Saharsa | |
|---|---|
 Matsyaganda Lake  Kosi Bridge Baluwaha, Saharsa  Chandika Sthan Temple Saharsa  Matsyagandha Temple | |
  Saharsa Location in Bihar, India | |
| Coordinates:25°53′N86°36′E / 25.88°N 86.6°E /25.88; 86.6 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Bihar |
| Region | Mithila[1] |
| District | Saharsa |
| Established | 1954 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal corporation |
| • Body | Saharsa Municipal Corporation |
| • Member of the Legislative Assembly | Alok Ranjan Jha (BJP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 243.8 km2 (94.1 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 2nd inBihar |
| Elevation | 41 m (135 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 156,540[2] |
| • Rank | 15th in Bihar |
| • Density | 642.1/km2 (1,663/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| • Additional official | Urdu[3] |
| • Regional | Maithili |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 852201-852154-852221-852127 (Saharsa)[4] |
| Telephone code | 916478 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-BR |
| Vehicle registration | BR-19 |
| Sex ratio | 933 females per 1000 males♂/♀ |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Saharsa |
| Website | saharsa |
Saharsa is a city and municipal corporation in theSaharsa District in the eastern part of the state ofBihar,India. It is situated near the eastern banks of theKosi River. It serves as the administrative headquarters for the Saharsa District and is also the Divisional headquarters of theKosi Division.[5]
The regional language of the city isMaithili. Alongside Maithili,Hindi is widely understood and spoken.[6]
Saharsa is part of theMithila region,[7] which first gained prominence after settlement byIndo-Aryan tribes that established theMithila Kingdom (also known as the Kingdom of the Videhas).[8] During the late Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Videhas developed as one of the major political and cultural centres ofSouth Asia, along withKuru andPañcāla. The kings of the Videhas Kingdom were referred to asJanakas.[9]
The Videha Kingdom was later incorporated into theVajjika League, which had its capital in the city ofVaishali, which is also located in Mithila.[10][11]
It is a major producer ofcorn andmakhana in India. From Saharsa, corn and Makhana are exported toAmerica,Australia,France,Japan, andEngland. Every year, 2 lakh metric tons of corn are exported to different countries, and similarly, to Makhana.[12]Rice,mangoes,litchi,bamboo,mustard,corn,wheat, andsugarcane.
Darbhanga Airport is the nearest operational airport roughly 97 km away via road.SpiceJet andIndiGo operate flights to cities including Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.One can reach Saharsa by rail and by road fromNew Delhi,Patna, andMumbai.
Saharsa Junction is a railway station under theEast Central Railway. Saharsa Junction covers up toPurnia Junction, Forbesganj Station, andKhagaria Junction. It is an A-category railway station under theSamastipur railway division. The railway junction has been certified asISO 14001:2015 for environmental management. Saharsa Junction is one of the top 50 rail ticket booking stations inIndia and one of the top 3 rail ticket booking stations inECR. In early 2005, abroad gauge line connected it toKhagaria on the New Delhi-Guwahati main line. Earlier, there was only a meter-gauge line on the Khagaria – Mansi – Forbesganj section of the East Central Railway. Saharsa is directly connected toNew Delhi,Sealdah,Kolkata,Amritsar,Bandra theRanchi via Train.
Highways including NH107, NH327E, and NH527E help connect the city to other parts of India.
Saharsa is located at25°53′N86°36′E / 25.88°N 86.6°E /25.88; 86.6.[13] It has an average elevation of 41 metres (134 feet). Saharsa and its surrounding areas occupy a flatalluvial plain forming part of theKosi river basin. The city lies in the Kosi alluvialmegafan, one of the largestalluvial fans in the world. The land is very fertile but frequent changes in the course of the Kosi, one of the largest tributaries of theGanges,[14][15] have led to the problems associated with soil erosion. Flooding is a major reason for the poor connectivity of the area; bridges are often washed away. Major flooding occurs almost annually, causing a significant loss of life and property.[16]
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TheKoshi River and its tributaries flood annually, affecting about 21,000 km2 (8,100 sq mi) of fertile agricultural lands and affecting the rural economy. This is the most devastating river in Bihar, earning it the epithet "Sorrow of Bihar".[17]
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In 2011, Saharsa had a population of 1,897,102, of which 995,502 and 901,600 were male and female, respectively. There was a change of 25.79 percent in the population compared to the population as of 2001. In the previous census of India in 2001, Saharsa District recorded an increase of 33.03 percent in its population compared to 1991.
The initial provisional data suggest a density of 1,125 in 2011 compared to 895 in 2001. The total area under the Saharsa district is about 1,686 square kilometres (651 sq mi).
The average literacy rate of Saharsa in 2011 was 54.57, compared to 39.08 of 2001. Male and female literacy were 65.22 and 42.73, respectively. For the 2001 census, the same figures stood at 51.66 and 25.27 in Saharsa District. The total number of literates in Saharsa District was 829,206, with 521,560 males and 307,646 females. In 2001, Saharsa District had 465,577 in its total region.
The sex ratio in Saharsa stood at 906 females per 1000 males compared to the 2001 census figure of 910. The average national sex ratio in India is 940 as per the latest reports of the Census 2011 Directorate.[18]
