Pakur District is an administrative district of Jharkhand and its headquarters are at Pakur Town. This district is one of the important revenue earning districts of the state. Its black stone chips have got Asiatic fame in constructional qualities. Pakur District is situated in the north eastern region of Jharkhand. It is located at 23 degrees 40 minutes to 25 degree 18 minutes latitude and 86 degree 25 minutes to 87 degree 57 minutes east longitude. Pakur District is bounded by Sahibganj district in north, Dumka District in south, Godda district in west and by Murshidabad district in east. This district occupies an area of 696.21 sq km. Administration of Pakur District is headed by Deputy Commissioner. He also acts as District Magistrate. The district consist of one sub-division namely Pakur. There are six development blocks in the district namely Pakur, Hiranpur, Littipara, Amrapara, Maheshpur and Pakuria. Further, there are six revenue circles. Sub-divisional officer cum Sub-divisional magistrate head the sub-divisional office. Block development officer and circle officers are in-charge of Development Blocks and Revenue Circles respectively. Superintendent of Police head the general Police administration. There are six police stations in the district namely Pakur Sadar, Hiranpur, Littipara, Amrapara, Maheshpur and Pakuria.
History of Pakur District
History of Pakur District area is very little known before the medieval period. Basically two insignificant estates known as Pakur Raj and Maheshpur Raj existed in this area. After the Battle of Plassey the victorious British rulers developed their administrative network to control this region through Birbhum District. Pakur got elevated from sub-divisional status to a district on 28th January 1994 under the notification of state government of Bihar. Originally it was a sub-division of Santhal Pargana District since 1868. When Santhal Pargana was divided into four districts namely Dumka District, Deoghar, Godda District and Sahibganj District, Pakur was tagged with Sahibganj. It remained a sub-division of Sahibganj District till it was upgraded as district in 1994.
Geography of Pakur District
Pakur District is predominantly a hilly district with certain pockets of plain land. This district, once known for its thick and extensive forests, is now bereft of much of its jungle wealth. There are three main rivers in this district - Bansloi, Torai and Brahmani River. The climate of the major portion of the district has a hot dry summer, a good rainy season and cool winter. Summer begins from the middle of March here and extends up to June. Maximum temperature in May and early June is as high as 46 degree Celsius. December and January are cool months. Owing to natural drainage, floods are rare in this area.
Demography of Pakur District
According to the Population Census in the year 2011, Pakur District had population of 899,200 of which male and female were 453,101 and 446,099 respectively. The population of Pakur District constituted 2.73 percent of total population of Jharkhand. There was a drastic change of 28.15 percent in the population compared to population as per 2001. The population density of Pakur district for 2011 is 498 people per sq. km. The average literacy rate of Pakur was 50.17 compared to 30.65 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 59.02 and 41.23 respectively. The total literate in Pakur District were 363,153 of which male and female were 214,763 and 148,412 respectively. In 2001, Pakur District had 170,931 in its district.
Economy of Pakur District
Economy of Pakur District is predominantly agricultural in character. The main occupation of the people of this district of Jharkhand is cultivation. The local people of the district are either working as agricultural labours or as cultivators. Kharif and Rabi are the main agricultural season. The cultivable area of the district is 75505 hectares while 16117.08 hectares are fallow land. The soil is red, sedentary and suitable for paddy crop and other Rabi crops. It is also suitable for Wheat, Gram, Masoor and Mustard. Commercial crops like Jute, Sugarcane, Onion and Potato are also grown here. Orchards are also maintained for the production of fruits such as mango, papaya, guava and Jackfruits, etc. Animal husbandry is another major sector contributing to the economy of Pakur District. However, the quality of livestock is very poor. Though there is scope for enhancing income from animal husbandry.
Economy of Pakur District includes a large number of stone mines and crushers. Approximately 500 mines and 800 crushers are in operation with the support of huge labour force. Black stones of Pakur are of superior quality and they are also exported in the South Asian countries. Among the minerals found in this district are coal, china clay, fireclay, quartz, and silica sand and glass sand. Paddy thrashing, leaflet making, bamboo baskets making are the major sources of the trading activities of this district. In the absence of major industries and employment opportunities the economic options are limited to agriculture.
Tourism in Pakur District
Pakur District offers excellent tourism options to the travellers that are worth visiting. Siddhu-Kanhu Park, Devinagar, Hot Spring, Kanchangarah, Nityakali Mandir, Shiv Sheetla Mandir, Mahakal Shakti Pith, Diwan-e-Pir and Dharni-Pahar are the major attractions of this district. People from various parts of the world come and visit the sightseeing options of this district.
Pakur District presents a picture of mixed heterogeneous society consisting of different religious beliefs, languages, cultures and traditions.
