town, northern Jharkhand state, northeastern India. The town is a road and agricultural-trade centre located on an undulating plain with copper, iron ore, asbestos, and limestone deposits. Saraikela was the capital of a former princely state that was founded by Bikram Singh of the Porahat Raj family in the 17th century. It was a sanad (patent, or grant) state of the Chota Nagpur Commission and was one of the former Orissa states until incorporated into Bihar in 1948. Pop. (2001) 12,270.