SINGHBHUM, a district of British India, in the Chota Nagpur division of Behar and Orissa. The administrative head quarters are at Chaibasa. Area 3,879 sq. miles. Pop. (1931), 929,802. Singhbhum is a hilly district on the fringe of the Chota Nagpur plateau with mountains in the north-west rising to a height of 2,50o ft., and in the south-west, where they are called the Saranda hills, to nearly 3,00o feet. The central portion con sists mainly of well-cleared open country, which is the most fertile tract in the district. The south is another undulating plateau. The eastern portion of the district, which bears the name of Dhalbhum, contains the valley of the Subarnarekha, the principal river. The north-west is included in the estate of Pora hat (800 sq.m.), while the central and south-western portions comprise the Government estate of the Kolhan with an area of nearly 2,000 sq. miles. Over one-third of Singhbhum is covered with primaeval forest, containing valuable timber trees; in the forests tigers, leopards, bears, bison and deer are found.
Nearly two-thirds of the inhabitants belong to aboriginal tribes, among whom the Hos, meaning simply "men," are predominant. Their warlike character won for them the name of Larka, or fight ing, Kols among outsiders. They were not finally subjugated till 1836, when the Kolhan was brought under British rule. In Porahat
they broke out in rebellion during the Mutiny, and after a long campaign submitted in 1859.
During recent years Singhbhum has become one of the most important industrial tracts in Behar and Orissa, largely owing to the establishment of the works of the Tata Iron and Steel company and of subsidiary concerns at Jamshedpur (q.v.), and in its neighbourhood. The exploitation of its mineral resources has begun and has great potentialities. The deposits of iron ore in the Saranda hills, which are reputed to be among the finest in the world, supply material to large works near Asansol, in Bengal. The output of iron ore in 1925 was nearly half a mil lion tons. There is a belt of copper extending for about 8o m., where mining has been in operation for many years. Other mineral resources include chromite, manganese ore, apatite and gold: 6,000 ounces of the last were produced between 1915 and 1919. Several companies have also been formed for the production of silica bricks, fire-bricks and pottery, for which materials are ob tained north-east of the mineral area. Timber is obtained from the forests, a minor product of which is sabai grass for the manufacture of paper, ropes and string.