The district of Purulia has the city of Purulia itself as the main centre for administration of the district. The region of Purulia was one of the earliest districts that the British East India Company brought under its control by getting the diwani rights for the regions of Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. Before independence the district of Purulia did not exist independently. After the Independence, the district was created after scrapping of the land from the Manbhum district of Bihar. Thus, the district was literally born in the year 1956 with the city of Purulia as its main administrative centre. The district occupies a land area of the size of 6259 sq km with a population of 29 lacs approximate individuals. The density of population of the region is around 468 people per sq km. The district is not that great developed when it comes to agriculture and thus it gets itself a part in the list of the 250 most backward districts of India.