Ancient History of Jharkhand

Ancient Jharkhand

• Jharkhand was covered with dense forest in the pre-history period, but it was not isolated from the outside world.
• The Kaimur and Vindhya Mountains protected Jharkhand from foreign invasions.

Tribes of Jharkhand

• The most primitive tribes of Jharkhand were the Kharias, Birhors, and Asurs.
• The Mundas, Oraons, and Hos came after them.
• The Korba tribes came to this area in between them.
• Others like the Cheros, the Kharwar, the Bhumij, and the Santhal entered subsequently.

Migration of Tribes

• The Kharias probably came to Jharkhand from other places and lived from Rohtas to Pataliputra in the ancient period.
• Later, they settled on the banks of the Koel River after being dislodged from their original home.
• The Birhors entered Chotanagpur through the Kaimur Mountains.
• According to another view, the Mundas came to south Bihar from Tibet and were pushed towards Chotanagpur by the Oraons, the Cheros, and the Kharwar.

Origin of Mundas and Oraons

• The route and timing of the Mundas' entry into the state are not definitely known.
• According to B.C. Mazumdar, the Mundas had pushed the original tribes of Jharkhand towards the southeast.
• Another scholar suggests that they came from central India and Uttar Pradesh, where their land was captured by the Aryans.

Bhumij and Santhal Tribes

• The Bhumij and Santhal outnumbered other tribes in Singhbhum, Manbhum, and Hazaribagh.
• They were staunch rivals of the Aryans and were regarded as flesh-eaters and sorcerers.

Oraons and Their Migration

• The Oraons were probably original inhabitants of south India due to the similarity between the Kurkh language of the Oraons and the Kannad of the Tamils.
• They were habitual wanderers who moved from place to place before reaching Jharkhand.
• After their exit from Rohtasgarh, the Oraons moved into two directions, one along the Ganges and reaching Rajmahal, and the other crossing the Son River and entering the part of North Koel River.