The city was established in 1862 during the British Raj, with the Railways Institute forming its cultural hub.

The city was established in 1862 during the British Raj, with the Railways Institute forming its cultural hub.

The paleolithic site of "Kali Pahar," atop Jamalpur Hill, was the location of an important find of Early and Middle Stone Age quartzite implements.

There is a road as well as a rail link, Munger Ganga Bridge, which was completed recently.

The Jamalpur site was chosen for its proximity both to the Sahibganj loop, which was the main trunk route at the time and to the communities of gunsmiths and other mechanical craftsmen in Bihar.

The school attached to the workshop eventually became the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE).

The Ananda Marga movement was founded in Jamalpur by native Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar in 1955.