The Hijli Kingdom existed between 1687 and 1886 in the eastern part of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Initially Hijli was a small island village on the banks of the
Rasulpur River as it flows to the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line betwee ...
. It developed into a port town in 1687. Slowly, it converted into a province or kingdom covering parts of
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
and
Orissa
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...
. The
Contai
Contai is a coastal and subdivisional city and a municipality in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Contai subdivision. It is the second most populated city of the district.According to the geologists, t ...
basin also belonged to this kingdom. Mansingh is believed to be the founder King of Hijli. It had important towns like
Tamluk
Tamluk () is a town and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Purba Medinipur district. Though there is some controversy, scholars have generally agreed that present-day Tamluk is the site of the an ...
or
Tamralipta
Tamralipta or Tamralipti ( pi, Tāmaliti) was a port city and capital of Suhma Kingdom in ancient Bengal, located on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The Tamluk town in present-day Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, is generally identified as the sit ...
,
Panskura
Panskura is a town and a municipality in Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River (variously known as Kasai and Cossye).
Etymology
1. According to many references, the ...
, along with Keleghai and Haldi rivers on the north, the south and east sides bounded by the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line betwee ...
and
Kharagpur
Kharagpur () is a planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision. It is the largest, most populated, multicultural and cosmopol ...
,
Keshiary
Keshiary (also spelled as Keshiari) is a village in the Keshiari CD block in the Kharagpur subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal.
History
According to Binoy Ghosh, the southern portion of Medinipur distri ...
,
Dantan
Dantan is a village in the Dantan I CD block in the Kharagpur subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Geography
Location
Dantan is located at .
Area overview
Kharagpur subdivision, shown partly in ...
and
Jaleswar
Jaleswar is a town located in the Balasore district of Odisha, in India. It consists of 144 villages, with four major areas: Bada Bazar, Nua Bazar, Station Bazar, and Purana Bazar. Jaleswar is considered one of the new municipalities in the s ...
on the west. The capital of Hijli was in
Bahiri
Bahiri is a census town in Tamluk subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Demographics
India census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about th ...
up to 1628 and afterwards it was shifted to
Hijli
Hijli is a neighborhood of Kharagpur in the Kharagpur subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
History
Hijli has a history much larger than its present presence. Today it is just another neighborhood of K ...
. This kingdom was ruled for some years by
Taj Khan, a disciple of Guru Peer Mackdram Sha Chisti. It was also ruled sequentially by Kushan, Gupta and Pal dynasties and also by
Mughals
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
. It is known that Hijli had excellent business and trade centers during the reign of Hindu Kings and continued during the Mughal dynasty.
Captain Nicolson was the first British colonialist to invade Hijli and captured the port only. Afterwards, in 1687,
Job Charnock
Job Charnock (; –1692/1693) was an English administrator with the East India Company. He is commonly regarded as the founder of the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta); however, this view is challenged, and in 2003 the Calcutta High Court de ...
, with 400 soldiers, captured Hijli, defeating
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
and
Mughal Emperors. A war broke out with the Mughal Empire, and a treaty was signed between Job Charnock and the Mughul Emperor. The loss suffered by Job Charnock, forced him to leave Hijli and proceed towards
Uluberia
Uluberia is a city and a municipality of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Uluberia subdivision. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). This city is ...
while the Mughal Emperor continued to rule the kingdom. From there they finally settled at Sutanuti, and slowly established
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
(now
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
) for their business in eastern
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. This was the start of
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
in India. It was at its peak in 1754 and the prosperity of Hijli Province during this period was beyond description.
Towards the second half of the 18th century, another Port town
Khejuri
Khejuri (also spelled Khajuri) is a village and gram panchayat, in Khejuri II CD Block in Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
History
According to Binoy Ghosh, in an era when the Magh and Portu ...
came into existence, primarily set up by the British for carrying out trade with European countries. Khejuri was also an island set up on the banks of River Koukhali. Development of this region because of Khejuri and Hijli Port can be gauged by the fact that the first Indian
Telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
Office was established in 1852, connecting Khejuri with
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
. In the devastating
cyclone of 1864, both the ports got destroyed.
The islands have since got merged with the main land.
Hijli
Hijli is a neighborhood of Kharagpur in the Kharagpur subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
History
Hijli has a history much larger than its present presence. Today it is just another neighborhood of K ...
as we know it today, in
Kharagpur
Kharagpur () is a planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision. It is the largest, most populated, multicultural and cosmopol ...
, is only a very small part of erstwhile Hijli Province and was created for establishing administrative offices and a jail known as
Hijli Detention Camp
Hijli Detention Camp (now called Shaheed Bhavan, IIT Kharagpur), is a former detention camp operated during the period of British Raj, British colonial rule in India. Located in Hijli, beside Kharagpur, (a part of former Hijli Kingdom) in the d ...
by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
in the 19th century. It is curious that almost the entire
Kharagpur
Kharagpur () is a planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision. It is the largest, most populated, multicultural and cosmopol ...
subdivision of today has boundaries identical to the Hijli Province. In May 1950, the first
Indian Institute of Technology,
IIT Kharagpur
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) is a Public university, public institute of technology established by the Government of India in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Established in 1951, the institute is the first of the Indi ...
was established surrounding the area of
Hijli Detention Camp
Hijli Detention Camp (now called Shaheed Bhavan, IIT Kharagpur), is a former detention camp operated during the period of British Raj, British colonial rule in India. Located in Hijli, beside Kharagpur, (a part of former Hijli Kingdom) in the d ...
.
References
{{Paschim Medinipur topics
Medieval Bengal
History of Bengal