Hazaribagh district

Hazaribagh district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India and the district headquarter located in Hazaribagh town. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor. The district is named after its headquarters, the town of Hazaribagh. The name, Hazaribagh consists of two Persian words, hazar meaning "one thousand", and bagh meaning "garden" - so, the literal meaning of Hazaribagh is 'a city of one thousand gardens'. According to Sir John Houlton, a veteran British administrator, the town takes its name from the small villages of Okni and Hazari – shown in old maps as Ocunhazry. The last syllable in its name probably originated in a mango-grove, which formed a camping ground for troops and travellers marching along the ‘new military road’ from Kolkata to Varanasi, constructed in 1782 and the following years. There are ancient Cave Paintings in Isko, Hazaribagh district which are from Meso-chalcolithic period (9,000-5,000 BC). There is a group of megaliths found close to Barkagaon that is about 25 km from Hazaribagh town at Punkri Barwadih, which has been proven to date back to beyond 3000 BCE. On 6 December 1972, Giridih district was split from Hazaribagh. In 1999 this happened again with the creation of Chatra and Koderma. Hazaribagh left Bihar when Jharkhand was formed on 15 November 2000. On 12 September 2007, yet another district was created from Hazaribagh's territory: Ramgarh. Coal is the major mineral found in this district. This significant coal deposit reserves of this district include Charhi, Kuju, Ghato Tand and Barkagaon of North Karanpura Coalfield. The coal mines are the main source of livelihood for the residents of this district. People of this district are known to be very hard working. Patratu and Bhurkunda was also coal mines areas of Hazaribagh but it is now in Ramgarh district. In 2006, the Indian government named Hazaribagh one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 21 districts in Jharkhand currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).