Jamui District is one of the administrative districts of Bihar. Jamui District was formed on 21st February, 1991 as a result of its separation from Munger District. This district is located at a longitude of 86 degree 13 minutes east and the latitude is 24 degree 55 minutes north. Jamui District is bounded by Munger and Lakhisarai District in its north, by Giridih District of Jharkhand in its south, by Deoghar and Banka District in its east and by Nawada District in its west. This district of Bihar occupies a total area of 3,122.80 sq kms.
History of Jamui District
Jamui District has a glorious past. Its history dates back to Mahabharata era. Archaeological and historical evidence shows its close association with Jain tradition since long. It is also said that history of Bihar will remain incomplete without the history of Jamui District. There are mainly two hypotheses which have been mentioned by historians regarding the origin of the name of the district Jamui. The first hypothesis said that the name of Jamui was derived from "Jambhiya Gram" or "Jribhikgram" village, which has the place of attaining `Omniscience` (Kevalaygnan) of Vardhaman Mahavir and according to another hypothesis the name Jamui is originated from Jambuwani.
Geography of Jamui District
Most of the part of the district has hilly topography. Western portion of Jamui like Sikandra Jamui and a little part of Khaira has plain area. Sikandra block is situated in alluvial zone. A sizeable part of the district comprises plains which are paddy-growing lands. Southern part of the district is covered with hills and forests. Hills of Jamui District are considered to be the out laying extension of Vindhyas Mountain Range. Southwest part of the district has another block of hills known as Gidheswar Pahar. Kuil and Ulai River are the chief rivers of the district. Beside these rivers, tributaries and sub tributaries, rainy rivers flow through the district in a scattered way. There are two irrigation dams Nagi and Nakti Dam, situated in the southern hilly terrain of the district. The climate of Jamui District can be described as transition between dry and moderately extreme climate of the northern India and warm and humid climate of Bengal Basin. The monsoon usually breaks in the second half of June and lasts till September. The average rainfall in the district is approximately 1000 mm. The average maximum rainfall is usually recorded in August. Further, the soil pattern of the district differs widely due to topography of the region. Important soils are sandy soils and alluvial soil of heavy texture having natural or alkaline reaction. However, the district has no big irrigation project.
Demography of Jamui District
According to the Population Census in the year 2011, the Jamui District had population of 1,756,078. Out of which the male and female were 914,368 and 841,710 respectively. The population of Jamui District constituted 1.69 percent of total of population of Jamui District. The average literacy rate of Jamui in 2011 was 62.16 compared to 42.43 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 73.77 and 49.44 respectively. The total literates in Jamui District were 896,670 of which male and female were 556,264 and 340,406 respectively.
Culture of Jamui District
Jamui District has a rich cultural heritage and tradition, Dussehra, Holi, Raksha Bandhan, Makar Sankranti, Nag Panchami, Mahashivratri, Id, Muharram and Christmas are the main religious festival celebrated in the district. Beside these festivals, tribal population of the district celebrates several other festivals. Like for instance, Karma festival is an important festival of the district. The festivals like are related with minority Muslim & Christian respectively. On the occasion of Mahashivratri a great fair is organized at Mahadeo Simariya Shivmandir.
Economy of Jamui District
Jamui is being entirely an agricultural district and thus economy of this district is agrarian in character. Cattle rearing have been a traditional occupation in this area. Jamui is one of the important districts in Bihar where different types of ores and Minerals are found. Jamui has no big industry. However, traditional small-scale industries have been flourishing industry in township area of the district.
Tourism in Jamui District
Tourism in Jamui District offers the travellers the option to explore its various historical and religious sites. Minto Tower, Giddhaur, Kali Mandir, Malaypur, Jain Mandir Dharmshala, Kshatriya Kund Gram, Giddheshwar Temple and Patneshwar Mandir are some of the main attractions of Jamui District. People from all parts of the country come and visit this district.
At present Jamui District has one subdivision and 10 revenue block with 153 Panchayats. Further, the administration of Jamui District comprises four assembly constituencies namely Jamui, Sikandra, Jhajha and Chakai. Jamui is well connected to other parts of Bihar and Jharkhand through railway as well as road.
