Chatra has a glorious past having an eminent historical heritage. In ancient days there was frequent intercourse between Kashi (Varanasi) and Hazaribagh. Swami Shitla , the 10th jain Tirthankara got 'Nirvana' at the hill of Kolhua (Kauleshwari hill in Hunterganj) in about 10 or 12th century B.C. Parshvanath, the 23rd Trithankara, attained 'Nirvana' at the summit of the Parasnath Hill in the 8th century B.C. It has been al along a place of pilgrimage for the Hindus and it is considered to be of Hindu origin. Siddharth also penanced hard at Uruvela but could not achieve his goal. Then he took a holy dip in the River "Niranjana" (modern Lilajan - which flows from Chatra to Gaya via Jori and Hunterganj and culminates in the river Phalgu at Bodh Gaya) meditated at Bodh Gaya under a pipal tree, got enlightenment and was called Buddha, Tathagat & Shakya Muni. During Asoka's reign (232 BC) when the "Atavi" or the forest states too acknowledged the supermacy of the Magadhan Empire. Samudra Gupta (320 to 380 A.D.) also passed through Chotanagpur when he led his expedition to the Eastern Deccan. It is said that Samudra Gupta marching through Chotanagpur directed the first attack against the kingdom of south Kaushal in the valley of Mahanadi. "I tsing" the Chinese traveller who visited "Tamluk" in 637 A.D. passed through the hill tracks of Chotangpur to reach Nalanda and Bodh Gaya. It remained practically independent through out the Turko-Afghan period (1206 to 1526 A.D.) in India. The Rohtas fortress was the farthest limit of actual penetration made by them towards it. During Tughlaq's reign, Chatra came in contact with Delhi Sultanate. Shams-i-Shiraz Afif the author of Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi enlivens us that Firoz shah Tughlaque after his second campaign against Bengal (1359-1360) proceeded towards the Rai of Jai Nagar (Modern Orissa) from Jaunpur and coming to terms with the said Rai returned by some route through Jharkhand. Dr. Qanungo opines that Shershah threatened his way to Rohtas through the jungles of Jharkhadn as best he could (second attack on Gaur (Bengal) 1538 A.D.)The Ain-i-Akbari informs us that Chotanagpur or Kukra pradesh was included in the suba of Bihar with the advent of Akbar on the throne of India in 1556. Daud Khan, the Mughal Governor of Bihar, during the reign of Aurangzeb occupied Kothi Fort on 5th May 1660 A.D. without much opposition and then he moved towards the fort of Kunda which had a very strong fortification as it was situated on a hilltop.This fort was finally occupied by him and was completely destroyed on the 2nd of June, 1660 A.D. Kunda Fort was under the possession of Ramgarh Raja in the 17th century. Aliwardi Khan advanced towards Kunda in 1734 A.D. after defeating the rebel Zamindars of Tikari(Gaya)and then he attacked Chatra Fort and demolished it. Alamgir - Namah enlivens us that kothi lies 25 kos (50 miles) and kunda at the distance of 7 kos(14 miles) from palamu,Daud Khan the Mughal governer of Bihar during the reign of Aurangzeb occupied Kothi on 5th may 1660 without much opposition. He then moved towars the fort of Kunda which had a very strong opposition being situated on a hill. This fort came to be occupied and was completely destroyed on 3rd June 1660. Daud Khan stayed here during the rainy season. He also built fortified encampments at short intervals between kothi and kunda forts in each of which he placed a garrison. A personal servant of Aurangzeb named Ram Singh a descendant of Garhwal Rajput of Bundel Khand was granted " thane dari jagir" by Daud khan and Mangal khan in the Fasli year 1076 i.e. 1669 A.D. for the care and guarding of the roads . The analogy of Garhwal would suggest that he was a chieftain of a locally predominent race 'Kharwar'. Kendi situated in the Chatra p.s. was in the possession of Ramgarh Rajas in the 17th century. At about1770 A.D. Kendi was reduced by Muhemmadans to the position of Zamindari and the earliest available information shows that one Nahir Singh was the proprietor at the beginning of the 18th century and his son Fateh Singh was making khorposh (maintenance grant in 1783 A.D.) Chai was subjugated by Mukund Singh of Ramgarh (1770 A.D.) and was partitioned amongst the chieftains of whom apparently four paid tribute to the fifth Raja Lakhan of Jagodih. Mention is made of Chai & Champa in the Ain-i-Akbari as assessed to revenue as a post of Suba Bihar but perhaps this simply indicated Kendi. After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 the Mughal Empire almost collapsed and Muhammad Shah was the Regent of the Mughal Empire from 1719 to 1748. Sir Buland Khan the then governor of Bihar who attacked chotanagpur in 1724 and was back after taking a huge wealth and diamonds. According to Shitab Rai Fugairud-daula proceeded for kunda (Hazaribagh) in 1730. The new Governor of Bihar Aliwardi Khan advanced towars kunda in 1734 after defeating the rebellious zamindars of Tikari (Gaya). He attakced the Chatra fort and the fort was demolished. Ghatwal Bishun Singh of Ramgarh Rajya and Aliwardi Khan possessed Rs. 12000/- form Ramgarh and Rs. 5000/- from Palamu and for sometime Ramgarh and Palamu Raj was handed over to Tikari and Senaut. In 1740 A.D. Aliwardi Khan the Governor of Bihar Bengal & Orissa again sent an expedition against Ramgarh in the command of Hidayat Ali Khan , Jai Kishan Singh the Raja of Palamu and Siros, the Zamindar of Kutumba and Sherghati Sunder Singh was with Hidayat Ali Khan. They subdued the Ramgarh Raja and the Chatra fort of Ramgarh Raja was conquered (See Bihar through the ages p. 503 and P.C. Roy Choudhury 1857 in Bihar , Ramgarh Raj.) . There is no trace of the fort of Chatra now, but a Mohalla Dibha known as Garh par in Chatra proper is said to be the place where the fortress was erected. At two points " Surang " underground path is traceable and "garh par" is situated on a height and the road which leads to Karbala(Chatra) via Chhath Talab is downward. At " Khancha Dabar" (Dibha) some statues of Hindu dieties are to be found,Scattered and unidentified. The year 1765 A.D. opens a new epoch in the history of Chotanagpur as on 12th of August 1765. Emperor Shah Alam II granted the Diwani of Bengal,Bihar and Orissa to the East India Company. As Chotanagpur forms a part of Bihar the East India Company was entitled to recieve tribute or Ramgarh, Kharagdiha,Kendi and Kunda. The Britishers for the first time came in contact of these regions in 1769 and captain Camac first subdued the Rajas of Kharagdiha and Kunda. In 1771. He was the Military collector of Ramgarh district which was comprised of Nagpur, Palamu, and the present district of Hazaribagh and its headquarter was at Chatrfa.In 1780 captain Camac was succeeded by (Captain Heatley & the latter by captain Ramus - Military Collector ship) Mr. Chapman, was the first Civilian administator of chotanagpur " The conquered province". Mr. Chapman acted as a judge , a magistrate and a collector of revenue, his court was alternatlely held at Sherghati and Chatra, and his authority was enforced by the newly formed Ramgarh Battalion which was stationed at Hazaribagh. In the year 1799 a Munsif was appointed for the first time and was staioned at Chatra. Ranchi settlement, Report indicates that in the year 1778, an establishment of five companies of sepoy was odered to be staioned at Chatra where the collector of Ramgarh resided for use in the district under his control. There was a vigorous apposition by the merchants of Chatra on the proposal of W.Hunter, the Judge Magistrate of Ramgarh for shifting of the administative headquarter from Chatra to Ichak (42 miles west of Vishnugarh & 6 miles north of the Silwar Dawk-station). Governor General in Council thought it proper that the district be continued to remain at Chatra (Ramgarh Collecotr's Despatch Register no.6 page. 126)) and thus Chatra continued to be the district headquarters of Chatra or Ramgarh Zila from 1771 to 1833 A.D. The British, for the first time, came in contact with these regions in 1769 A.D. It is interesting to note that Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the prominent social reformer, worked as a 'Sirishtedar' at Chatra in 1805-06 and lived both at Chatra and Ramgarh in this capacity. When Mr. William Digbay was tranferred to Bhagalpur he took Ram Mohan Roy with him to his new place of Assignment. The old stone building housing the Sub-treasury and Sub-registrar's office was the same building where Raja Ram Mohan Roy worked some 195 years ago, which has been shifted near by. The old banyan tree standing infront of the office of the S.D.O. and Subtreasury is a mute witness to that historical glory of Chatra which it possessed. Hand written documents of Raja Ram Mohan Roy are to be found in the record room of the regristry office in Hazaribagh. There was KOL Rebellion in 1831 against the Britishers which rocked the very foundatiuons of the English rule in chotanagpur. The results of this rebellion were far reaching in the administrative annals of Chotanagpur as the Ramgarh Zila was passed into a administrative control of the south western Frontier Agency with its headquarters at Ranchi. Chatra lost its past glories but something was compensated in the year 1914 when Chatra was made a sub-divisional headquarters of the Hazaribagh district. The most important battle fought between the insurgents and the British in Chotanagpur during the Mutiny of 1857 was the 'Battle of Chatra'. This decisive battle was fought on 2nd October 1857 near 'Phansi Talab'. It lasted for an hour in which the mutineers were completly defeated. All together 56 European soldiers and officers were killed whereas 150 revolutionaries were killed and 77 were buried in a pit. Subedar Jai Mangal Pandey and Nadir Ali Khan were sentenced and hanged to death on the 4th of October 1857 A.D. on this very spot. The European and sikh soldiers were buried in a well along with their arms and ammunitions. An inscriptive plaque still exists. The inscription informs: "56 men of Her Majesty's 53rd Regiment of foot and a party of sikhs were killed at Chatra on October 2nd 1857 in action against mutineers of the Ramgarh Battalion. Lieutenant J.C.C Daunt of the 70th Bengal Native Infantry and sergeant D. Dynon of the 53rd regiment were awarded Victoria Cross for conspicuous gallantry in the battle, in which the mutineers were completely defeated and lost all their four guns and ammunitions. On the other hand the inscription on the bank of the Phansi Talab immortalises the two revolutionary subedars as hereunder: "JAY MANGAL PANDEY NADIR ALI, DONO SUBEDAR REY, DONO MILKAR PHANSI CHARHE, HARJEEVAN TALAAB REY." The national freedom struggle movement picked up momentum in 1921 . One of the most striking features of 1942 Quit India Movement, was the escape of Shri Jay Prakash Narayan along with six others from The Hazaribagh Central Jail on 9th November 1942 (the night of Diwali). Jai Prakash Narayan came to Tatra (a village of Chatra) and then proceeded towards Sherghati en route to Varanasi. Chotanagpur Kesri, Babu Ram Narayan Singh and Babu Shaligram Singh gave stiff resistance to the British. Their sacrifice bore fruit and India got freedom from the British yoke on the 15th of August 1947 A.D.