Rajmahal hills

Rajmahal Hills
Hunain Hills
Hills
View of Rajmahal Hills
View of Rajmahal Hills
CountryIndia
StateJharkhand
Languages
 • OfficialHindi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)

The Rajmahal Hills are located in the Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand, India. They were located on the northern margin of the Gondwana supercontinent, and its hills are today inhabited by the Sauria Paharia people whilst its valleys are dominated by the Santhal people.[1] The hills span over an area of 2,600 km2 (1,000 sq mi).[2]

Volcanic activity during the Jurassic resulted in the formation of the Rajmahal Traps. The hills are approximately located at 25°N 87°E / 25°N 87°E / 25; 87.[3]

The Rajmahal hills are named after the town of Rajmahal which lies in the eastern Jharkhand. The hills trend north-south with an average elevation of 200–300 m (660–980 ft), from the Sahibganj district to the Dumka district. The River Ganges wanders around the hills changing the direction of flow from east to south.

Francis Buchanan-Hamilton travelled through the Rajmahal hills in the early 19th century. He described the hills that seemed impenetrable in a zone where few travellers had been. He wrote that everywhere people were hostile, apprehensive of officials and unwilling to talk and, in some cases, left their villages and absconded.[4]

  1. ^ "Rajmahal natives seek autonomous council". The Telegraph India. 13 February 2012. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Rare fossils in India threatened". BBC News. 25 July 2008.
  3. ^ Khan, Mujibur Rahman (2012). "Rajmahal Hills". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  4. ^ Themess in Indian History, Part III, p 266 (Using Francis Buchanan, Journal of Francis Buchanan Kept During the Survey of the Districtof Bhagalpur, 1930, Government Printing, Bihar and Orissa, Patna.)