Established in 1953, the Department of History of Jhargram Raj College began to offer B.A. General and Honours courses under the University of Calcutta in 1957 and 1962, respectively. In 1985 academic affiliation of the department shifted to Vidyasagar University.

Since its inception, the department has been graced by many notable faculties. Sunil Chattopadhyay, the author of several important works on history, was one of the early teachers. Noted educationists Subodh Kumar Majumder and Dibyendu Hota, who later became the president of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, were also part of the department. Among the other outstanding teachers of the department, mention may be made of the present vice-president of the Asiatic Society - Subhas Ranjan Chakrabarty. In his initial academic years, Ranjan Chakrabarti, the erstwhile Vice Chancellor of Vidyasagar University, had taught here.

Now the department has six teachers, including three State Aided College Teachers (SACT). The department has four sanctioned posts of full-time professors, but one is currently vacant. The intake capacity at entry level to UG History (Honours) is 93.

The department tries to take up multidirectional teaching methods keeping in mind the situational specificities of Jhargram and its adjoining Jungle Mahal area from where most of our students come. Within the scope of the curriculum designed by Vidyasagar University, the department takes up the role of facilitator to equip students for careers both within and outside the academia, with an emphasis on developing their research skills. Apart from standard lectures, classroom teaching involves audio-visual presentations and interactive sessions.

The department aims to develop a 'sense of history' among its pupils and generate interest in museums, archaeological sites and libraries. The department regularly organises museum visits and educational tours to historical places in India. Stress is laid on interdisciplinary approaches to study history, with faculty members collaborating with teachers from other departments of Jhargram Raj College.

To keep themselves abreast with the growing knowledge in historical studies, the members of the faculty of history often participate in national and international conferences and organise seminars and workshops in the department. Students' seminar is a constant annual feature of the department where the student participants get the opportunity to showcase their research to a wider audience. The students entirely run the departmental wall magazine. Micro-teaching sessions and extension lecturers are usually arranged to enhance students' learning skills. History quizzes and debates are held to further invigorate the knowledge of the subject among the pupils of the department and make them nationally and globally more competitive. Parent-teacher meetings, SMP (Student Mentorship Programme), tutorials and remedial classes are part of the regular student-centric activities of the department.

The Department of History, among other things, desires to see its students grow into socially aware citizens. Thus, the department has the broader aim to help its pupils make sense of the greater environment around them through their sense of the past – as nurtured in classroom lectures and interactions, in a socially responsible manner.

The department can be reached at history.jrc@gmail.com