues have been discovered
in places like Jonha of Ranchi district, Katunga village of Gumla district, Bhula
village of Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum) and Ichagarh in Dhanbad district
The great historian Bhandarkar has identified Atwi as the area between
Baghelkhand to the sea-coast of Orissa. Thus Jharkhand definitely falls within
this area. Chotanagpur has been cited in another rock inscription of Ashok. The
Page 3


Amar Ujala Publications Jharkhand : General Knowledge
ANCIENT HISTORY
According to writers including Gautam Kumar Bera there was already a
distinct geopolitical, cultural ertily called Jharkhand even before the Maghada
Empire. Bera’s book (page 33) also refers to the Hindu epic Bhavishya Purana.
The tribal rulers, some of whom continue to thrive till today were known as the
Mundas Rajas, who basically had ownership rights to large farmlands.
The most primitive tribes of Jharkhand were the Kharias, Birhors and Asurs.
The Mundas, Oraons and Hos came after them. The Korba tribes came to this
area in between them. Others like The Cheros, the Kharwar, the Bhumij and the
Santhal entered subsequently. The Kharias and Birhors probably came to
Jharkhand from other places. The Kharias lived from Rohtas to Pataliputra in
ancient period. Later they settled on the banks of Koel River after being dislodged
from their original home. The Birhors has also entered Chotanagpur through the
Kaimur Mountains. They were one of the first tribes to move in Chotanagpur like
the Asurs and the Birjias.
The route and the timing of entry of the Mundas in the state are not exactly
known. According to B.C. Mazumdar, the Mundas had pushed the original tribes
of Jharkhand towards south-east. In the opinion of another scholar, they came
from Utter Pradesh where their land was captured by Aryans. The expansion of
the Aryans forced the Mundas to escape towards Rohtas and then they gradually
moved towards Jharkhand. According to another view the Mundas came to
south Bihar from Tibet. They were pushed in course of time towards Chotanagpur
by the Oraons, the Cheros and the Kharwar. Finally they contributed to the
foundation of Nagbanshi Dynasty.
According to scholars, the Oraons were inhabitants of South India.
According to another school of thought, the Mundas and Oraons had
settled in various parts of Jharkhand long before the arrival of the Aryans.
Whatever the truth, this much is certain that Rohtasgarh was an important stage
of their migration. After their exit from Rohtasgarh, the Oraons moved into two
directions. One of the branches proceeded along the bank of the Ganges and
reached Rajmahal. The Malers of these areas are the descendants of the Oraons.
The second branch crossed the son River and entered the part of Nourth Koel
River.
Here, few of them settled in Chotanagpur and some of them back in Palamu
area.
The Bhumij and the Santhal were the largest tribes in Singhbhum, Marldun
and Hazaribagh. Aryans called them anti-Brahman as they were the rivals of the
Aryans.
They regarded them as flesh-eaters and sorcerers. The Bhumij and Bhuiyan
tribes had also settled in Chotanagpur in ancient times. Their origin and later
developments are not very clear. But it is certain that they were established in
different parts of Jharkhand. B Virottam has stated that the Bhumijs settled in
Manbhum; the Hos and the Bhuiyans were confined to Singhbhum and Palamu
areas. The latter always encountered the outside invaders and checked their
entry in Jharkhand.
It is apparent that most of the tribes of Jharkhand except the Cheros, the
Kharwars and the Santhals had settled in Jharkhand before one thousand B.C.
The Mundas and Oraons got settled in Chotanagpur area; the Hos settled in
Singhbhum and Hazaribagh area; the Bhumij in Manbhum area; the Oraons in
Palamu area and the Birjias also settled in Palamu itself. The Santhals became
established in pre-Mughal period and similarly the Cheros –Kharwar enter in
Palamu around the same time.
According to some scholars Gautam Buddha was born in Chotanagpur.
According to scholar Amar Nath Das the Chotanagpur was the Karm-Bhumi of
Gautam Buddha.
He has mentioned the names of some places in Chotanagpur, which were
related to the life and times of Buddha. But his view is not supported by
archaeological evidences. Only this much can be said with certainty that the
Buddhism had left deep impact on Jharkhand. There are several ruins of the
Buddhist monuments and statues in different places of Jharkhand. Some of them
have been brought and preserved in the post-graduate department of history of
Ranchi University. But, the upkeep of these archaeological materials is not good
and they should be kept in a Government Museum.
Many remains of Budhism found in Dalmi and Budhpur in Dhanbad district.
Buddhist ruins have been found in Purulia district of West Bengal. Beglar had
come across some Buddhist remains near Lathon Tongri hill between Pakbira and
Barahmasia villages.
There is a village named Karra six kilometer south of Purulia. A Shastri had
seen some Buddhist ruins in a garden situated at Gholmara three kilometer North
West of Purulia. There are some hot springs in Suraj Kund Village under
Barhi sub-division of Hazaribagh district. Mr. F. M. Molo had found some
figures there in 1918. One of them resembled Budha. There are some remains
which resembles Buddha’s Vihar in Belwadag village located three kilometer east
of Khunti in Ranchi sub-division. Excavation of this site two meters inside the
ground has revealed that the Vihara had the solid foundation of’the brick-size
of seventy inches into ten inches into three inches. This bricks size is similar to
the bricks size of Sanchi Stupa. Several Buddhist statues have been discovered
in places like Jonha of Ranchi district, Katunga village of Gumla district, Bhula
village of Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum) and Ichagarh in Dhanbad district
The great historian Bhandarkar has identified Atwi as the area between
Baghelkhand to the sea-coast of Orissa. Thus Jharkhand definitely falls within
this area. Chotanagpur has been cited in another rock inscription of Ashok. The
rock inscription incorporates messages to the unconquered tribes to conduct
them according to Dhamma. Scholars have identified these tribes with those
living in Jharkhand.
Before the arrival of Samudra Gupta Buddhism started declning. Later on,
the accession of Shashank on throne of Bengal and his command over Bihar and
Orrisa caused the downfall of the Buddhists Hiuen Tsang has mentioned that the
empire of Shashank extended from Midnapur in West Bengal to Sarguja of
Chhattishgarh. Most of the Buddhist centres were destroyed in his reign. But
the Vajrayana sect of Buddhism continued to flourish in Jharkhand during the
period of the Pala rulers of Bengal. It is true that the Chinmastika temple was
established in Ramgarh during this period. In this way anti-Buddhist policy led
to the resurgence of Hinduism. Hinduism became the dominant religion of
Jharkhand by the tenth century B.C.
Apart from Buddhism, Jainism also made its presence in Jharkhand. The 23rd
Tirthankara of the Jains, Parshvanath achieved salvation on the hills of Parasnath.
Dr. V. Virotam has expressed the opinion that Chotanagpur area was the main
centre of Jainism. There are several remains of Jainism in the river valleys of
Damodar and Kasai. No wonder place is considered very sacred by the Jains.
According to Col. Dalton, several idols related to Jainism were found by him
in Pakwira and banks of Kasai river. He had also seen the ruins of the Jain
temples in pakwira, kara, Boran and of the banks of Kasai river. Here the
viewpoint maintains that Jainism had the least influence in the areas of Palamu
and Garhwa. But B. Virottam has disagreed with this view and he refers to some
worship places of the Jains near Satbarwa.
During this period many important dynasties were established in Jharkhand,
e.g., the Nagbanshi in Chotanagpur, the Rakshels in Palamu, the Singhdeos in
Singhbhum.
Rakshels ruled Palamu. The Rakshels had reached Palamu by moving through
Rohtasgarh from the Rajputana area of Rajasthan. Later on they were thrown out
by the Cheros. The Rakshels had annexed Surguja to their Kingdom. Other tribes
related with Palamu were the Kharwars, the Gonds, the Korwas, the Paharias and
the Kisans. The Kharwar out numbered other tribes. One of their important rulers
was Pratap Dhawal who ruled over Japala for a long time. Many of his inscriptions
have been found in Tilothu (1158 BC), Phulwari (1169 BC), Tarachandi (1169 BC),
etc. But rest part of Palamu was under the control of the Rakshels who ruled till
the arrival of the Cheros in the 16th century A.D.
In Chotanagpur the credit for establishing a state goes to Rita Munda who
was the first tribal leader of the Mundas. He selected Sutna Pahan as the ruler
of the Mundas and named the new state as “Sutia Nag Khand”. Sutna Pahan
had divided his state into several parts namely number 1. Lohagarh (present
Lohardaga). 2. Hazaribagh 3. Palungarh (present Palamu) 4. Mangarh (present
Page 4


Amar Ujala Publications Jharkhand : General Knowledge
ANCIENT HISTORY
According to writers including Gautam Kumar Bera there was already a
distinct geopolitical, cultural ertily called Jharkhand even before the Maghada
Empire. Bera’s book (page 33) also refers to the Hindu epic Bhavishya Purana.
The tribal rulers, some of whom continue to thrive till today were known as the
Mundas Rajas, who basically had ownership rights to large farmlands.
The most primitive tribes of Jharkhand were the Kharias, Birhors and Asurs.
The Mundas, Oraons and Hos came after them. The Korba tribes came to this
area in between them. Others like The Cheros, the Kharwar, the Bhumij and the
Santhal entered subsequently. The Kharias and Birhors probably came to
Jharkhand from other places. The Kharias lived from Rohtas to Pataliputra in
ancient period. Later they settled on the banks of Koel River after being dislodged
from their original home. The Birhors has also entered Chotanagpur through the
Kaimur Mountains. They were one of the first tribes to move in Chotanagpur like
the Asurs and the Birjias.
The route and the timing of entry of the Mundas in the state are not exactly
known. According to B.C. Mazumdar, the Mundas had pushed the original tribes
of Jharkhand towards south-east. In the opinion of another scholar, they came
from Utter Pradesh where their land was captured by Aryans. The expansion of
the Aryans forced the Mundas to escape towards Rohtas and then they gradually
moved towards Jharkhand. According to another view the Mundas came to
south Bihar from Tibet. They were pushed in course of time towards Chotanagpur
by the Oraons, the Cheros and the Kharwar. Finally they contributed to the
foundation of Nagbanshi Dynasty.
According to scholars, the Oraons were inhabitants of South India.
According to another school of thought, the Mundas and Oraons had
settled in various parts of Jharkhand long before the arrival of the Aryans.
Whatever the truth, this much is certain that Rohtasgarh was an important stage
of their migration. After their exit from Rohtasgarh, the Oraons moved into two
directions. One of the branches proceeded along the bank of the Ganges and
reached Rajmahal. The Malers of these areas are the descendants of the Oraons.
The second branch crossed the son River and entered the part of Nourth Koel
River.
Here, few of them settled in Chotanagpur and some of them back in Palamu
area.
The Bhumij and the Santhal were the largest tribes in Singhbhum, Marldun
and Hazaribagh. Aryans called them anti-Brahman as they were the rivals of the
Aryans.
They regarded them as flesh-eaters and sorcerers. The Bhumij and Bhuiyan
tribes had also settled in Chotanagpur in ancient times. Their origin and later
developments are not very clear. But it is certain that they were established in
different parts of Jharkhand. B Virottam has stated that the Bhumijs settled in
Manbhum; the Hos and the Bhuiyans were confined to Singhbhum and Palamu
areas. The latter always encountered the outside invaders and checked their
entry in Jharkhand.
It is apparent that most of the tribes of Jharkhand except the Cheros, the
Kharwars and the Santhals had settled in Jharkhand before one thousand B.C.
The Mundas and Oraons got settled in Chotanagpur area; the Hos settled in
Singhbhum and Hazaribagh area; the Bhumij in Manbhum area; the Oraons in
Palamu area and the Birjias also settled in Palamu itself. The Santhals became
established in pre-Mughal period and similarly the Cheros –Kharwar enter in
Palamu around the same time.
According to some scholars Gautam Buddha was born in Chotanagpur.
According to scholar Amar Nath Das the Chotanagpur was the Karm-Bhumi of
Gautam Buddha.
He has mentioned the names of some places in Chotanagpur, which were
related to the life and times of Buddha. But his view is not supported by
archaeological evidences. Only this much can be said with certainty that the
Buddhism had left deep impact on Jharkhand. There are several ruins of the
Buddhist monuments and statues in different places of Jharkhand. Some of them
have been brought and preserved in the post-graduate department of history of
Ranchi University. But, the upkeep of these archaeological materials is not good
and they should be kept in a Government Museum.
Many remains of Budhism found in Dalmi and Budhpur in Dhanbad district.
Buddhist ruins have been found in Purulia district of West Bengal. Beglar had
come across some Buddhist remains near Lathon Tongri hill between Pakbira and
Barahmasia villages.
There is a village named Karra six kilometer south of Purulia. A Shastri had
seen some Buddhist ruins in a garden situated at Gholmara three kilometer North
West of Purulia. There are some hot springs in Suraj Kund Village under
Barhi sub-division of Hazaribagh district. Mr. F. M. Molo had found some
figures there in 1918. One of them resembled Budha. There are some remains
which resembles Buddha’s Vihar in Belwadag village located three kilometer east
of Khunti in Ranchi sub-division. Excavation of this site two meters inside the
ground has revealed that the Vihara had the solid foundation of’the brick-size
of seventy inches into ten inches into three inches. This bricks size is similar to
the bricks size of Sanchi Stupa. Several Buddhist statues have been discovered
in places like Jonha of Ranchi district, Katunga village of Gumla district, Bhula
village of Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum) and Ichagarh in Dhanbad district
The great historian Bhandarkar has identified Atwi as the area between
Baghelkhand to the sea-coast of Orissa. Thus Jharkhand definitely falls within
this area. Chotanagpur has been cited in another rock inscription of Ashok. The
rock inscription incorporates messages to the unconquered tribes to conduct
them according to Dhamma. Scholars have identified these tribes with those
living in Jharkhand.
Before the arrival of Samudra Gupta Buddhism started declning. Later on,
the accession of Shashank on throne of Bengal and his command over Bihar and
Orrisa caused the downfall of the Buddhists Hiuen Tsang has mentioned that the
empire of Shashank extended from Midnapur in West Bengal to Sarguja of
Chhattishgarh. Most of the Buddhist centres were destroyed in his reign. But
the Vajrayana sect of Buddhism continued to flourish in Jharkhand during the
period of the Pala rulers of Bengal. It is true that the Chinmastika temple was
established in Ramgarh during this period. In this way anti-Buddhist policy led
to the resurgence of Hinduism. Hinduism became the dominant religion of
Jharkhand by the tenth century B.C.
Apart from Buddhism, Jainism also made its presence in Jharkhand. The 23rd
Tirthankara of the Jains, Parshvanath achieved salvation on the hills of Parasnath.
Dr. V. Virotam has expressed the opinion that Chotanagpur area was the main
centre of Jainism. There are several remains of Jainism in the river valleys of
Damodar and Kasai. No wonder place is considered very sacred by the Jains.
According to Col. Dalton, several idols related to Jainism were found by him
in Pakwira and banks of Kasai river. He had also seen the ruins of the Jain
temples in pakwira, kara, Boran and of the banks of Kasai river. Here the
viewpoint maintains that Jainism had the least influence in the areas of Palamu
and Garhwa. But B. Virottam has disagreed with this view and he refers to some
worship places of the Jains near Satbarwa.
During this period many important dynasties were established in Jharkhand,
e.g., the Nagbanshi in Chotanagpur, the Rakshels in Palamu, the Singhdeos in
Singhbhum.
Rakshels ruled Palamu. The Rakshels had reached Palamu by moving through
Rohtasgarh from the Rajputana area of Rajasthan. Later on they were thrown out
by the Cheros. The Rakshels had annexed Surguja to their Kingdom. Other tribes
related with Palamu were the Kharwars, the Gonds, the Korwas, the Paharias and
the Kisans. The Kharwar out numbered other tribes. One of their important rulers
was Pratap Dhawal who ruled over Japala for a long time. Many of his inscriptions
have been found in Tilothu (1158 BC), Phulwari (1169 BC), Tarachandi (1169 BC),
etc. But rest part of Palamu was under the control of the Rakshels who ruled till
the arrival of the Cheros in the 16th century A.D.
In Chotanagpur the credit for establishing a state goes to Rita Munda who
was the first tribal leader of the Mundas. He selected Sutna Pahan as the ruler
of the Mundas and named the new state as “Sutia Nag Khand”. Sutna Pahan
had divided his state into several parts namely number 1. Lohagarh (present
Lohardaga). 2. Hazaribagh 3. Palungarh (present Palamu) 4. Mangarh (present
Manbhum) 5. Singgarh (present Singbhum) 6. Kesalgarh and, 7. Surmug garh
(present Surguja). These seven garhs were further sub-divided into twenty one
parganas namely Omdanda, Doisa, Khukhra, Surguja, Jaspur, Gangpur, Porhat,
Girga, Birua, Lachra, Birna, Sonpur, Belkhadar, Belsing, Tamar, Lohardih, Kharsing,
Udaipur, Bonai, Korya, Changmangkar. This administration divison reveals that
the state established by Sutna Pahan extended beyond the present area of
Jharkhand. Unfortunately the rule of Sutana Pahan could not last long and his
state disintegrated into small parts.
Many small states emerged in different areas of Jharkhand included Palamu,
Surguja, Korambay, Rakshel, Chotanagpur and Parahat. Other small states included
the Parchet and Keonjhar. The Chotanagpur Plateau is a plateau is eastern India,
which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Odisha, West
Bengal, Bihar and Chhattigarh. Chota is a curruption of the word Chutia, a village
in the outskirts of Ranchi and Nagpur is probably taken from Nagavanshis, who
ruled in this part of the country. There are many stories about the origin of
Nagvanshi.  The date of their origin and the period of various rulers are highly
confusing.
Phani Mukut Rai was the first Nagbanshi ruler. Areas like Banta, Hajam,
Badam, Ramgarh, Gola, Tor, Palani, Mankeri, Barwa and Keonjhar were included
in his state.
The population of Chotanagpur during the reign of Phan Mukut Rai was
dominated by the tribes but in course of time, the number of Brahamins, Rajputs
and other Hindu castes began to increase. Panchet was situated to the east of
Chotanagpur and Keonjhar was located to the south of the Nagbanshi state. The
Nagbanshi ruler took the help of the Panchet ruler and defeated the ruler of
Keonjhar. The fourth Nagbanshi ruler Raja Pratap Rai transferred his capital from
Suteambe to Chutia. He invited the people to come and settle in the new capital,
which was by and large peaceful.
The internal rivalry among the Gurjara Pratihara, Rashtra Kuta and Pala kings
had great impact on politics of Chotanagpur. They adopted offensive posture
towards Chotanagpur and captured its parts at the slightest opportunity. One of
the rock inscriptions of Mahendra Pala at Itkhori indicates that the Pratihara ruler
came in control of the bordering areas of Chotanagpur during second half of the
9th century A.D. But the weakening of the Pala dynasty saved different areas
of Chotanagpur from falling in external hands.
Bhimkaran, one of the rulers of the Nagbanshi fought against the ruler of
Surguja because the latter invaded Chotanagpur with a very big army. He wanted
to protect the capital from the Muslim invasions because Chotanagpur fell on
way to Bengal and so he changed his capital from Chutia to Khukhra. By the
end of the ancient period Chotanagpur could not remain isolated and contemporary
events left deep impact on it.