Sahebganj (also known as Sahibganj) is a scenic town and a port city with the serene Ganga and sturdy hills in the Sahibganj subdivision of the Sahebganj district of Jharkhand state, India. It serves as headquarters for Sahibganj District, Sahibganj subdivision and Sahibganj (community development block). It is located on the north-east of Jharkhand and situated on the banks of Ganges. 17th May is the Foundation Day of the District, when Rajmahal and Pakur subdivisions of old Santhal Pargana district were carved out to form Sahibganj district. Etymology Sahibganj means a place (ganj) of masters (sahebs or sahibs). The place is likely to have been given its name because a number of English and other European people lived and worked in and around the railway station during the British Raj. History Early and Medieval Period The history of Sahibganj town centers mainly on the history of Rajmahal and Teliagarhi Fort. There is evidence that the area is inhabited since time immemorial only by Malers (Mal Paharia). They were the early settlers of the territory of Rajmahal hills, who still reside in some areas of the same hills. They are considered to be the "Malli" mentioned in the notes of Megasthenes, Greek Ambassador of Selukus Nikater, who happened to be in the vicinity of the Rajmahal hills in 302 BC. Till the visit of Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang in 645 AD, the history of this area was wrapped in obscurity. In his travelogue, the pilgrim mentions the Fort of Teliagarhi (on the present rail route, near Mirzachauki Railway Station), seeing the lofty bricks and stone tower not far from the Ganges. Information is gathered through the pages of history that it was a Buddhist Vihar. A continuous history of the district is extant from the 13th century when Teliagarhi became the main gateway of Muslim armies marching to and from Bengal. During the Sultanate rule in Delhi, Bakhtiar Khilji marched towards Bengal and Assam through the Teliagrahi pass. He captured Bengal, and its king, Lakshaman Sena, fled to Cooch Behar (in West Bengal). In 1538, Sher Shah Suri and Humayun came face to face for a decisive battle near Teliagarhi. On 12 July 1576, the battle of Rajmahal was fought and the foundation of Mughal rule in Bengal was laid. It was Man Singh, the most trusted general of Akbar, who in his capacity as Viceroy of Bengal and Bihar, made