The areas to the east and north-east are low-lying alluvial plains while to the west the surface gradually rises, giving way to undulating country, interspersed with rocky hillocks.

Vaishnavism, which gained the status of state religion in the Malla kingdom in the seventeenth century, shaped the culture of the region.

The Malla kingdom was annexed by the British East India Company in 1765 and the modern Bankura district took its form in 1881 and was named after its headquarters.

[5] The earliest signs of human habitation in the area are at Dihar—by about 1000 BC chalcolithic people had settled on the north bank of the Dwarakeswar.

[7] Bankura district was inhabited by various indigenous tribes in later pre-historic times as well as Aryanised or assimilated with the people and culture of the Indo-Aryan group, who prevailed in northern India, substantially later than rest of Bengal.

[8][9] In the fourth century, Susunia edicts record in Prakrit and Sanskrit that Chandravarman, son of Simhavarman, was the ruler of Pushkarana (modern Pakhanna in Bankura district).

[8] From around the seventh century until around the advent of British rule, for around a millennium, the history of Bankura district is identical with the rise and fall of the Hindu Rajas of Bishnupur.

At its farthest extent Bishnupur kingdom stretched from Damin-i-koh in Santhal Parganas to Midnapore and included parts of Bardhaman and Chota Nagpur.

Smaller kingdoms of aboriginal tribes, such as Dhalbhum, Tungbhum, Samantabhum and Varahabhumi or Varabhumi were gradually subdued and overshadowed by the Malla kings of Bishnupur.

With exquisite palaces and temples built during the period that followed Bishnupur was reputed to be the most renowned city in the world, more beautiful than the house of Indra in heaven.

However, it has also been recorded that while these royal patrons of Hindu art and religion were busy building temples they had lost much of their independence and sunk to the position of tributary princes.

The status of the Raja of Bishnupur was that of a tributary prince, exempted from personal attendance at the court at Murshidabad, and represented there by a resident.

Intrigue and litigation that followed ruined the Bishnupur Raj family and eventually in 1806, the estate was sold for arrears of land revenue and bought up by the Maharaja of Burdwan.

[5][17][18] Bankura district has been described as the "connecting link between the plains of Bengal on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau on the west."

The areas to the east and north-east are low-lying alluvial plains, similar to predominating rice lands of Bengal.

[5] The western part of the district has poor, ferruginous soil and hard beds of laterite with scrub jungles and sal woods.

During the long dry season large extents of red soil with hardly any trees lend the country a scorched and dreary appearance.

In the eastern part the eye constantly rests on wide expanses of rice fields, green in the rains but parched and dry in summer.

[5] The Gondwana system is represented in the northern portion of the district, south of the Damodar, between Mejia and Biharinath Hill.

[5] The hills of the district consist of outliers of the Chota Nagpur plateau and only two are of any great height – Biharinath and Susunia.

The principal rivers are: Damodar, Dwarakeswar, Shilabati, Kangsabati, Sali, Gandheswari, Kukhra, Birai, Jaypanda and Bhairabbanki.

However due to protective irrigation system, land reforms and use of high fertile & hybrid crops the economic condition of the district has improved.

Also, cottage and small-scale industries, such as Stone-crushing, Weaving, Oilseed-crushing, handicraft units like Dokra, Terra-cotta, Baluchari Sari play a key economic role in district.

The prominent communities in this group, in terms of the district's total population, are Bauri (9.74%), Santal (8.31%), Bagdi/Duley (8.02%), Lohar (3.18%), Sunri (excluding Saha) (2.48%), Khaira (2.2%), Mal (1.1%), Bhumij (1.09%), Chamar (1.05%), Dom (1.03%), Namasudra (0.76%), Jalia Kaibartta (0.57%), Hari (0.53%), Kora (0.37%), and Bhuiya (0.34%).

Additionally, populations ranging between ten thousand to one hundred include Keot, Mallah, Savar, Bhogta, Mahar, Lodha/Kharia, Kaora, Mahali, Munda, Kotal, Rajwar, Karenga/Koranga, and Bedia.

In the 1901 census, 90.7 per cent of the population spoke a dialect of Bengali known as Rarhi Boli, which was also spoken in the adjoining districts.

In addition to Bishnupur, many towns and villages in Bankura such as Kotulpur, Joypur, Sonamukhi, Hadal Narayanpur, and Akui have brick terracotta temples built between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Around human habitations there are shrub species such as: The larger trees are: Other plants found include: Forests or scrub jungles contain: *Wendlandia exserta, The western portion of the district is higher.

[39] The table below (all data in numbers) presents an overview of the medical facilities available and patients treated in the hospitals, health centres and sub-centres in 2014 in Bankura district.

[43][44] The district lies in very close proximity to the Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport located in neighbouring Paschim Bardhaman.