 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Bihari culture" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Part of a series on the |
| History of Bihar |
|---|
 |
Ancient History Prehistoric and Vedic Era Urbanisation andShramana Imperial Magadha Post-Mauryan andSmriti The Interregnum |
Classical and medieval The Classical Age Early Medieval Pala Era and Feudatories Medieval Mithila Islamic Incursions Centers of Learning |
Early-modern Afghan and Mughal Rule Regional Chieftaincies Major Zamindari Estates |
Colonial & Independence Era Colonial Rule (1764–1947)
Freedom Struggle |
Modern Era (Post-1947) Congress Era (1947–1967) Socialist and JP Era (1967–1989) RJD Era (1990–2005) State Division (2000) NDA Era (2005–Present) |
Culture, art, and society Art and architecture
Society and language Religion |
| Part ofa series on the |
| State of Bihar |
|---|
 |
Districts & Divisions |
Bihari culture refers to theculture of theIndian state ofBihar. Bihari culture includesAngika culture,Mithila culture,Bhojpuri culture and the culture ofMagadha.
Bihar has produced a number of writers of Hindi, includingRamdhari Singh 'Dinkar',[1]Ram Briksh Benipuri,Phanishwar Nath 'Renu',Gopal Singh "Nepali", BabaNagarjunRaja Radhika Raman Singh[2] andShiva Pujan Sahay.[3]Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan, the great writer andBuddhist scholar, was born inU.P. but spent his life in the land ofLord Buddha, i.e., Bihar.Hrishikesh Sulabh and Neeraj Singh (from Ara) are the prominent writer of the new generation. They are short story writer, playwright and theatre critic. Arun Kamal and Aalok Dhanwa are the well-known poets. Different regional languages also have produced some prominent poets and authors.Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, who is among the greatest writers inBengali, resided for some time in Bihar.Upamanyu Chatterjee also hails from Patna in Bihar.Devaki Nandan Khatri, who rose to fame at the beginning of the 20th century on account of his novels such asChandrakanta andChandrakanta Santati, was born inMuzaffarpur, Bihar.Bhikhari Thakur is known as the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri.Heera Dom, a Bhojpuri poet has contributed toDalit literature.Vidyapati is the most renowned poet of Maithili (c. 14–15th century).Satyapal Chandra[4] has written many English best-seller novels and he is one of India's emerging young writer.
Despite the large number of speakers ofBihari languages, they have not been constitutionally recognised in India, exceptMaithili which is recognised under theEighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Hindi is the language used for educational and official matters in Bihar.[5] These languages were legally absorbed under the subordinate label of Hindi in the 1961 Census. Such state and national politics are creating conditions for language endangerment.[6]The first success in spreading Hindi occurred in Bihar in 1881, when Hindi displaced Urdu as the sole official language of the province. In this struggle between competing Hindi and Urdu, the potential claims of the three large mother tongues in the region –Bhojpuri,Maithili andMagahi were ignored. After independence Hindi was again given the sole official status through the Bihar Official Language Act, 1950.[7] Urdu became the second official language in the undivided State of Bihar on 16 August 1989. Bihar also produced several eminent Urdu writers includingKalim Aajiz,Bismil Azimabadi,Shad Azimabadi,Sulaiman Nadvi,Manazir Ahsan Gilani,Abdul Qavi Desnavi, Paigham Afaqui,Jabir Husain,Sohail Azimabadi,Hussain Ul Haque,Shamim Hashimi,[8] andWahab Ashrafi.[9]
Bihar has also produced some prominent poets and authors who write in various regional languages:
.jpg)
_Sharda_Sinha%2c_at_the_Civil_Investiture_Ceremony-II%2c_at_Rashtrapati_Bhavan%2c_in_New_Delhi_on_April_02%2c_2018.jpg)
In 1984, Satish Anand had evolved a new 'Bidesia Style' for modern Indian theatre.[12] The new style used elements of traditional folk theatre from indigenous Bihari culture.[13] Some other traditional Bihari forms of theatre include those centred around Raja Salhesh, and the festival ofSama Chakeva originating from theMithila region of Bihar.[14]
Jhijhiya is aritual dance mostly performed at time ofDusshera, in dedication to DurgaBhairavi, the goddess of victory.[15] In Bihar,Domkach is aceremonial dance form performed in theMagadh,Mithila andBhojpur regions.[16]Bideshiya is a form of dance-drama that is believed to have been created byBhikhari Thakur, a barber with a passion for drama.[17] It deals with social issues and conflict between traditional and modern, rich and poor.Fagua(performed in bhojpur and Magadh region) is a dance and also a type of folk song performed duringHoli.Painki evokes the infantry's agility, courage, and excitement.[18] Danced on flat ground, it highlights the dancers' weapon-handling ability.Jat Jatin Dance of theMithila region ofBihar is supposed to be performed on moonlit nights during themonsoons. Jhoomar is the most famous dance from Magadh region, It's performed during wedding and Karma puja, Jitiya etc. Danda Bhanjaul dance is also performed in Magadh region byyadava community during diwali in front of Bir Kuar baba( a folk deity). Sohar-Khilona dance is also performedin Magadh region dueing birth of a child. While Sohar is a folk song in other reguons but in Magadh it's also a dance form.[19]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(April 2025) |
Bihar has contributed a lot to the Indian classical music. Bihar has produced musicians likeBharat RatnaUstad Bismillah Khan anddhrupad singers like the Malliks (Darbhanga Gharana) and the Mishras (Bettiah Gharana) along with poets likeVidyapati Thakur who contributed toMaithili Music.
There are several traditional styles of painting practised in Bihar. One isMithila painting, a style of Indian painting used in theMithila region of Bihar. The Mithila painting was one of the skills that were passed down from generation to generation in the families of theMithila region, mainly by women. The painting was usually done on walls during festivals, religious events, and other milestones of the life cycle, like birth,Upanayanam (the sacred thread ceremony), and marriage.[20] Mithila painting was traditionally done on huts' freshly plastered walls. Today it is also done on cloth, handmade paper, and canvas. Mithila painting is also calledMadhubani art.[21] It depicts human beings and their association with nature. The sun, moon, and religious plants liketulsi are widely painted. Following the scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally, no space is left empty.[20] Common scenes illustrate deities likeKrishna,Ram,Shiva,Durga,Lakshmi, andSaraswati from ancient epics. Famous Mithila painters include Smt Bharti Dayal,Mahasundari Devi, the lateGanga Devi, and Sita Devi.
Historically, thePatna School of Painting (Patna Qualam), sometimes calledCompany Painting, flourished in Bihar during the early 18th to mid-20th centuries.[22] The Patna School of Painting was an offshoot of the well-knownMughal Miniature School of Painting. Those who practised this art form were descendants ofHindu artisans of Mughal painting. Facing persecution from the Mughal Emperor,Aurangzeb, these artisans found refuge, viaMurshidabad, inPatna during the late 18th century.[22] Their art shared the characteristics of the Mughal painters. Whereas the Mughal style depicted only royalty and court scenes, thePatna artists also started paintingbazaar scenes. They usedwatercolours on paper and onmica. The style's subject matter evolved to include scenes of Indian daily life, local rulers, festivals, and ceremonies. This school of painting formed the basis for the formation of thePatna Art School under the leadership of Shri Radha Mohan.[22] The School is an important centre offine arts in Bihar.[23]
AlongwithPatna Qalam,Kohbar painting (a painting created during wedding rituals in kohbar room), Tikuli art(an art and painting originated from Patna around 800–1000 years ago),Sohrai painting(painted on walls during Sohrai/Gaiya dadh/Gaay parab to decorate walls of house) and Sujani art(originated in bhusura village of Arwal, mainly crafted on bedsheets, sarees etc) are also famous and important paintings from Magadh region or South Bihar.
The first sculptures in Bihar date back to theMauryan Empire. ThePillars of Ashoka,Masarh lion andDidarganj Yakshi are estimated to be at least 2000 years old, and were carved out of a single piece of stone.[24] Ancient statues are found throughout Bihar. Some of these sculptures were made frombronze, an advanced technique at that time. For example, theSultanganj Buddha statue, estimated to be 1500 years old, is about seven feet tall and made of 500 kg of bronze, making it the largest statue of that period. Many statues, ranging fromHellenistic gods to various Gandharan lay devotees, are combined with what are thought to be early representations of theBuddha andBodhisattvas.
Today, it is still unclear exactly when theGreco-Buddhist art ofGandhara emerged. However, evidence fromSirkap indicates that this style of art was already highly developed before the advent of theKushans. Mandar Hill features the unique image ofLord Vishnu, from theGupta period, in hisman-lion incarnation. The image is 34 inches high and made of black stone.[25]
The first significant architectural pieces in Bihar date back to theVedic period. While theMauryan period marked a transition to the use of brick, stone and wood remained the material of choice. Contemporary writers, likeChanakya in theArthashastra, advised the use of brick and stone for their durability. However, in his writings,Megasthenes described a woodenpalisade encircling the capital city ofPataliputra. Evidence of ancient structures have been found in recent excavations in Kumrahar, in modern-dayPatna. Remains of an 80-pillared hall have also been unearthed.
The Buddhiststupa, a dome-shaped monument, was used in India as a commemorative monument used to enshrine sacred relics.[26] The stupa architecture was adopted inSoutheast and East Asia, where it became prominent.[26] Many stupas, like those atNalanda andVikramshila, were originally built as brick and masonry mounds during the reign ofAshoka (273 BCE - 232 BCE). Fortified cities with stūpas,viharas, and temples were constructed during theMaurya empire (c. 321–185 BCE). Wooden architecture remained popular, while rock-cut architecture became solidified.Guard rails—consisting of posts, crossbars, and a coping—became a safety feature surrounding a stupa. Upon its discovery by Westerners, the stupa became known aspagoda in the West.[26]
Temples—built on elliptical, circular, quadrilateral, orapsidal plans—were constructed using brick and timber. The Indian gateway arches, thetorana, reached East Asia with the spread of Buddhism.[27] Some scholars hold thattorii derives from the torana gates at the Buddhist historic site ofSanchi (3rd century BCE – 11th century CE).[28]
Important features of the architecture during this period included walled and moated cities with large gates and multi-storied buildings, which consistently used arched windows and doors. . The Indian emperor Ashoka, who ruled from 273 BCE to 232 BCE, established a chain of hospitals throughout the Mauryan empire by 230 BCE.[29] One of theedicts of Ashoka reads: "Everywhere, King Piyadasi (Ashoka) erected two kinds of hospitals, hospitals for people and hospitals for animals. Where there were no healing herbs for people and animals, he ordered that they be bought and planted."[30]
Buddhist architecture blended withRoman andHellenistic architecture to give rise to unique new styles, such as theGreco-Buddhist style.[31]
Rock-cutstepwells in India date from 200 to 400 CE.[32] Subsequently, the wells at Dhank (550–625 CE) and the stepped ponds atBhinmal (850–950 CE) were constructed.[32]
Bihar was largely in ruins when visited byXuanzang, and suffered further damage at the hands ofMughal raiders in the 12th century.[33] Though parts of the Bihar have been excavated, much of its ancient architecture still lies buried beneath the modern city.
Persian influence can be seen in surviving Mughal tombs made of sandstone and marble.[34] Surviving Mughal architecture includesSher Shah Suri Tomb, built bySher Shah Suri and his successor.Ibrahim Khan, Governor ofBihar and a disciple ofMakhdum Daulat, oversaw the completion of Makhdum Daulatmausoleum in 1616.[35] Another example of Mughal architecture is the building atManer Sharif. The domed building features walls adorned with intricate designs and a ceiling full of inscriptions from theQuran.
Patna High Court,Bihar Vidhan Sabha,Bihar Vidhan Parishad, Transport Bhawan, Patna,GolgharSt. Mary's Church andPatna Museum are some example ofIndo-Saracenic Architectures.
Strips or cane reeds painted in vivid colours are commonly found in homes of the people of Bihar. A special container called a "pauti," woven out ofSikki Grass Craft in the north, is a sentimental gift that accompanies a bride when she leaves her home after her wedding. Bihar is well known for the games played there, for example -Kabaddi.
Bhagalpur is well known for itssericulture, manufacture of silk yarn, and silk-weaving. Silk produced here is called tussah ortussar silk. Appliqué works in Bihar are known asKhatwa.
Bihari cuisine is eaten mainly in the easternIndian state ofBihar, as well as in the places where people originating from the state of Bihar have settled:Jharkhand, EasternUttar Pradesh,Bangladesh,Nepal,Mauritius,South Africa,Fiji, some cities ofPakistan,Guyana,Trinidad and Tobago,Suriname,Jamaica, and theCaribbean. Bihari cuisine includesAngika cuisine,Bhojpuri cuisine,[36]Maithil cuisine andMagahi cuisine.
The cuisine ofBihar is largely similar toNorth indian cuisine and East Indian cuisines (for exampleBengali cuisine). It is highly seasonal; watery foods such aswatermelon andsharbat made from the pulp of thewood-apple fruit is consumed mainly in the summer months, while dry foods such as preparations made of sesame seeds and poppy seeds are consumed more frequently in the winter months.
There are numerous Bihari meat dishes, withchicken andmutton being the most common.Fish dishes are especially common in theMithila region of North Bihar due to the number of rivers, such as theSone,Gandak,Ganges andKoshi.Dairy products are consumed frequently throughout the year, includingdahi (yogurt), spicedbuttermilk (known asmattha),ghee,lassi andbutter.
Dishes for whichBihar is famous includeLitti (cuisine),Chokha,Kadhi bari,Ghugni,Khichdi, Biharikebabs,Champaran meat,Machhak Jhor (fishcurry),Makhana. Famous native sweets includeshalwa ofposta-dana andMakhana,Khaja,Tilkut andAnarasa.
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 82.7% | |||
| Islam | 16.9% | |||
| Other | 0.4% | |||
HinduGoddessSita, the consort ofLord Rama, is believed to have been born inSitamarhi district in theMithila region of modern-day Bihar.[37][38] It was theAncient Bihar that give birth to new Indic religions:Buddhism andJainism.[39]Gautama Buddha attainedEnlightenment atBodh Gaya, a town located in the modern-day district ofGaya in Bihar.[40]Vasupujya, the 12th JainTirthankara was born inChampapuri,Bhagalpur. VardhamanaMahavira, the 24th and lastTirthankara ofJainism, was born inVaishali around the 6th century BC.[41]Bodh Gaya in Bihar is an important pilgrimage center for the global Buddhists. The tenthGuru of the Sikhs,Guru Gobind Singh, was born here in 1666 and spent his early years here before moving toAnandpur.[42] TheGurdwara atPatna Sahib marks the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh.[42]
Chhath, also called "Dala Chhath",Surya vrat, is a Vedic festival celebrated in Bihar. It is celebrated twice a year: once in the summers, called theChaiti Chhath, and once around a week afterDeepawali, called theKarthik Chhath. The Karthik Chhath is more popular because winters are the usual festive season in northern India, and fasting without water for around 42 hours or more, as required for worshipers during Chhath Puja, is easier to do in the Indian winters.
In Chhath prayers are offered to Sun God, known as Surya.[43] Wherever people from Bihar have migrated, they have taken with them the tradition of Chhath. During chhath worshiper do ritual bathing that follows a period of abstinence and segregation from their main household for four days.[43] On the eve of Chhath, houses and their surroundings are scrupulously cleaned. Further, the ritual bathing and worship of the Sun God is performed twice: once in the evening and once at dawn, usually on the banks of a flowing river, or a common large water body. The main god worshiped isAditya the sun god with his wifeUshas the evening dusk goddess andKiran the dawn goddess andAditi the mother of Gods, the occasion generally resembles a carnival.[43] For several days, ritual renditions of regional folk songs are sung. These folk songs have been carried on through oral transmission from mothers and mothers-in-law to daughters and daughters-in-law for generations. It is one of the oldest festivals continuously celebrated since the time of vedic period.
Durga puja is the second big festival of Bihar.[44] Here, it is celebrated for ten days. People do fasts. All married women performSaanjh (transl. Evening) which meansSandhyaArti and "khoecha" is given to the goddess. Traditionally, in Bihar when a daughter comes to her father's house "khoecha" is given to her by her mother. It is believed that goddess Durga comes to herMaayka (transl. Mother's Home) from herSasural (transl. Husband's Home) every year. Whole cities and villages are decorated with beautiful lights and pandals[45] are created for this grand occasion. During ten days of fasting pure vegetarian dishes are cooked in households. These dishes do not contain onion and garlic. Ritually,kanya pujan is performed on the auspicious day ofAshtami (transl. Eighth Day) andNavami (transl. Ninth Day). OnDashami (transl. Tenth Day) the "Visarjan puja" is performed in which "Jayanti from 'Kalash" is distributed to devotees and "Aprajita Pujan" is performed in which Goddess is worshiped from the vines of a flower named "Aprajita" (Clitoria ternatea). After Puja "Dahi Chhurra" (Curd (India) andChurra) is presented to Goddess Durga. The idols of goddess Durga are immersed in water (also, known as visarjan) on Dashmi or the Day after Dashmi. The visarjan of "Bari Devi ji" and "Choti Devi ji" in Patna and visarjan of "Bari Durga Maharani ji," "Choti Durga ji", "Bari Kali ji", and "Choti Kali ji" in Munger and Jamalpur holds a grand procession.
Saraswati Puja is performed by students.[46] Usually, Students start preparations for the special day around one month early. It is mainly celebrated in schools and colleges. Nowadays,Saraswati puja is also performed in households and localities. In bihar, students offer their books and study materials as well as musical instruments in front of the goddess Saraswati who is believed to be the goddess of knowledge and wisdom.[47]
Other local festivals celebrated with fervour in Bihar include:
This is a 15-day fair held on the bank of RiverFalgu atGaya duringPitru Paksha every year. Pilgrims from all parts of India visit Gaya, offeringpinda to honor their ancestors. According to estimates from the Bihar Tourism Department, about 500,000 to 750,000 pilgrims arrive in Gaya each year during the Pitri Paksha Mela.[48]
ShravaniMela is an important month-long ritual observance, held along a 108-kilometre route linking the towns ofSultanganj andDeoghar (now located in the state ofJharkhand.) It is held every year in the Hindu month ofShravan (the lunar month of July–August). Pilgrims, known asKanwarias, wear saffron-coloured clothes and collect water from a sacredGhat (river bank) atSultanganj. They walk the 108 km stretch barefoot to the town ofDeoghar to bathe a sacredShiva-Linga. The observance draws thousands of people from all over India to the town of Deoghar.
Popular Hindi newspapers in Bihar include theHindustan Times,Dainik Jagran,Navbharat Times,Aj The Hindu andPrabhat Khabar. E-papers, such as theBihar Times andPatna Daily, have become very popular among educated Biharis, especially those living outside the region. National English dailies likeThe Times of India andThe Economic Times andBihar Now are read in urban regions.
Several national and international television channels are popular in Bihar.DD Bihar, Sahara Bihar, and Zee Bihar-Jharkhand are the channels dedicated specifically to Bihar. In 2008, two dedicated Bhojpuri channels, called Mahuaa TV,[49][50] and Purva TV[51] were launched.
Several government radio channels exist in Bihar.All India Radio has stations inBhagalpur,Daltonganj,Darbhanga,Patna,Purnea, andSasaram. Other government radio channels includeGyan Vani in Patna;Radio Mirchi, also in Patna; and Radio Dhamaal inMuzaffarpur.[52]
Bihar has a robust Bhojpuri-language cinema industry. There are also small Maithili-, Angika- and Magadhi-language film industries in the region.
The earliest Bihari films were released in the 1960s.[53] The release of the first Magadhi-language film, calledBhaiyaa, released in 1961. It was the first movie of any Bihari language.[54] In 1963, a well-received Bhojpuri film,Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo ("Mother Ganges, I will offer you a yellow sari"), was released, directed by Kundan Kumar.[55] in 1971, the first movie filmed in significant portions in the Maithili language,Kanyadan, was released. The first Angika movie was released in 2007, Khagadiya wali bhauji[56]
Over the next two decades, films were produced sporadically. In general, Bhojpuri films were not commonly made in the 1960s and 1970s. By the 1980s, though, enough Bhojpuri films had been made to comprise a small industry. Films such asMai ("Mom," 1989, directed by Rajkumar Sharma) andHamar Bhauji ("My Brother's Wife," 1983, directed by Kalpataru) continued to have at least sporadic success at the box office. However, this trend faded out by the end of the decade, and by 1990, the Bihari film industry seemed to be defunct.[57]
Yet the industry took off again in 2001 with the extremely popularSaiyyan Hamar ("My Sweetheart," directed by Mohan Prasad).[58] This success was quickly followed by several other very popular films, includingPanditji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoi ("Priest, tell me when I will marry," 2005, directed by Mohan Prasad) andSasura Bada Paisa Wala ("My father-in-law, the rich guy," 2005). In a measure of the Bhojpuri film industry's rising status, both of these films did much better business in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar than mainstream Bollywood hits did. Additionally, both films, made on extremely small budgets, earned back more than ten times their production costs.[59] The success, status, and visibility of Bhojpuri cinema has continued to increase. The industry now supports an awards show[60] and a trade magazine,Bhojpuri City,[61] and now produces over one hundred films per year. Many of the major stars of mainstreamBollywood cinema, includingAmitabh Bachchan, have recently worked in Bhojpuri films.
.jpg)
.jpg)
