Chhatna is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Bankura Sadar subdivision of the Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History
From Bishnupur kingdom to the British Raj
From around the 7th century AD till around the advent of British rule, for around a millennium, history of Bankura district is identical with the rise and fall of the Hindu Rajas of Bishnupur. The Bishnupur Rajas, who were at the summit of their fortunes towards the end of the 17th century, started declining in the first half of the 18th century. First, the Maharaja of Burdwan seized the Fatehpur Mahal, and then the Maratha invasions laid waste their country.
Bishnupur was ceded to the British with the rest of Burdwan chakla in 1760. In 1787, Bishnupur was united with Birbhum to form a separate administrative unit. In 1793 it was transferred to the Burdwan collectorate. In 1879, the district acquired its present shape with the thanas of Khatra and Raipur and the outpost of Simplapal being transferred from Manbhum, and the thanas of Sonamukhi, Kotulpur and Indas being retransferred from Burdwan. However, it was known for sometime as West Burdwan and in 1881 came to be known as Bankura district.
Geography
Chhatna is located at . It is from Bankura town on the Bankura-Purulia road. Susunia is north-east of Chhatna.
Chhatna CD block is located in the western part of the district. It belongs to the Uneven lands/ hard ring rock area. The soil is laterite red and hard beds are covered with scrub jungle and sal wood.
There are two moderately high hills – Biharinath (in Saltora CD block) and Susunia (in Chhatna CD block). While the former rises to a height of , the latter attains a height of .
Chhatna CD block is bounded by Saltora and Gangajalghati CD blocks on the north, Bankura II and Bankura I CD blocks on the east, Indpur CD block on the south and Kashipur and Hura CD blocks, in Purulia district, on the west.
Chhatna CD block has an area of 447.47 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 13 gram panchayats, 147 (village councils), 288 mouzas, 277 inhabited villages and 1 census town. Chhatna police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Chhatna.
Gram panchayats of Chhatna block/ panchayat samiti are: Arrah, Chhatna I, Chhatna II, Chinabari, Dhaban, Ghosegram, Jamtora, Jhunka, Jirrah, Metyala, Saldiha, Susunia and Teghari.
Demographics
Population
According to the 2011 Census of India, Chhatna CD block had a total population of 195,038, of which 189,712 were rural and 5,326 were urban. There were 99,523 (51%) males and 95,515 (49%) females. Population in the age range of 0 to 6 years was 24,229. Scheduled Castes numbered 58,493 (29.99%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 39,975 (20.50%).
In the 2001 census, Chhatna community development bloc had a total population of 169,141 of which 85,562 were males and 83,579 were females. Decadal growth for the period 1991-2001 was 8.32% for Chatna, against 13.79% in Bankura district. Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84%.
Census Towns in Chhatna CD block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Jhantipahari (5,236).
Villages in Chhatna CD block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Shaldiha (2,504), Teghori (1,663), Ghosergan (1,909), Metyala (501), Shushunia (1,018), Jhunka (1,721), Jirra (2085), Dhaban (1,543), Arra (2,127) and Chinabari (1,125).
Literacy
According to the 2011 census, the total number of literates in Chhatna CD block was 112,267 (65.73% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 67,651 (77.63% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 44,616 (53.33%) of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 24.30%.
As per the 2011 census, literacy in Bankura district was 70.26%, up from 63.44 in 2001 and 52.00% in 1991. Literacy in West Bengal was 77.08% in 2011. Literacy in India in 2011 was 74.04%.
See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate
Language and religion
According to the District Census Handbook 2011, Bankura, as of 2001, Bengali was the mother-tongue of 89.9% of the population, followed by Santali (8.1%), Kurmali Thar (1.1%), Hindi (0.5%) and Telugu (0.1%).
There is a tribal presence in many of the CD blocks of the district. Santali is spoken by around 10% of the population. Some people also speak Mundari.