Medininagar (Daltonganj)

Medininagar, earlier known as Daltonganj, is the headquarters of Palamu district in Jharkhand and has a layered history tied to forests, forts and later railways. The wider Palamu region was once ruled by the Chero kings, a tribal–Rajput dynasty whose stronghold lay in the nearby Palamu Forts inside today’s Betla forest. From these hill forts they controlled local agriculture, forest produce and routes across the North Koel river valley.

In the 17th–18th centuries, the Cheros fought several battles with the Mughals and neighbouring powers; over time their control weakened. Under British rule, the area was gradually absorbed into the colonial administration. The town that grew here was named Daltonganj after Colonel Dalton, a British officer associated with the region’s survey and administration. It developed as a small district headquarters and trading centre, linked to surrounding villages by roads and, later, to the rest of India through rail.

After Independence, Palamu’s dense forests and wildlife brought attention to conservation, leading to the creation of Palamu Tiger Reserve and Betla National Park, with Medininagar as the nearest major town. In recent decades, the town has expanded with government offices, courts, colleges and markets. The official renaming to Medininagar honours Raja Medini Rai, the celebrated Chero ruler, symbolically reconnecting the modern district capital with its older regional heritage.