Bankura district

Bankura district () is one of the seven districts of Burdwan Division in the Indian state of West Bengal. The district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial plains. To the west the surface gradually rises, giving way to undulating country, interspersed with rocky hillocks.O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, Bankura, Bengal District Gazetteers, pp. 1-20, first published 1908, 1995 reprint, Government of West Bengal

Centre of the famous Malla kingdom of western Bengal, Bankura and its surrounding regions are identified with its historical and cultural significance for the later period of Middle Ages. Vaishnavism, which gained the status of state religion of the Malla kingdom in seventeenth century AD, shaped the culture of the region. The Malla Kingdom was annexed by British East India Company in 1765 and the modern Bankura district took its form in 1881 and was named after its headquarters.

Etymology

There are different opinions about the etymology of the word Bankura. In the language of the Kol-Mundas, orah or rah means habitation. Banku means extremely beautiful. It may also have come from the word banka which means zig-zag. One of the most influential deities in the district is Dharmathakur and he is locally called Bankura Roy. According to local tradition, the town, which is...
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