one of the 16 Mahajanapadas according to Jaina Bhagavati Sutra (c. fifth century CE) and was also a part of the country known as Vajra-bhumi in ancient period.

Little is known about Purulia before the British East India Company acquired this territory by obtaining the grant of Diwani of the subahs of Bengal, Bihar, Odisha in 1765.

Since the formation of the district it was withdrawn from regular administration and placed under an officer called Principal Assistant to the agent to the Governor-General for South-West Frontier.

Under Act XX of 1854, the Principal Agent was redesignated as Deputy Commissioner, and the Chota Nagpur Division was formally established.

[citation needed] Purulia is the westernmost district of West Bengal with an all-India significance because of its tropical location, its shape as well as function like a funnel.

Using the Köppen classification, Purulia has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) and receives most of its rainfall during the monsoon season.

[13] There are also several Small dams like Futiyary, Murguma, Pardi, Burda, Gopalpur, which are mainly used for irrigation of agriculture field.

[citation needed] The economy of the Purulia district is mainly driven by the industrial & Agricultural sector and tourism.

[citation needed] From 2001, with the new industrial policies of government of West Bengal, this district has attracted investments in steel, cement and power sectors.

Forests, Hillocks, Rivulets, Streams, Wild Life, Flora & Fauna has tremendous scope to be explored by the tourist.

[citation needed] Due to the rough weather and soil, purulia lags behind in agricultural arena from the other districts of West Bengal.

[citation needed] In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Purulia one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).

[21] Each subdivision except Manbazar contains one municipality each along with community development blocks which in turn is divided into rural areas and census towns.

[citation needed] According to the 2011 census Purulia district has a population of 2,930,115,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Jamaica[26] or the US state of Arkansas.

The prominent communities in this group, in terms of the district's total population, are Santal (11.57%), Bauri (8.29%), Bhumij (3.57%), Sunri (excluding Saha) (1.68%), Rajwar (1.61%), Kora (1.14%), Hari (1.02%), Bhuiya (1.01%), Dom (0.98%), Chamar (0.88%), Dhoba (0.81%), Jalia Kaibartta (0.62%), Ghasi (0.45%), Lohar (0.45%), Bagdi/Duley (0.44%), Munda (0.35%), and Mahali (0.35%).

[30] Purulia district is well connected with other cities and towns of West Bengal and neighbourhood states by road and rail transport.

Major cities and towns like Ranchi, Tatanagar, Patna, Howrah, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Lucknow, Asansol, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Durgapur, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi are now well connected with this district by railways.

State Highway 5 also plays an important role in district's transport network as it connects the towns like Raghunathpur, Adra, Santaldih and Neturia to NH2 at Neamatpur and Asansol.

The distinctiveness of those is well demonstrated with the sentiments and feelings of the population and these are marked with splash of colours and often entwined with pathos, romanticism, velour and social consciousness.

Purulia has a range of traditional song types, including Jhumair,[33][34] Ahirageet, Bhadu, Bihargeet, Baul, Karamgeet, and Tusugeet.

[12] Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to visit Purulia annually to witness the charm of the natural scenery of Ayodhya, Turga Falls, PPSP Upper and Lower Dam, Dawri khal in Kesto Bazar Dam, Lahoria Shiv Mandir, Matha and Kuilapal, falls and tribal habitations of Ajodhya Hills and Bagmundih, dams like Panchet, Murguma Dam and Futiari, heritage buildings like Panchakot Raj Place, trekking range of Matha proud with Pakhi Pahar, and Joychandi Pahar, picnic spots like Baranti, Duarsini, Doladanga, Jamuna, traditional folk dance and culture like Chhou Dance and Jhumur Song.