Sheikhpura district | |
|---|---|
 Entry Gate of Maur village ofBarbigha Block | |
 Location of sheikhpura district in Bihar | |
 Interactive map of Sheikhpura district | |
| Coordinates (Sheikhpura):25°08′20″N85°51′12″E / 25.13889°N 85.85333°E /25.13889; 85.85333 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Bihar |
| Division | Munger |
| Established | 31 July 1994 |
| Headquarters | Sheikhpura |
| Government | |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | Jamui andNawada |
| • Vidhan Sabha constituencies | Barbigha andSheikhpura |
| Area | |
• Total | 689 km2 (266 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 636,342 |
| • Rank | 38 |
| • Density | 924/km2 (2,390/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 65.96 per cent |
| • Sex ratio | 926 |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| PIN Code | |
| Major highways | NH 82 |
| Website | sheikhpura |
Sheikhpura district is one of thethirty-eight districts inBihar,India and a part of theMunger division withSheikhpura as itsadministrative headquarters. Established on 31 July 1994 from theMunger district due to political efforts byRajo Singh,[1] it was the least populous district in Bihar as of the2011 census.[2]Shri Krishna Sinha, the firstchief minister ofBihar, was born in Maur village, which is now situated inBarbigha block of this district.[3]
It is believed that during theMahabharata era, a demoness namedHiḍimbā lived in the hillocks of Sheikhpura's eastern stretch. She marriedBhima, one of thePandava brothers, and they had a heroic son namedGandwa. The hill was later named Girihinda after Hidimba whereGiri means a hill inSanskrit, and the village of Girihinda still exists today.
Sheikhpura also served as a significant administrative center during thePallava reign. It is also believed that theAfghan rulerSher Shah Suri had the notableDal Kuan (well) constructed there.
During theMughal period, Sheikhpura was designated as aThana. UnderBritish rule, it became a Big Kotwali, and afterindependence, it was recognized as aBlock. On 14 April 1983, Sheikhpura was established as aSubdivision. It was split from theMunger district into a separate district with headquarters in Sheikhpura on 31 July 1994 due to political efforts ofRajo Singh.[4][5]
The Sheikhpura district occupies an area of 689 square kilometres (266 sq mi),[6] comparatively equivalent to theSolomon Islands'Kolombangara.[7]
Sheikhpura is one of the smallest districts ofBihar. The population of Sheikhpura primarily depends on agriculture. Bonded labour may still occur.[8] Small-scale mining operations of smaller hillocks with crushers is another of the main activities. In 2006 theMinistry of Panchayati Raj named Sheikhpura one of the country's 250most-impoverished districts.[9] It is one of the 36 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme.[9]
| District | No. | Constituency | Name | Party | Alliance | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheikhpura | 169 | Sheikhpura | Randhir Kumar Soni | JD(U) | NDA | |||
| 170 | Barbigha | Kumar Puspanjay | ||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 152,726 | — |
| 1911 | 157,460 | +0.31% |
| 1921 | 149,761 | −0.50% |
| 1931 | 168,687 | +1.20% |
| 1941 | 190,743 | +1.24% |
| 1951 | 210,915 | +1.01% |
| 1961 | 246,528 | +1.57% |
| 1971 | 294,826 | +1.81% |
| 1981 | 350,677 | +1.75% |
| 1991 | 420,260 | +1.83% |
| 2001 | 525,502 | +2.26% |
| 2011 | 636,342 | +1.93% |
| source:[10] | ||
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 93.68% | |||
| Islam | 5.92% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.40% | |||
According to the2011 Census of India, Sheikhpura district had a population of 636,342,[2] giving it a ranking of 516th in India.[2] The district had a population density of 922 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,390/sq mi).[2] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 20.82%.[2] Sheikhpura had asex ratio of 926females for every 1000 males,[2] and aliteracy rate of 65.96%. 17.13% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 20.60% and 0.10% of the population respectively.[2]
At the time of the 2011 census, 56.90% of the population in the district spokeHindi, 38.17%Magahi and 4.70%Urdu as their first language.[12]
Sheikhpura is regarded as a fiefdom of Rajo Singh family. It was only due to his influence that a small place like Sheikhpura was carved out into a district.
{{cite book}}:|last1= has generic name (help)Kolombangara 688km2
Places adjacent to Sheikhpura district | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
