 | This articlemay containoriginal research. Pleaseimprove it byverifying the claims made and addinginline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.(May 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Bettiah | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Anticlockwise from top left -Bettiah Raj mahal Saheed Park, Sagar pokhra and Shiv Mandir, Supriya Cinema road, Bettiah auditorium and Maharaja Stadium, Gandhi statue at Hariwatika Chowk, Aeria view of Station chowk. | |
  Bettiah Location in Bihar, India | |
| Coordinates:26°48′05″N84°30′10″E / 26.80139°N 84.50278°E /26.80139; 84.50278 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Bihar |
| District | West Champaran |
| Established | 1244 AD |
| Founded by | Gangeshwar Dev |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council |
| • Body | Bettiah Municipal corporation |
| Area | |
• City | 30 km2 (12 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 64 km2 (25 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 65 m (213 ft) |
| Population (2020)as estimated[1] | |
| • Rank | 14th(as in 2011)in Bihar |
| • Urban | 414,453 |
| Language | |
| • Official | Hindi[2] |
| • Additional official | Urdu[2] |
| • Regional | Bhojpuri[3] |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 845438 |
| BTH | 06254 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-BR |
| Vehicle registration | BR-22 |
| Sex ratio | 53% male : 47% female♂/♀ |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Paschim Champaran/was before Bettiah |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Bettiah |
| Website | westchamparan |
Bettiah is a city and the administrative headquarters ofWest Champaran district (Tirhut Division)[4] in theIndian state ofBihar. It is near theIndo-Nepal border, 225 kilometres (140 mi) northwest ofPatna.
In 1244 A.D., Gangeshwar Dev, aBhumihar of the Jaitharia clan, settled at Jaithar inChamparan.[5] One of his descendants, Agar Sen, acquired large territories during the reign ofEmperor Jahangir, and was bestowed the title of 'Raja' by EmperorShah Jahan. In 1659, he was succeeded by his son Raja Gaj Singh, who built the palace of the family at Bettiah. He died in 1694 A.D. The palace stands today and is used as a marketplace.
In 1740, a Roman Catholic mission was founded in the city.[6] On 7 December 1745 AD, FatherJoseph Mary, Father Cassen, and NepaliChristian Michael arrived in Bettiah from Nepal. The King of Bettiah provided them with a house located in front of the royal court. This three-room house became the center of their activities. One room served as a clinic where free medicines were distributed to the general public, the second room was a Christian prayer house—a small church, and the third room was dedicated to providing religious education. From this modest setting, the propagation of Christianity began in Bettiah, laying the foundation for what would later become the presence of the Catholic Church in the northern Indian subcontinent, as well as the foundation of theBettiah Christian community.[7]
In 1765, when theEast India Company acquired theDiwani, the Bettiah Raj held the largest amount of territory under its jurisdiction.[8] It consisted of all ofChamparan except for a small portion held by the Ram Nagar Raj.[8]
Maharaja Sir Harendra Kishore Singh was the last king ofBettiah Raj.[5] He was born in 1854 and succeeded his father, the late Maharaja Rajendra Kishore Singh Bahadur in 1883. In 1884, he received the title of Maharaja Bahadur as a personal distinction and a Khilat and a sanad from the hands of the LieutenantGovernor of Bengal, Sir Augustus Rivers Thompson. He was created aKnight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire on 1 March 1889. He was appointed a member of the Legislative Council of Bengal in January 1891. He was also a member ofThe Asiatic Society. He was the last ruler ofBettiah Raj. Maharaja Sir Harendra Kishore Singh Bahadur died heirless on 26 March 1893, leaving behind two widows, Maharani Sheo Ratna Kuer and Maharani Janki Kuer . There are a few institutions named after the queen Maharani Janki Kuer, such as M.J.K College and M.J.K Hospital.
The Bettiah Gharana was one of the oldest styles of vocalised music.[9]Madhuban was part of the erstwhile 'Bettiah Raj'. Internal disputes and family quarrels divided the Bettiah Raj as time went on. As a result, the Madhuban Raj was created.
In 1869, Bettiah was constituted and affirmed as a municipality.
A section ofDhrupad singers of Dilli Gharana (Delhi Gharana) from theMughal EmperorShah Jahan's court had migrated to Bettiah under the patronage ofBettiah Raj, and thus was sown the seed of Bettiah Gharana.[9] The well-knownDagar brothers had praised the BettiahDhrupad singers and some of them were invited to theBharat Bhavan inBhopal to perform with other accomplished singers in 1990.[9]
The University of Bihar has a local branch of its college in Bettiah, M.J.K. College, first established in 1955 under the name of Bettiah Mahavidyalya. The current name is in honour of Maharani Janki Kunwar of the Bettiah Raj.[10]
On 26 December 2020, Bettiah became a municipal corporation. It includes Tola San Saraiya, Banuchapar, Kargahiya east and nearby areas. Development and upgrades to the local infrastructure are planned.[1]
The climate of Bettiah is characterised by high temperatures and high precipitation especially during themonsoon season. TheKöppen Climate Classification sub-type for this climate is "Cwa" (Dry-winter humid subtropical climate).
| Climate data for Bettiah | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.3 (73.9) | 26.3 (79.4) | 32.4 (90.3) | 37.3 (99.1) | 38.7 (101.7) | 37 (99) | 33.5 (92.3) | 32.8 (91.1) | 33.3 (91.9) | 32.3 (90.1) | 29.2 (84.6) | 24.6 (76.2) | 31.7 (89.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.2 (61.1) | 18.7 (65.6) | 24.2 (75.5) | 29.2 (84.6) | 32 (89) | 32 (89) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.1 (84.4) | 28.9 (84.1) | 26.6 (79.9) | 21.9 (71.4) | 17.4 (63.3) | 25.4 (77.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.3) | 11.1 (51.9) | 16.1 (60.9) | 21.2 (70.2) | 24.6 (76.2) | 26.2 (79.1) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.4 (77.8) | 24.6 (76.3) | 21.0 (69.8) | 14.6 (58.2) | 10.2 (50.4) | 19.2 (66.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 13 (0.5) | 13 (0.5) | 10 (0.4) | 18 (0.7) | 46 (1.8) | 200 (7.7) | 380 (14.9) | 360 (14) | 230 (8.9) | 66 (2.6) | 5.1 (0.2) | 5.1 (0.2) | 1,330 (52.4) |
| Average precipitation days | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 5.4 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 45.7 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 11.1 | 11.7 | 12.4 | 13.2 | 13.9 | 14.2 | 14.1 | 13.5 | 12.7 | 11.9 | 11.2 | 10.9 | 12.6 |
| Source: Weatherbase[11] | |||||||||||||
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindus | 64.08% | |||
| Muslims | 33.72% | |||
| Christians | 1.90% | |||
| Others | 0.30% | |||
As of2011 Indian Census, Bettiah NP had a total population of 132,209, of which 69,529 were males and 62,680 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 18,995. The total number of literates in Bettiah was 91,298, which constituted 69.1% of the population with male literacy of 72.7% and female literacy of 64.9%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Bettiah was 80.6%, of which male literacy rate was 85.0% and female literacy rate was 75.8%. TheScheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 8,266 and 828 respectively. Bettiah had 24,463 households in 2011.[12]
As per 2011 census, the Bettiah Urban Agglomeration had a total population of 156,200, with 82,663 males and 73,537 females. The population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 22,067, and the effective literacy rate (literacy of people above the age of 7) was 80.89%.[13] The urban agglomeration includes Bettiah (municipal corporation), Tola Mansaraut (census town), Kargahia Purab (census town) and Hat Saraiya (census town).[14]
On 26 December 2020, Bettiah became a municipal corporation. It included Tola San Saraiya, Banuchapar, Kargahiya east, and other nearby areas. The total population at this time was 414,453.[1]
Bettiah is connected to different cities of India through railways.Bettiah railway station is the main railway station serving the city. Direct trains are available to all the major destinations across India like Patna, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Ahemdabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Jammu & Katra, etc.
Prajapati Halt railway station, also known as Bettiah Cant Railway station, is another railway station serving the city.
The National Highways 727, 139W, 28B, 727aa, and State Highway 54 pass through the city.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has declared a new Patna-Bettiah road as National Highway 139W, setting the stage for the construction of a high-quality four-lane road between the two towns that would reduce the distance between them to 167 kilometres from the current 200-odd km, and travel time to around two hours.[17]
The new Gopalganj-Bettiah Road passes through the New Town section of Tola San Saraiyan. Through this new road, a distance of 60 km (37 mi) is shortened from the commute to Gopalganj-Bettiah.[18]
A new expressway is currently being constructed via Bettiah which linksGorakhpur toSiliguri.[19]
A direct NH is being constructed to link Bettiah to Gorakhpur, designated 727aa. NH727AA connects Manuapul (Bettiah), Patzirwa, Paknaha, Pipraghat, and Sevrahi in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.[20]
The nearest airport isKushinagar International Airport which is about 97 km (60 mi) from Bettiah. The nearest airport in Bihar isJay Prakash Narayan International Airport located inPatna which is about 200 km (120 mi) from Muzaffarpur and 177 km (110 mi) fromAreraj.
Freedom Fighter and authorRamesh Chandra Jha was the first person who penned down the rich literary history of Champaran. His research based books includingChamparan Ki Sahitya Sadhana (चम्पारन की साहित्य साधना) (1958),Champaran:Literature & Literary Writers (चम्पारन: साहित्य और साहित्यकार) (1967) andApne Aur Sapne:A Literary Journey Of Champaran (अपने और सपने: चम्पारन की साहित्य यात्रा) (1988) meticulously document the rich literary heritage and history ofChamparan,Bihar. These seminal books continue to serve as foundational reference points for researchers, scholars, Ph.D. students, and journalists alike. Jha's insightful exploration and preservation of Champaran's historical and literary legacy have solidified his place as a cornerstone in the field of literary research.[32]
Kanyaputri Dolls represent a traditional folk craft of Bettiah and the wider West Champaran region, historically made by girls during the monsoon month ofSaavan using scraps of cloth. The dolls—often created as sister-brother pairs or as bride-and-groom figures—were associated with rituals celebrating sibling affection and were sometimes sent with newly married women to theirsasural as symbols of familial bonds and good fortune.[33] With the spread of mass-produced plastic toys in the late 20th century, this handmade tradition gradually declined and nearly disappeared.[34]
The craft was revived by Bihar State Handicrafts Award Winner Artist and Teacher Namita Azad,[35] from Manjhariya village in Bettiah, who began recreating the dolls using upcycled fabric and later dedicated herself fully to training local women artisans. Her efforts received organisational and promotional support from Indian Social Entrepreneur Ranjan Mistry,[36] helping the initiative expand through exhibitions, state craft platforms, and documentary work highlighting the heritage.[37] The revival has re-established Kanyaputri Dolls as an element of Champaran’s intangible cultural heritage, while also providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for rural women and promoting eco-friendly craft practices.[38] Kanyaputri Doll also recognized as the only State Doll of Bihar.[39]
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help){{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
