View source for Midnapore district

{{Short description|Former district in West Bengal, India}}
{{other uses|Midnapore (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
| conventional_long_name  = 
| common_name            = Medinipur
| nation                 = [[British India|British]] and independent [[India]]
| subdivision            =[[List of districts of West Bengal|Former district]]
|capital                = [[Midnapore]]
|coordinates            ={{coord|22.424|N|87.319|E|display=inline,title}}
| image_map                = Midnapore in West Bengal (India).svg
| map_caption              = Location and area of Midnapore district in West Bengal (2001)

|year_start  = 1760
|event_start = Ceded to [[East India Company]]
|event1             =   [[Dhalbhum]], [[Khatra subdivision|Khatra, Raipur and Simlapal]] area curved out
|date_event1        = 1833

|year_end    = 2002
|event_end   = [[Partition of Midnapore|Bifurcation]]
|event_post = 
|date_post =

|stat_year1= 1760<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mukherjee |first=Deblina |date=2024-09-21 |title=Banditry or Peasant Insurgency? Contextualizing and Analysing the Chuar Rebellion of Midnapore Under East India Company (1770s–1800) |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2455328X241276920 |journal=Contemporary Voice of Dalit |language=en |pages=2455328X241276920 |doi=10.1177/2455328X241276920 |issn=2455-328X|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
|stat_area1= 15804
|stat_pop1= 
|stat_year2  = 1822<ref>{{cite book|title=Report of the Population Estimates of India (1820-1030) - Census 1961 |year=1963 |publisher=Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs Office of the Registrar General, India |page=71 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/31861/download/35042/53474_1961_REP.pdf}}</ref>
|stat_area2  = 21394
|stat_pop2   = 1914060
|stat_area3 =13163
|stat_year3 =1872<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beverley |first=H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h5Y7AQAAMAAJ |title=Report of the Census of Bengal 1872 |date=1872 |publisher=Bengal Secretariat Press |pages=6–7 |language=en}}</ref>
|stat_pop3 = 2540963

|stat_year4  = 2001
|stat_area4  = 14081
|stat_pop4   = 9610788

|p1          = 
|s1          = East Medinipur district
|s2          = West Medinipur district
|s3          = Jhargram district 
|flag_p1     = 
|flag_s1     = Flag of India.svg
|flag_s2     = Flag of India.svg
|flag_s3     = Flag of India.svg
}}

'''Midnapore''' (Pron: mad̪aːniːpur), or sometimes '''Medinipur''', is a former district in the [[India]]n [[States and union territories of India|state]] of [[West Bengal]], headquartered in [[Midnapore]]. On 1 January 2002, the district was bifurcated into two separate districts namely [[Purba Medinipur district|Purba Medinipur]] and [[Paschim Medinipur district|Paschim Medinipur]]. It was the largest district of West Bengal by area and population at the time of bifurcation.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/27869/download/31038/DH_19_2001_MAD.pdf| title = Census of India 2001, West Bengal, District Census Handbook, Madinipur, Series – 20, Part – A & B, Village and Town Directory, Village and Town Wise Primary Census Abstract | publisher = Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal |access-date = 28 May 2021}}</ref>

==Etymology==
There are conflicting accounts of how the name Medinipur came to be. One account claims that Medinipur was named after a local deity "Medinimata" (literally "mother of the world", a Shakti incarnation). According to Sri Hari Sadhan Das, the district got its name from "Medinikar", the founder of the city in 1238, who was the son of "Prankara", the feudal king of "Gondichadesh". He was also the writer of "Medinikosh". [[Hara Prasad Shastri]] thinks that the city Medinikar established it around the time he wrote the book (1200-1431). He is said to have built the fort called "Kornelgola" situated in the city.<ref name="swadhinata">{{cite book |last1=Das |first1=Hari Sadhan |title=Medinipur O Swadhinata |date=1997 |publisher=Reba Das |location=Calcutta, India |url=http://libnet.vidyasagar.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=14827|language=bn}}</ref><ref name="itihas">{{cite book |last1=Basu |first1=Jogesh Chandra |title=Medinipurer Itihas |date=1921 |publisher=Haridāsa Caṭṭopādhyāẏa, Gurudāsa Caṭṭopādhyāẏa |page=43 |edition=Vol 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jeNAAQAAMAAJ |language=bn}}</ref>

==History==
===Mediaeval to colonial history===
In ancient times the region seems to be highly influenced by Jainism and Buddhism. The kingdom of [[Shashanka]] and [[Harsha]]vardhana also included part of undivided Midnapore in their kingdom. However, the most significant archaeological site in the region is the bustling port of [[Tamralipta]] near present-day [[Tamluk]], a site noted in the travelogues of [[Faxian]] and [[Xuanzang]]. Later [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu|Chaitanya]] passed through the area on his way from [[Puri]] to [[Varanasi]] as documented in the ''[[Chaitanya Charitamrita]]''. After the fall of last independent Hindu dynasty of [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalinga]]-[[Utkala Kingdom|Utkala]], Gajapati Mukunda Deva in the 16th century, this region came under one of the five Sarkars of Mughalbandi Odisha i.e. [[Jaleswar]] Sarkar which was ruled by the Subehdar of [[Odisha]]. The north boundary of Jaleswar was Tamluk and south was Soro and Dhalbhumgarh in the west to the [[Bay of Bengal]] in the east. Bahadur Khan was the ruler of Jaleswar Sarkar or [[Hijli Kingdom|Hijli]] (including Midnapore) during the time of [[Shah Jehan]]. He was defeated by [[Shah Shuja (Mughal)|Shah Shuja]], the second son of Shah Jehan, then the ''subahdar'' of Bengal.<ref name="swadhinata"/><ref name="itihas"/><ref name="legacy">{{Cite web|title=.:: Legacy of Midnapore - Midnapore ::.|url=https://www.midnapore.in/town_midnapore.html#:~:text=Midnapore%20is%20famous%20for%20its,the%20Chuar%20Revolt%20(1799).|access-date=2021-03-03|website=www.midnapore.in}}</ref><ref name="monastery">{{cite news |last1=Pandey |first1=Jhimli Mukherjee |title=1400-yr-old monastery unearthed |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/1400-yr-old-monastery-unearthed/articleshow/3391273.cms |work=The Times of India |date=22 August 2008}}</ref>

During the era of the Muslim rulers of Bengal [[nawab]], [[Alivardi Khan]]'s general [[Mir Jafar]] fought successfully against [[Mir Habib]]'s lieutenant Sayyid Nur near Midnapore in 1746. This was part of his campaign to regain [[Odisha]] and thwart the [[Maratha]] attacks on Bengal. Mir Habib came up from [[Balasore]] and was joined by the Marathas, but Mir Jafar fled to [[Burdwan]], leaving Mir Habib to retake Midnapore with ease. Alivardi Khan defeated Janoji Bhosle, a Maratha chieftain, in a severely contested battle near Burdwan in 1747 and Janoji fled to Midnapore. The Marathas held on to Odisha including Midnapore until 1749 when it was reconquered by Alivardi Khan. The Marathas continued to raid Midnapore, which proved disastrous for the residents.<ref name="swadhinata"/><ref name="itihas"/><ref name="legacy"/><ref name="monastery"/>

[[File:Southwest Bengal, 1776, by Rennell.jpg|thumb|[[James Rennell]]'s 1776 map showing the Midnapore district area, as ceded to the [[East India Company]] in 1760]]

In 1756, Alivardi Khan died and his successor was [[Siraj-ud-daulah]]. On 20 June 1757, he was betrayed by [[Mir Jafar]] to the [[British East India Company|East India Company]] under the command of Lord [[Robert Clive]] at [[Plassey]]. This consolidated the company's hold on Bengal and Odisha (along with Midnapore). The district of Midnapore which included [[Dhalbhum]] or [[Ghatshila]], now in [[Singhbhum]], Jharkhand was annexed in 1760 along with [[Burdwan]] and [[Chittagong]] both handed over to the East India Company by [[Mir Qasim]]. The last free king of Dhalbhum was imprisoned in Midnapore.<ref name="swadhinata"/><ref name="itihas"/><ref name="legacy"/><ref name="monastery"/>

[[File:The Sketch Map Showing Provincial and District Divisions to Accompany the Administration Report, 1872–73 (Cropped to Bihar, Chota Nagpur, and Odisha).jpg|thumb|The 1872 census district map of the [[Bengal Presidency]] depicts Midnapore District as part of the [[Burdwan Division]], and its territorial jurisdiction remained unchanged until bifurcation in 2002.]]
Some of the [[History of Bankura district#Bisnupur kingdom|Malla]] kings of [[Mallabhum]] in the [[Bankura]] district held land in northern Midnapore district, while the Raj rules of Narajole, [[Jhargram]], [[Lalgarh (midnapore)|Lalgarh]], Jamboni, and [[Chandrakona]] held sway in their local areas. The Raj rulers in [[Rajasthan]] would pay homage to [[Jagannath]] but carves out their own territories under the supremacy of the Hindu empires of Odisha. The Mallick Zamindars also ruled over an extensively large area during the British rule. They also built the Jagannath Temple of Midnapore.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Behera |first1=K.S. |title=Gloom and Bloom : The Case of Jagannatha Temples in Midnapore District |url=http://magazines.odisha.gov.in/Orissareview/jun2004/englishpdf/gloom.pdf |website=Orrisa Review (June 2004) |publisher=[[Government of Odisha]] |access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref>

===Partition of the district===
The earliest recorded attempt to divide Midnapore district was announced during the time of the [[British Raj]] in 1915.<ref name="Local">{{cite book
 | last = Chakrabarty
 | first = Bidyut
 | year = 1997
 | title = Local Politics and Indian Nationalism: Midnapur (1919-1944)
 | publisher = Manohar
 | location = New Delhi
 | pages = 72–76
 }}</ref> Since, the district was administered by a district magistrate or 'collector'. The idea behind the division was to make the administration of the large district more manageable. The Government of the province of [[Bengal]] had floated the idea in 1907, but had not implemented it, due to the volatile situation in the province following the [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|Partition of Bengal]].<ref name="Local"/> A new district of Hijli was to be set up to help in administration. Midnapore was also a hotbed of revolutionary activity, and it was thought that dividing the district would allow the British rulers to tighten their grip.<ref name="Local"/> The announcement of the partition on 26 January 1915 was greeted with protests from [[zamindar]]s who feared they would be taxed twice if their lands spanned two districts, and by the lawyers of the district court who felt their business would be hurt if another district court was set up at Hijli.<ref name="Local"/> Upendra Nath Maity, President of the Midnapore Bar Association commented that the division of the district would be financially unsound since there were, in his opinion, more pressing matters that the administration needed to finance.<ref name="Local"/> [[Birendranath Sasmal]], a prominent barrister and politician, initially supported the partition when it was possible that his hometown, Contai, might be the seat of the new district, but opposed it, when Hijli was announced instead.<ref name="Local"/> A number of members of the [[Indian National Congress]] also opposed the partition citing that they believed the ruling class wanted to break the unity of the politically conscious population of the undivided district. Agitation against the partition continued until 1921, when the whole idea was canned, due to financial reasons.<ref name="Local"/>

In independent India, successive governments had expressed a desire to divide the district but this was never done until the government led by [[Chief Minister]] [[Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee]] finalized the details of the partition and set a date.<ref name="Telegraph2">{{cite news 
| last = Jana
| first = Naresh
| date = 31 December 2001
| url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1011231/national.htm#head3
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20140314222620/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1011231/national.htm#head3
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 14 March 2014
| title = Tamluk readies for giant's partition
| access-date = 13 October 2006
| location=Calcutta, India
| work=The Telegraph
}}</ref> The mood in various towns in that were affected was variable, as gauged by local newspapers. In general, the event was treated with concern and dismay in Midnapore by inhabitants citing a loss of importance, greeted with parades and other festivities in Tamluk since it was now a district town, and with dismay or apathy in Contai since Contai had failed to become the district town in the newly formed district.<ref name="Anandabazar2">{{cite web
 |date        = 1 January 2002
 |url         = http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1020101/1raj2.htm
 |title       = Abasheshe Medinipur bhenge noya jela aaj (in Bengali)
 |access-date  = 13 October 2006
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20071008070510/http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1020101/1raj2.htm
 |archive-date = 8 October 2007
}}</ref><ref name="Anandabazar1"/><ref name="Telegraph2"/><ref name="Telegraph1">{{cite news
| last = Telegraph editorial
| date = 3 January 2002
| url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/archives/archive.html
| title = Divide and rule
| access-date = 13 October 2006
| location = Calcutta, India
| work = The Telegraph
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081112044743/http://www.telegraphindia.com/archives/archive.html
| archive-date = 12 November 2008
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> The major opposition party, the [[Trinamool Congress]] opposed the move, but a section of the media was favorable.<ref name="Telegraph1"/> Dividing the district, it was felt would help the administration reach the people and assist in providing better healthcare and educational facilities.<ref name="Telegraph1"/> Opponents mentioned that many of the problems of [[Naxalite]] elements would be plaguing the district of Paschim Medinpur and would take up too much of its now limited resources.<ref name="Anandabazar2"/><ref name="Telegraph1"/> New administrative and legislative buildings began to come up immediately in Tamluk after the partition came into effect.<ref name="Anandabazar2"/> A new district magistrate and superintendent of police was also appointed.<ref name="Telegraph2"/>

Midnapore district was bifurcated into two districts, [[Purba Medinipur district|Purba Medinipur]] and [[Paschim Medinipur district|Paschim Medinipur]], on 1 January 2002.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Saha|first=Sudhir Chandra|title=The Scheme for Partition of Midnapur in Different Phases and ITS Impact |date=1973|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44138712|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=34|pages=175–181|jstor=44138712 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref> The [[Medinipur]] Sadar, [[Kharagpur]], [[Jhargram]], and [[Ghatal]] subdivision were placed in Paschim Medinipur, with Midnapore as headquarters.<ref name="Anandabazar2"/> While [[Tamluk]], [[Contai]], and [[Haldia]] subdivision were placed in the Purbi Medinipur district with district headquarters at Tamluk.<ref name="Anandabazar1">{{cite web
 |last       = Acharya
 |first      = Prasun
 |date       = 2 January 2002
 |url        = http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1020102/2raj1.htm
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071008070342/http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1020102/2raj1.htm
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = 8 October 2007
 |title      = Medinipur bhenge Buddher ashash hotabe jonojuddhoke (in Bengali)
 |access-date = 13 October 2006
}}</ref> [[Egra]] subdivision, a new subdivision of Purba Medinipur, was created out of the Contai subdivision.<ref name="Anandabazar2"/> Further, on April 4, 2017, the [[Jhargram subdivision]] of Paschim Medinipur was carved out as a [[Jhargram district|separate district]].

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|1872 |2,542,920
|1881 |2,515,567
|1891 |2,631,466
|1901 |2,789,114
|1911 |2,821,201
|1921 |2,666,660
|1931 |2,799,093
|1941 |3,190,647
|1951 |3,359,022
|1961 |4,341,855
|1971 |5,509,247
|1981 |6,742,796
|1991 |8,331,912
|2001 |9,610,788
|footnote=Note: After 2001, the Midnapore district was bifurcated into two separate districts namely [[Purba Medinipur district|Purba Medinipur]] and [[Paschim Medinipur district|Paschim Medinipur]]. Subsequently, in 2017, [[Jhargram subdivision]] of Paschim Medinipur district curved out as a [[Jhargram district|separate district]].
|source=[[Census of India]]<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Pranab |last1= Ganguly |first2=Suvas |last2=Bose |date=April 1992|title=Population Trends in Midnapore District, West Bengal, 1872–1981 |journal=Vidyasagar University: Journal of Social Sciences |others=Inaugural Number 1991–1992 |url=https://www.academia.edu/7661574 |publisher=Vidyasagar University |location=Midnapore |pages=1–13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= District Handbooks Midnapur - Census 1951 |publisher= Superintendent of Census Operations, West Bengal |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/30064/download/33245/20870_1951_MID.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title= A-02: Decadal variation in population 1901-2011, West Bengal, India, 2011|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/43352/download/47040/19%20A-2%20West%20Bengal.pdf|website=www.censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>
}}

=== Religion ===
{{bar box
|title=Religions in Midnapore district (2001)<ref name="2001Religion">{{cite web|title=C-01: Population by religious community, West Bengal - 2001|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/21481/download/24613/PC01_C01_19.xls |publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]}}</ref>
|titlebar=#Fcd116
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=left
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism in West Bengal|Hinduism]]|darkorange|85.58}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam in West Bengal|Islam]]|green|11.33}}
{{bar percent|{{tooltip|ORP|Other religions and persuasions (incl.Unclassified Sect.)}}|maroon|2.73}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity in West Bengal|Christianity]]|dodgerblue|0.23}}
{{bar percent|[[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]] and [[Jainism]]|pink|0.07}}
{{bar percent|Not stated|black|0.07}}
|caption=*''ORP mostly adherents of [[Sari Dharam|Sari]] and [[Sarnaism|Sarna Dharma]]''
}}

According to the 2001 Census {{percent and number|8224779|9610788|2}} people are Hindus, {{percent and number|1088618|9610788|2}} are Muslims, {{percent and number|21863|9610788|2}} are Christians, {{percent and number|3237|9610788|2}} are Sikhs, {{percent and number|1637|9610788|2}} are Buddhist, {{percent and number|1635|9610788|2}} Jains, and {{percent and number|6441|9610788|2}} didn't stated any religious affiliation, while the rest {{percent and number|262578|9610788|2}} are adherent of tribal faiths (primarily [[Sari Dharam|Sari]] and [[Sarnaism|Sarna Dharma]]) and other unclassified sect and beliefs.<ref name="2001Religion"/>

=== Languages ===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Languages of the district (2001)<ref name="2011language" />
|label1 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]] |value1 = 90.47 |color1 = saddlebrown
|label2 = [[Santali language|Santali]] |value2 = 5 |color2 = darkturquoise
|label3 = [[Hindi]] |value3 = 1.38 |color3 = deepskyblue
|label4 = [[Kurmali language|Kurmali]] |value4 = 0.7 |color4 = teal
|label5 = [[Urdu language|Urdu]] |value5 = 0.62 |color5 = darkgoldenrod
|label6 = [[Telugu language|Telugu]] |value6 = 0.58 |color6 = orchid
|label7 = [[Odia language|Odia]] |value7 = 0.37 |color7 = yellow
|label8 = Mundari |value8=0.21 |color8= cyan
|label9=Kora |value9=0.11 |color9= darkgreen
|other=yes |other-color=grey}}

At the time of 2001, the last census of the district, Bengali speakers accounted for 90.47% (8.7 million), Santali 5% (480,000), and Hindi 1.38% (130,000). Kurmali (0.7%), Urdu (0.62%), Telugu (0.58%), and Odia (0.37%) had 68,000, 60,000, 56,000, and 36,000 speakers, respectively. Mundari (0.21%) and Koda (0.11%) had 20,000 and 11,000 speakers.<ref name="2011language">{{cite web |title=C-16: Population by mother tongue, West Bengal - 2001 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/22860/download/25991/PC01_C16_19.xls |publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]}}</ref>

===Social groups===
As of the last census of the district, i.e. the 2001 Census, [[Scheduled Castes and Tribes|Scheduled Communities]] accounted for half of the total population, with Scheduled Castes comprising 33.6% (1,576,337) and Scheduled Tribes 17% (798,684).<ref>{{Citation |title=PCA-TOT: Primary Census Abstract Total,West Bengal - 2001 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/20931/download/24063/PC01_PCA_TOT_19_00.xls}}</ref> However, according to the 1931 census, out of a total population of 2,789,093 in Midnapore district, the [[Mahishya]] (incl. Chasa-Kaibrata, Mahisya-Kshatriya) community accounted for 31.67%, followed by [[Santal people|Santal]] (6.09%), [[Bagdi (caste)|Bagdi]] (5.51%), [[Brahmin|Brahman]] (4.29%), [[Sadgop]] (3.93%), [[Kudmi Mahato|Kurmi]] (3.07%), [[Tanti]] and Tatwa (3.04%), [[Vaishnavism|Baisnaba]] (2.21%), [[Kayastha]] (1.98%), [[Raju]] (1.96%), [[Bhumij people|Bhumij]] (1.62%), Adi-Kaibrata (1.61%), [[Gowala (caste)|Goala]] (1.5%), [[Namasudra|Namsudra]] (1.33%), [[Pod (caste)|Pod]] (1.32%), Napit (1.29%), [[Dhobi]] (1.18%), [[Kamar (caste)|Kamar]] (1.17%), and Kalu and [[Teli]] (1.11%). Communities accounting for between 1% and 0.1% of the population included [[Kumhar]], [[Hari caste|Hari]], [[Tili (caste)|Tili]], [[Dom caste|Dom]], [[Bhuiya]], [[Bauri (caste)|Bauri]], [[Rajput]], [[Kora (tribe)|Kora]], [[Lodha people|Lodha]], [[Rajbanshi people|Rajbansi]], Muchi, [[Mal (caste)|Mal]], [[Kaora]], Barui, [[Sundhi|Suri]], [[Jogi (caste)|Jogi]], [[Rajuar|Rajwar]], Tiyar, Karenga, Kandra, [[Mahli]], Mali, and [[Munda people|Munda]]. The Muslim community made up 7.62% of the population, including Mumin (Jholaha) at 0.25% and Sayyad at 0.27%, while the remaining 7.6% of the population consisted of various smaller minority communities each below 0.1%.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Census of India – 1931, Bengal & Sikkim, Tables, Part II, Vol-V |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/32437/download/35618/25392_1931_TAB.pdf}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book |date=2021-08-12 |title=Military interventions and surveys in southwest Bengal, c. 1765 : Midnapore 'frontier' and the wider Jangal Mahal |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003094395-11/military-interventions-surveys-southwest-bengal-1765-ujjayan-bhattacharya |publisher=Taylor & Francis |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003094395-11 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20211217020643/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003094395-11/military-interventions-surveys-southwest-bengal-1765-ujjayan-bhattacharya |archive-date=2021-12-17|url-access=subscription }}

==External links==
* {{Commons-inline}}

{{Districts of West Bengal}}
{{Historical districts of India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Midnapore District}}
[[Category:Former districts of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Districts of British India]]