Once I was taking a Bus from Raigarh to Tamnar(Both in Chhattisgarh) when I observed a bus headed for a place named Daltonganj.The name obviously showed British origins.Me being a history lover,my curiosity was piqued.Also I have a special kind of interest in the British.So I decided to find out more about the place and also to find more places named after british people.In a first of many posts to come I present here five places named after Britishers in Jharkhand.
1-Daltonganj
Where-172km from Ranchi in Palamu District
Named After-Colonel Edward Tuite Dalton (1815–1880),an anthropologist and the District commissioner of Chota Nagpur in 1861
Short Description:From the blog (britishrajinindia.blogspot.in)
Dalton was the commissioner of Chhotanagpur during the Sepoy Mutiny and for many years thereafter. He initiated several administrative measures. In 1862, he ordered an outright substitution of Hindi written in the Devnagri or Kaithi script for Urdu in the Persian character as the medium of instruction and for court work throughout his commissionerate. In September 1870, Dalton laid the foundation of a permanent church at Ranchi in the presence of a large and assorted gathering. He is best remembered for his magnum opus, The Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal, published in 1872.
2-Hunterganj
Where-182km from Ranchi in Chhatra District
Named After-William Hunter who was the Collector of Ramgarh Hill Tract in 1794.
Short Description-From the blog (britishrajinindia.blogspot.in)
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William had appointed him and other Collectors of the Bengal Presidency Justices of Peace. Hunter’s jurisdiction extended right up to Sherghati in today’s Gaya district. A patch of jungle was cleared to set up his camp during his visits to Sherghati and human habitation slowly grew around it. Soon it was being referred to as Hunterganj and developed as an administrative centre.
3-Lesliganj
Where-210km from Ranchi in Palamu District
Named After-Matthew Leslie, Collector of the Ramgarh Hill Tract in the 1780s.
Short Description-From the blog (britishrajinindia.blogspot.in)
Leslie's revenue jurisdiction included the whole of what later became Palamu and Hazaribag districts and part of Gaya up to Sherghati. The Cheros had been the rulers of Palamu but their internal feuds afforded the British the opportunity to intervene and eventually assume control. As Leslie had to continually camp in Chero territory, he chose a hamlet that soon became known as Lesliganj, dropping an “e” from his name. It appears that Leslie’s good work as Collector of Ramgarh was taken note of and he was transferred as the Collector and Magistrate of Rungpore district in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), a more prestigious charge.
4-McCluskieganj
Where-64km from Ranchi
Named After-
Short Description-From the blog (britishrajinindia.blogspot.in)
McCluskieganj is a sad saga of aspirations gone awry. The Anglo-Indians were, generally speaking, a town-bred community without knowledge of agriculture or experience of village life. They were doled out petty appointments in the Railways and Telegraphs departments while their women worked as teachers in convent schools and as stenos in multinational companies. It was becoming difficult to find employment, whether in government departments or in commercial concerns, for the increasing number of Anglo-Indian youth. Having observed their conditions first-hand, the Indian Statutory Commission made a suggestion, with the concurrence of the government of India, that an attempt be made to bring the Eurasians, chiefly the Anglo-Indians, to the land and open up a wider range of self-employment for them. The Anglo-Indians seized
upon the idea and was thus born in 1933 The Colonization Society of India Limited, registered as a limited company. On behalf of the company, ET McCluskie, a Calcutta-based Anglo-Indian real estate agent and member of the Bengal Legislative Council, discovered a beautiful spot in the Chhotanagpur forests, 60 km from the district headquarters town of Ranchi. The Society bought 10,000 acres of forest land from the local Maharaja in 1932. Plots were allotted as per the layout plan prepared by McCluskie. In a creditable display of grit and determination to conquer the natural difficulties, they made the clearings, dug wells and planted orchards. It was not long before a large number of sprawling bungalows and cottages situated in the midst of several acres of land came up in these sylvan surroundings. The new colony became home to nearly 300 Anglo-Indian and domiciled European families. McCluskie died soon after and, as a fitting tribute to this pioneer, the new settlers named the place McCluskieganj, the putative Tel-Aviv of their homeland. Come Independence and, feeling deprived and insecure, there was a mad rush to migrate to Australia, the USA, Canada and the UK. The Society went into liquidation around 1955. Today there is nothing much to see here but a place gone to seed. One can take long walks through the forest, do some bird watching and listen to their chirping. Not more than 35 Anglo-Indian families now live here and fewer are descendents of the original allottees.
5-Sahibganj
Where-443km from Ranchi in Sahibganj District
Named After-All the sahibs living around the place.
Short Description-Though not exactly named after a person this village was so named because of the number of sahibs(for those of you who dont get it,the britishers were referred to as sahibs) living around here.So much for creativity.The official website of the district states that a municipality was constituted there in 1883. It has a well, constructed in 1915 which was constructed in memory of Edward VII. Residents still use the well for drinking water
I plan to visit McCluskieganj and Daltonganj soon.
1-Daltonganj
Where-172km from Ranchi in Palamu District
Named After-Colonel Edward Tuite Dalton (1815–1880),an anthropologist and the District commissioner of Chota Nagpur in 1861
Short Description:From the blog (britishrajinindia.blogspot.in)
Dalton was the commissioner of Chhotanagpur during the Sepoy Mutiny and for many years thereafter. He initiated several administrative measures. In 1862, he ordered an outright substitution of Hindi written in the Devnagri or Kaithi script for Urdu in the Persian character as the medium of instruction and for court work throughout his commissionerate. In September 1870, Dalton laid the foundation of a permanent church at Ranchi in the presence of a large and assorted gathering. He is best remembered for his magnum opus, The Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal, published in 1872.
2-Hunterganj
Where-182km from Ranchi in Chhatra District
Named After-William Hunter who was the Collector of Ramgarh Hill Tract in 1794.
Short Description-From the blog (britishrajinindia.blogspot.in)
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William had appointed him and other Collectors of the Bengal Presidency Justices of Peace. Hunter’s jurisdiction extended right up to Sherghati in today’s Gaya district. A patch of jungle was cleared to set up his camp during his visits to Sherghati and human habitation slowly grew around it. Soon it was being referred to as Hunterganj and developed as an administrative centre.
3-Lesliganj
Where-210km from Ranchi in Palamu District
Named After-Matthew Leslie, Collector of the Ramgarh Hill Tract in the 1780s.
Short Description-From the blog (britishrajinindia.blogspot.in)
Leslie's revenue jurisdiction included the whole of what later became Palamu and Hazaribag districts and part of Gaya up to Sherghati. The Cheros had been the rulers of Palamu but their internal feuds afforded the British the opportunity to intervene and eventually assume control. As Leslie had to continually camp in Chero territory, he chose a hamlet that soon became known as Lesliganj, dropping an “e” from his name. It appears that Leslie’s good work as Collector of Ramgarh was taken note of and he was transferred as the Collector and Magistrate of Rungpore district in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), a more prestigious charge.
4-McCluskieganj
Where-64km from Ranchi
Named After-
Short Description-From the blog (britishrajinindia.blogspot.in)
McCluskieganj is a sad saga of aspirations gone awry. The Anglo-Indians were, generally speaking, a town-bred community without knowledge of agriculture or experience of village life. They were doled out petty appointments in the Railways and Telegraphs departments while their women worked as teachers in convent schools and as stenos in multinational companies. It was becoming difficult to find employment, whether in government departments or in commercial concerns, for the increasing number of Anglo-Indian youth. Having observed their conditions first-hand, the Indian Statutory Commission made a suggestion, with the concurrence of the government of India, that an attempt be made to bring the Eurasians, chiefly the Anglo-Indians, to the land and open up a wider range of self-employment for them. The Anglo-Indians seized
upon the idea and was thus born in 1933 The Colonization Society of India Limited, registered as a limited company. On behalf of the company, ET McCluskie, a Calcutta-based Anglo-Indian real estate agent and member of the Bengal Legislative Council, discovered a beautiful spot in the Chhotanagpur forests, 60 km from the district headquarters town of Ranchi. The Society bought 10,000 acres of forest land from the local Maharaja in 1932. Plots were allotted as per the layout plan prepared by McCluskie. In a creditable display of grit and determination to conquer the natural difficulties, they made the clearings, dug wells and planted orchards. It was not long before a large number of sprawling bungalows and cottages situated in the midst of several acres of land came up in these sylvan surroundings. The new colony became home to nearly 300 Anglo-Indian and domiciled European families. McCluskie died soon after and, as a fitting tribute to this pioneer, the new settlers named the place McCluskieganj, the putative Tel-Aviv of their homeland. Come Independence and, feeling deprived and insecure, there was a mad rush to migrate to Australia, the USA, Canada and the UK. The Society went into liquidation around 1955. Today there is nothing much to see here but a place gone to seed. One can take long walks through the forest, do some bird watching and listen to their chirping. Not more than 35 Anglo-Indian families now live here and fewer are descendents of the original allottees.
5-Sahibganj
Where-443km from Ranchi in Sahibganj District
Named After-All the sahibs living around the place.
Short Description-Though not exactly named after a person this village was so named because of the number of sahibs(for those of you who dont get it,the britishers were referred to as sahibs) living around here.So much for creativity.The official website of the district states that a municipality was constituted there in 1883. It has a well, constructed in 1915 which was constructed in memory of Edward VII. Residents still use the well for drinking water
I plan to visit McCluskieganj and Daltonganj soon.
