Gumla is a city that is the headquarters of Gumla district in the state of Jharkhand, India. Gumla began as a hamlet. A week-long "Cow Fair" (Gau-Mela) took place every year, where items in daily use (utensils, ornaments, grain, and sometimes cattle) were sold or bartered. Since these items were only available at the fair, people would keep lists during the year of what they needed. The hamlet's population grew, and it became a village named "Gumla" (a derivative of Gau–Mela).