Rarhbhum / Rarhbhumi / Suhma / Subhabhumi /
Native to : Rarhiya, Rarhi
All ancient literature from about 5 cent bce onward, abundantly refer to the region as Suhma, Subha, Sumbha with suffixes of -bhumi, -desa or -rasthra/-ratta) while the neighboring tract of land was called Prasuhma (actual name Punda/pundra and later Varendra). Yet simultaneously (during the same periods) there is occasional mention of Lara / Ladha people = Rarha and thus It is apparent that Rarha was the name of the peoples as they called themselves while Subha "auspicious" / Suhma was what outsiders called the peoples/region. By 1000ce Rarha had entirely replaced Suhma in literature as the name of the region/peoples and in 1500ce Nilakantha sums up the matter by stating that Suhma and Rarha (mentioned in ancient literature) refer to the same peoples / region.
(For extensive references on the name Suhma one may refer to link)
(there are many misconceptions regarding Rarha the most prominent being Rarh and Suhma being separate portions of the same area, further fuelled by post 1000ce rulers calling thier regional kingdoms as Rarh and subdividing it into north and south : Rarh)
some missing or unaccounted : Balbhum, Nalbhum,
references :
Bengali people and culture a study in origins, by : Annapurna Chattopadhyay, 1991 full thesis
Evolutionary process of state formation in the Bhum territories. by Debarati Biswas, 2012 full thesis
Native to : Rarhiya, Rarhi
All ancient literature from about 5 cent bce onward, abundantly refer to the region as Suhma, Subha, Sumbha with suffixes of -bhumi, -desa or -rasthra/-ratta) while the neighboring tract of land was called Prasuhma (actual name Punda/pundra and later Varendra). Yet simultaneously (during the same periods) there is occasional mention of Lara / Ladha people = Rarha and thus It is apparent that Rarha was the name of the peoples as they called themselves while Subha "auspicious" / Suhma was what outsiders called the peoples/region. By 1000ce Rarha had entirely replaced Suhma in literature as the name of the region/peoples and in 1500ce Nilakantha sums up the matter by stating that Suhma and Rarha (mentioned in ancient literature) refer to the same peoples / region.
(For extensive references on the name Suhma one may refer to link)
(there are many misconceptions regarding Rarha the most prominent being Rarh and Suhma being separate portions of the same area, further fuelled by post 1000ce rulers calling thier regional kingdoms as Rarh and subdividing it into north and south : Rarh)
Linguistically and Ethnically the Rarha - Region is the junction between the Adivasi people on the West, the Bangla peoples to the East and Hindi speaking peoples to the North. The region is primordially Adivasi forest and lands - wherein "civilized" Bangla and Hindi peoples migrated, resulting in acculturation.
The region is characteristically : Laterite (red) soil. The region is geologically : Upland - East flank of the Chota Nagpur plateau. The area was majority forest (and small hills) until post independence, only 10-20 % forest is extant.
Upto half of the population of this region are either Adivasi (ST) or scheduled caste of Adivasi origin. Santhal are the main ST while SC of Adivasi origin include the : Bagdi and Bauri,
Until 1000ce the region was generally one political unit, while the use of "bhum" as suffix to denote the names of subregions was likely already in use. Post 1000ce this was incorporated by individual rulers to name the smaller principalities they carved out.
While many wish to conclude that it is a portion of Banga / Bangal (owing to Bangla being the most common language) - it is not. The region is distinct in : having a large population of Adivasi (while Bangal is comprised of Bangla peoples (Hindi + Assamese) and it is upland plateau (while Bangal is otherwise alluvial delta). One should not forget that modern "West Bangal" is a fraction of "Bangal proper" the majority of whom chose Islam - the Adivasi of Rarhabhum are not to fill that gap.
The region is characteristically : Laterite (red) soil. The region is geologically : Upland - East flank of the Chota Nagpur plateau. The area was majority forest (and small hills) until post independence, only 10-20 % forest is extant.
Upto half of the population of this region are either Adivasi (ST) or scheduled caste of Adivasi origin. Santhal are the main ST while SC of Adivasi origin include the : Bagdi and Bauri,
Until 1000ce the region was generally one political unit, while the use of "bhum" as suffix to denote the names of subregions was likely already in use. Post 1000ce this was incorporated by individual rulers to name the smaller principalities they carved out.
While many wish to conclude that it is a portion of Banga / Bangal (owing to Bangla being the most common language) - it is not. The region is distinct in : having a large population of Adivasi (while Bangal is comprised of Bangla peoples (Hindi + Assamese) and it is upland plateau (while Bangal is otherwise alluvial delta). One should not forget that modern "West Bangal" is a fraction of "Bangal proper" the majority of whom chose Islam - the Adivasi of Rarhabhum are not to fill that gap.
Majority of the cultural region perform dance/drama called "Chau".
The British organized the region into various and In 1947 the state rulers split the cake - Bihar got most of it and West Bengal and Odisha the rest.
One would assume that the boundaries between the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha are based upon the linguistic and ethnic profile of the region - they are not : they are mere lines on the map. All linguistic aspects in the region "at present" are from 1947 onward only. Hindi forced upon Bangla and Adivasi peoples, Bangla forced upon Adivasi and Odiya peoples or Odiya upon Adivasi or Bangla.
Thus the case at hand is a linguistically and ethnically mixed Region. The Region should correctly be made a separate state - with Bangla, Hindi, Santhal and Oriya and as the optional languages.
Only then will the people of this region be given back their true identity.
Only then will the people of this region be given back their true identity.
some missing or unaccounted : Balbhum, Nalbhum,
references :
Bengali people and culture a study in origins, by : Annapurna Chattopadhyay, 1991 full thesis
Evolutionary process of state formation in the Bhum territories. by Debarati Biswas, 2012 full thesis
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