Bihar has been a major centre of learning, home to the ancient universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila. The name “Bihar” is derived from the Sanskrit and Pali word ‘Vihara’ meaning abode or monastery. 11% of the population lives in urban areas which is the lowest in India after Himachal Pradesh whereas 58% of the people are below the age of 25 giving Bihar the highest proportion of young people of any Indian state.

Just like this some of the very enlightening facts about Bihar related to its history, environment, economy, etc will be set right in the following article. If you have’t read the Part-1 yet, check it out by clicking on Know Bihar (Part 1).

Do you know where was the “Battle of Buxar” fought and between whom? Do you know which state has Asia’s largest freshwater Oxbow lake?

Let’s jump to the aspect which connects the past with the present i.e. –

HISTORY –

ANCIENT HISTORY –

• The ancient history has some religious texts and epics that mention the regions of Bihar such as Magadha, Mithila and Anga.
• After the establishment of the Videha Kingdom, which became one of the major political and cultural centers of South Asia, Mithila gained much importance.
• Janakas are the rulers of the Videha Kingdom.
• Sita, the consort of Lord Rama in Ramayana (written by Valmiki), was a daughter of one of the Janaks of Mithila.
• The Haryanka Dynasty was founded in 648 BC which ruled Magadha from the city of Rajgriha.
• Bimbisara and his son Ajatshatru, were the two well-known kings from this dynasty. Ajatshatru founded the capital of Pataliputra which later became the capital of Magadha.
• The Haryanka Dynasty was followed by the Shishunaga Dynasty. Later, the Nanda Dynasty ruled a vast tract stretching from Bengal to Punjab.
• The Nanda Dynasty was replaced by the Mauryan Empire, India’s first empire.
• The Mauryan Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya who was born in Magadha. It had its capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna).
• Ashoka was the Mauryan Emperor who was born in Pataliputra (Patna) was considered to be among the most accomplished rulers in history.
• The Gupta Empire was known as the Golden Age of India in Science, Mathematics, Astronomy, Commerce, Religion and Indian Philosophy.

MEDIEVAL HISTORY – 

• Muhammad Bin Bakhtiyar Khalji invaded Magadha which led to the decline of Buddhism and also many of the Viharas were destroyed along with the universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila.
• After the fall of the Pala Empire, the Chero Dynasty ruled some parts of Bihar from the 12^th century until Mughal rule in the 16^th century.
• In 1540, Sher Shah Suri took northern India from the Mughals and declared Delhi its capital.
• The Mithila was ruled by various indigenous dynasties from the 11^th century to the 12^th century. Some of these were Karnatas, followed by the Oiniwar Dynasty and Raj Darbhanga. It was during this period that the capital of Mithila was shifted to Darbhanga.
• Guru Gobind Singh, the 10^th and the last guru of Sikhism was born in Patna in 1666. With political instability in the Mughal Empire following Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, Murshid Quli Khan declared Bengal’s Independence and named himself Nawab of Bengal.   

COLONIAL ERA –

• Battle of Buxar (22 October, 1764) was the divisive victory of the British East India Company that defines British as a ruler. It was fought between British forces under Hector Munro and a combined army of Mughals under Shah Alam II, Mir Qasim (Nawab of Awadh) and Shuja-ud-Daula (Nawab of Bengal).
• After the Battle of Buxar, the British East India Company obtained the Diwani rights (right to administer and collect tax revenue) for Bihar, Bengal and Odisha.
• Foreign entrepreneurs had started a number of agricultural-based industries.
• Bihar remained a part of the Bengal Presidency of British India until 1912, when Bihar and Orissa were carved out as a separate province.

PRE AND POST INDEPENDENCE –

• In Champaran, Farmers had revolted against Indigo cultivation in 1914 (at Pipra) and 1916 (Turkaulia).
• When Mahatma Gandhi visited Champaran in April 1917, Raj Kumar Shukla drew his attention to the exploitation of the peasants by European Indigo Planters.
• Many Bihari nationalists such as Rajendra Prasad and Anurag Narayan Sihan supported the Champaran Satyagraha.
• The Kisan Sabha began in 1929 under the leadership of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati who formed the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (BPKS). Its main aim was to mobilise peasant grievances against the zamindari attacks on their occupancy rights.
• The movement intensified and spread from Bihar across the rest of India, cultivating in the formation of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) at the Lucknow session of INC in April 1936, where Saraswati was elected as its first president.
• Upon India’s Independence in 1947, Bihar became a constitute part (becoming a state in 1950) and in 1948 the small states with capitals at Saraikela and Kharsawan were merged with it.
• In 1956, when the Indian states were reorganized on a linguistic basis, a territory of some 8130 sq. km was transferred from Bihar to West Bengal.
• In 1990, for the first time since independence, a state government was elected from a party other than that controlling the national government and in 2000 most of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in Bihar’s southern region became part of the new state of Jharkhand.

When it comes to natural vegetation as well as wildlife, Bihar comes out with flying colours to keep its integrity in limelight. Hence, we’ll understand the next aspect i.e. –

ENVIRONMENT–  

• Bihar has reserved forest area of 6845 sq.km, which is 7.27% of its geographical area.
• The natural vegetation of Bihar is deciduous forest in abundance whereas on the plain they have largely been removed in order to cultivate the land.
• Resin-yielding sal trees are found in the Himalayan foothills, along with an abundance of bamboo, reeds and grasses.
• Common trees of the plain include banyans, Bo trees and palmyra palms.
• Crocodiles are most numerous along the Kosi River.
• In the early 21^st century, significant populations of the endangered adjutant stork were found in the Kosi and Ganges floodplains.
• VALMIKI NATIONAL PARK – This is the only National Park in Bihar. Valmiki National Park was established in 1976 and is located at the Indo-Nepal border in the West Champaran district of Bihar, on the bank of River Gandak. The extensive forest area of Valmiki Nagar (formally known as Bhainsa Lotan) was previously owned by the British Raj and Ramnagar Raj until the early 1950s. Valmiki Tiger Reserve is an excellent example of Himalayan Terai landscape and comprises Valmiki National Park and Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary.
• WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES –
• Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary – It was established in 1976 and lies in the south-west of Mungur district near Jamui district.
• Gautam Buddha Wildlife Sanctuary – Prior to becoming a wildlife refuge, the area was a private hunting reserve. Located in Gaya district of Bihar and Koderma district of Jharkhand state in east-central India, it covers an area of 259 sq.km.
• Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary – It lies in the Bhagalpur region and is a reserve for the endangered South Asian River Dolphin. Designated in 1991, it is the protected area for the endangered Gangetic Dolphins in Asia. The Gangetic Dolphins have been declared as the National Aquatic Animal of India. The decision was taken in the first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) chaired by PM Dr. Manmohan Singh on 5 October, 2009.
• Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary – It is located in Kaimur district of Bihar, near the town of Bhabhra. It is the largest sanctuary in the state and occupies an area of about 1342 sq.km. Government of Bihar has planned to develop it into Tiger Reserve.
• Pant Wildlife Sanctuary – Pant wildlife Sanctuary, Rajgir, is situated in Nalanda forest division under the Nalanda district administration, Bihar. It is spread in an area of 35.84 sq.km.
• Udaipur Wildlife Sanctuary – Located in the West Champaran district of Bihar, the Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1978 and covers an area of 8.74 sq.km. The Wildlife Sanctuary is a predominantly wetland, located on an oxbow lake in the floodplain of Gandaki River.
• Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary – The Kanwar Taal or Kabar Taal Lake is located in Begusarai district of Bihar. It is Asia’s largest freshwater Oxbow Lake. It is approximately three times the size of the Bharatpur Sanctuary. It was established in 1987 with an area of 67.5 sq.km. Ornithologist Salim Ali mentioned about 60 migratory birds that come all the way from central Asia in winter and recorded around 106 species of resident birds.
• Karkatgarh Waterfall on Karmansara River is a natural habitat of crocodiles.

Bihar enjoys a unique location-specific advantage because of its proximity to the vast markets of Eastern and Northern India and Nepal. So now it’s time to understand the economical aspect of the state.

ECONOMY –

• The GDP rank of the state is 13^th with Rs.6.86 crore.
• The GDP growth stands at 10.53%
• The GDP per capita rank is 33^rd with Rs.43,822
• GDP by sector –

Agriculture – 20%

Industry – 19%

Service – 61%

• Bihar accounts for 71% of India’s annual litchi production.
• Agriculture engages nearly 3/4^th of Bihar’s population and Bihar is one of the top producers of Vegetables and fruits.
• Bihar is the third largest producer of vegetables in India after UP and West Bengal. 
• The Golden Quadrilateral Highway passes through the districts of Kaimur, Sasaram, Aurangabad, Gaya and Patna, connecting the state to major metro cities in the country.
• Bihar has 50 industrial areas and mega industrial parks.
• India’s first electric locomotive manufacturing facility, opened as a JV between Alstom and the Indian Railways, launched its first electric locomotive engine in March 2018.
• Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor also passes through the state, providing access to ports in East India such as Kolkata and Haldia; to raw material sources, and mineral reserves in the neighbouring states.
• KOSI MAHA SETU BRIDGE, a strategic bridge on Kosi river of 1.88 km long and 39 spans seeks to provide a shorter route to India’s Northeast region. Efforts are being made by Indian Railways to complete the development work of the bridge in time for the central government to make it operational by the month of August this year. The bridge will provide an alternative Broad Gauge route of length 610 km between Gorakhpur and Kathihar. The existing route of 505 Km via Chapra and Barauni at present is a highly saturated corridor.
• Jute, a crop of the hot, moist lowlands, is found only in easternmost plain districts.
• Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga are particularly noted for mangoes, bananas and litchi fruits.
• Rice is everywhere the dominant crop, but wheat, corn, barley and pulses are important supplementary crops.

EDUCATION–

Bihar, with female literacy at 53.3%, is striving to climb as the government has established educational institutions. At the time of Independence, women’s literacy in Bihar was 4.22%. 

• Patna University, the first university in Bihar, was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj, and is the eleventh oldest university of the Indian Subcontinent.
• Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) or Government Medical College is a public medical college based in Patna. It was established in 1970 and is situated in Kankarbagh. Nalanda Medical College is a Government-funded institute affiliated to Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Patna. It is recognized by the Medical Council of India.
• After coming to power, the Nitish Kumar led government opened the Chanakya National Law University, a national law university, Aryabhatta Knowledge University, a technological university of Bihar and a B-school called Chandragupta Institute of Management.   
• Patna also houses one of India’s world-renowned libraries, the Khuda Baksh Oriental Library and the Sinha Library, which is one of the largest in the region.

SPORTS–

Bihar, known for its verifiable inheritance and academic magnificence likewise not falls behind in the field of Sports.

• The recent foundation was of the Directorate of Youth Welfare and Sports department to manage issues identified with young people’s strengthening and to offer them extraordinary compared to other stages to prepare on state, national and worldwide levels.
• The Sports Council was observed as an obligatory and this way Bihar State Sports Council was shaped under the Bihar Sports Act 2013.
• The Bihar Cricket Group was one of the most seasoned cricket group in India and spoke to the state in the Ranji Trophy from 1936-37.
• Bihar state level Kabaddi Team is named Patna Pirates. Based on the capital city of Patna, this group effectively plays for Pro Kabaddi League in the state.
• Basawan Singh Indoor Stadium or Swatantrata Senani Basawan Singh Indoor Stadium is one of the significant games edifices in the province of Bihar situated at Hajipur.

Now, let’s come up to- Some of the Fascinating Facts of Bihar –

• The renowned Mathematician and founder of “zero”, Aryabhatta hailed from Bihar.
• Once known as a backward state, Bihar has made a strong bid for a mention on the world’s infotech map. The 20 km free Wi-Fi zone is the longest across the globe that was launched in Patna in 2014. 
• Grand Trunk Road is the 2500 km road which is one of the Asia’s oldest and longest Major Road. It was built during Chandragupta Maurya’s reign and was rebuilt by Sher Shah Suri.
• Bihar is the gun master of all states. Munger is India’s oldest city producing guns since 1800s.
• According to Mythology, Mandar Parvat, which was used for Samudra Manthan lies between Bhagalpur and Dumka District.
• Bhagalpur, the Abode of Garuda, is the world’s second largest rescue and rehabilitation area for Garuda and is considered the Vahana of the God Vishnu.
• Mahatma Gandhi Setu is the longest Bridge in India which is 5750 metres long is situated on the Ganga River in Bihar.   

Bihar has been home to some of the most important historical figures, discoveries and inventions and that’s what makes it different and interesting from other states. In the next blog, we would be discussing some interesting facts and trivia about the state of Chhattisgarh. Click here for Know your State – ‘Chhattisgarh’. Hope this article helped you in getting pure knowledge about this exuberant state and would also help in your upcoming competitive exams such as Civil Services, Bank PO, RRB NTPC, etc.

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