The Santal, whose folklore says they came from Hihiri (identified by scholars with Ahuri in Hazaribagh) onto the Chota Nagpur plateau, then to Jhalda and Patkum, and finally to Saont in the Silda country.
English Wikipedia says this legend has been used as evidence for a significant Santal presence in Hazaribagh, and reports Dalton's undated claim that a Santal raja at Chai fled the invasion of the Delhi Sultanate. No date before about 1795 is given. In 1200 a Santal presence in Hazaribagh and the western Rarh is possible; the great Santal Parganas of the nineteenth century are far later.
Who he is
- Name
- not named
- Title
- Manjhi of the Santal villages
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- No name or date is recorded for 1200.
- Confidence
- low
English Wikipedia, Santhal people.
What it holds
- Hill villages in Hazaribagh and the western Rarh (on tradition)
Allies and rivals
The Munda and Ho, the Sena frontier on the Damodar, the Pala remnants in the west.
How things stand that morning
Village headmen (manjhi in later accounts); no king.
Wealth
Hill rice, forest produce.
Military
Bowmen; no numbers.
Threats
- None recorded
Places of note
- Hazaribag: Hihiri (Ahuri) tradition area.
Where the sources disagree
- The brief lists the Santal for this area; the sources place them in Hazaribagh and the Rarh only by tradition.
Evidence: Folklore and a colonial writer.
On the map: The range is drawn as a province (the matching nie-prov record); this record draws no ground of its own.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.