Dhanbad

History

The present district used to be a part of Manbhum region and was occupied by Mundari tribals in the wilderness of South undivided Bihar. In the seventh century A.D. some information is available from the account of the travels of Hieun Tsang. These accounts narrate the existence of a powerful kingdom which comprised the district and adjoining areas, ruled by Sasanka. Manbhum was one of the districts of the East India during the British Raj. The region has thick forests, with rich mineral resources, and had a mixed demographic profile with people from different religious and social groups, including adivasis, particularly the Santals and the Mundas before the city was established. In the Settlement Report for Manbhum (1928) it was stated that no rock inscriptions, copper plates or old coins were discovered and not a single document of copper plate or palm leaf was found, during the Survey and Settlement operations. The oldest authentic documents produced were all on paper and barely even a hundred years old. Dhanbad city was in Manbhum district from 1928 up to 1956. on the recommendation of the States Reorganization Commission vide notification 1911. This was done under the commitment and leadership of journalist, Satish Chandra. In the year 2006, Dhanbad celebrated 50 years of being an independent district and city. From 1956 to 14 November 2000, it was under Bihar. At present, it is in Jharkhand, after the creation of the state on 15 November 2000. The discovery of rich deposits of coal in the region caused the city to flourish financially, but also bought notorious coal-mafia and gang wars

Geography

Dhanbad has an average elevation of . Its geographical length (extending from north to south) is and the breadth (stretching across east to West) is . It shares its boundaries with West Bengal in the eastern and southern part, Giridih and Dumka in the North and Bokaro District in the west. Dhanbad comes under the Chota Nagpur Plateau. The Damodar is a major river of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. It rises in Palamu and flows eastward between the plateaus of Ranchi and Hazaribag. It is joined by the Bokaro, the Konar and the Barakar rivers. The Damodar enters Dhanbad district at its confluence with the Jamuria, a stream which marks the western boundary of Dhanbad with Hazaribagh District. Further east, the Damodar is joined by the Katri River which rises in the foothills below Parasnath and traverses through the coal-field area. The Barakar, which forms the northern boundary of the district, traverses about 77 km. It flows in south westerly direction up to Durgapur and then south till it joins the Damodar near Chirkunda. Dhanbad features a climate that is transitional between a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) and a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw). Summer starts from the first week of March and ends in mid-July. The peak temperature in summer can reach 48 °C. Dhanbad also receives heavy rainfall. In winter, the minimum temperature remains around 8 °C with a maximum of 25 °C. Dhanbad has been ranked 34th best "National Clean Air City" (under Category 1 >10L Population cities) in India.

Most-observed species

• Black Drongo

  Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  146
• Spotted Dove

  Spilopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  133
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  130
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  129
• Asian Pied Starling

  Gracupica contra (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  116
• Jungle Babbler

  Turdoides striata (Dumont, 1823) · Aves
  111
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  108
• House Crow

  Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  104

Most recent

• M 4 — 2020-04-08
  22 km NNW of B?nkura, India
• M 4.7 — 2019-05-26
  18 km W of B?nkura, India
• M 4.5 — 2015-12-15
  6 km E of Gobindpur, India
• M 4.2 — 2008-11-08
  14 km NNE of Durgapur, India
• M 4.3 — 2008-02-06
  16 km NW of Beli?tor, India
• M 4.3 — 2003-10-20
  8 km E of Puruliya, India