Ranchi

Ranchi, now the capital of Jharkhand, has a history shaped by the Chotanagpur plateau, Adivasi culture and later colonial administration. For centuries, the wider Ranchi region was inhabited mainly by Munda, Oraon and other tribal communities, organised in village-based systems under their own chiefs, with agriculture, shifting cultivation and forest use as the backbone of life. It lay on the margins of larger North Indian kingdoms and empires, more a highland frontier than a core political centre.

Under the British, from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Chotanagpur gradually came under colonial control. Ranchi began to grow as a cantonment and administrative town thanks to its cooler climate and central plateau location. Missionaries founded churches, schools and hospitals; the British built roads, offices and bungalows. The region also witnessed important Adivasi uprisings, including the movement led by Birsa Munda in the late 19th century, whose activities were closely associated with the forests and villages around Ranchi.

In the 20th century, Ranchi expanded as an educational and health centre, later gaining industries, PSUs and research institutions. After Independence, it remained a key town of Bihar. When Jharkhand state was created in 2000, Ranchi was chosen as its capital, triggering rapid urban growth. Today, it is a mix of hill-town climate, tribal heritage, administrative power and modern malls, institutes and offices.