Ghatshila is a census town in the Ghatshila CD block in the Ghatshila subdivision of the East Singhbhum district, in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
History
According to legends, the royal family of the Kingdom of Dhalbhum ware originally the members of the primitive Bhumij race, who was selected by the other Bhumij chiefs as their feudal ruler. The zamindars later became Hinduised, and adopted the title 'Dhal' or 'Dhabal Deo'. These families kept up a sort of semi-royal state and dignified their heir-apparent and those in immediate succession with title of honor, which denotes precedence. Thus, in the Dhal dynasty of Dhalbhum, the oldest son of the ruling king (Rajah) took the title of Jubraj (Yuvraj), the second that of Hikkim, the third of Bara Thakur, the fourth that of Kuar, the fifth that of Musib and the rest Babu.
The area of the kingdom of Dhalbhum was approximately . Raja Jaganath constructed the Rankini Mandir at Galudih. But due to some problem, he shifted the Kali temple along with all the associates and other people to Ghatsila and built up a temple of goddess Kali, beside Ghatshila police station which is known as Rankini Mata.
Ghatshila was the administrative capital of Dhalbhum. Ghatshila has several palaces, schools and administrative buildings constructed by the rulers of Dhalbhum zamindari.
Rebellions
After several attempts in 1765, the British invaded the Dhalbhum and Ghatshila areas in 1767. The Raja of Ghatshila resisted along with his countrymen, but was later arrested and his nephew Jagannath Dhal was appointed as the new ruler. In 1767, Jagannath Singh Patar, a zamindar of Dampara (Ghatshila) in Dhalbhum, revolted against the enhanced revenue taxes of the British East India Company. This revolt is well known as Chuar rebellion, the first revolt against British East India Company in Bengal Presidency.
Inspired by the Dampara zamindar Jagannath Patar, the Raja declared himself as a independent ruler of Dhalbhum and refused to pay taxes to the British. Captain Morgan was sent to Ghatshila, Raja Jagannath was removed from his throne and made Baikunth Dhal (Nemu Dhal) the king. Unhappy with the decision, Raja Jagannath Dhal revolted. In which the Rajah of Jhargram and Dampara sardar Jagannath Patar, assisted him. The English Company sent Lieutenant Rook and Charles Magan to suppress the rebellion. In 1777, the British re-proclaimed Jagannath Dhal as the king, after which the rebellion was quelled.
Geography
Location
Ghatshila is located at . It has an average elevation of .
It is 45 km from Jamshedpur. The town is located on the bank of the Subarnarekha River, and it is situated in a forested area. It contains a railway station on the main line of the South Eastern Railway. Ghatsila was formerly the headquarters of the kingdom of Dhalbhum.
Ghatsila has its diversity with dams, falls, rivers, forest, mountains and valley. The scenes are breathtaking especially at sunset. It has a township as well as a village touch. There are areas where people still do farming for a living; these areas are untouched and unexplored.
There is a community development block named Ghatshila block, which has its headquarters at Ghatshila. This block was established on 4 May 1962.
Area overview
The area shown in the map “forms a part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau and is a hilly upland tract”. The main rivers draining the district are the Subarnarekha and the Kharkai. The area lying between Jamshedpur and Ghatshila is the main industrial mining zone. The rest of the district is primarily agricultural. In the district, as of 2011, 56.9% of the population lives in the rural areas and a high 43.1% lives in the urban areas.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the district. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Civic administration
There is a police station at Ghatshila.
Demographics
According to the 2011 Census of India, Ghatshila had a total population of 40,624, of which 20,912 (51%) were males and 17,912 (49%) were females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 4,292. The total number of literate persons in Ghatshila was 30,892 (85.03% of the population over 6 years).
(*For language details see Ghatshila block#Language and religion)
India census, Ghatshila had a population of 37,850. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Ghatshila has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 65%. In Ghatshila, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.