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West Champaran district | |
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 Location of West Champaran district in Bihar | |
| Coordinates (Bettiah):26°48′N84°30′E / 26.800°N 84.500°E /26.800; 84.500 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Bihar |
| Division | Tirhut |
| Headquarters | Bettiah |
| Tehsils | 18 |
| Government | |
| • District Magistrate (DM) | Dharmendra Kumar |
| • Superintendent of Police (SP) | Shaurya Suman |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | Paschim Champaran,Valmiki Nagar |
| • Vidhan Sabha constituencies | Valmiki Nagar,Ramnagar,Narkatiaganj,Bagaha,Lauriya,Nautan,Chanpatia,Bettiah,Sikta |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,228 km2 (2,019 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 1 (in bihar) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 3,935,042 |
| • Density | 752.7/km2 (1,949/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 58.06 per cent |
| • Sex ratio | 906 |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| PIN Code | |
| Major highways | NH 28B |
| Website | http://westchamparan.bih.nic.in/ |
West Champaran district is an administrativedistrict in thestate ofBihar inIndia, located just 60 km (37 mi) west ofBirgunj. It is the largest district in Bihar with an area of 5,228 km2(2,019sq mi). It is a part ofTirhut Division.[1] The district headquarters are located inBettiah. The district is known for its open border withNepal.One of the major location in West Champaran is Kumar Bagh forSAIL Special Processing Unit andBhitiharwa whereMahatma Gandhi startedSatyagrah Aandolan.
The district produces the most sugarcane across the state of Bihar in 2022.[2]
Mahatma Gandhi started theChamparan Satyagraha movement from here in 1917 along with nationalistsRajendra Prasad,Anugrah Narayan Sinha andBrajkishore Prasad.[3]
The district occupies an area of 5,228 square kilometres (2,019 sq mi),[4] comparatively equivalent toCanada'sAmund Ringnes Island.[5]
In 1989 West Champaran district became home toValmiki National Park, which has an area of 336 km2 (129.7 mi2). It is also home to twowildlife sanctuaries: Valmiki (adjacent to its namesake national park) andUdaypur Wildlife Sanctuary.[6]Fauna include theBengal tiger.[7][8]
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.[9]
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.[10] With the spread of mass-produced plastic toys in the late 20th century, this handmade tradition gradually declined and nearly disappeared.[11]
The craft was revived by Bihar State Handicrafts Award Winner Artist and Teacher Namita Azad[12] ,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.[13], helping the initiative expand through exhibitions, state craft platforms, and documentary work highlighting the heritage.[14] 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.[15] Kanyaputri Doll also recognized as the only State Doll of Bihar.[16]
The West Champaran district is divided into 3Tehsil (sub-division):
The West Champaran district is divided into 18Blocks:[17]
The district is well connected by roads and railways to all major cities.
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Lok Sabha constituencies in the district arePaschim Champaran,Valmiki Nagar.Vidhan Sabha constituencies in the district areValmiki Nagar,Ramnagar,Narkatiaganj,Bagaha,Lauriya,Nautan,Chanpatia,Bettiah,Sikta
| District | No. | Constituency | Name | Party | Alliance | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Champaran | 1 | Valmiki Nagar | Surendra Prasad Kushwaha | INC | MGB | |||
| 2 | Ramnagar (SC) | Nand Kishor Ram | BJP | NDA | ||||
| 3 | Narkatiaganj | Sanjay Kumar Pandey | ||||||
| 4 | Bagaha | Ram Singh | ||||||
| 5 | Lauriya | Vinay Bihari | ||||||
| 6 | Nautan | Narayan Prasad | Minister | |||||
| 7 | Chanpatia | Abhishek Ranjan | INC | MGB | ||||
| 8 | Bettiah | Renu Devi | BJP | NDA | ||||
| 9 | Sikta | Sammridh Varma | JD(U) | |||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 762,628 | — |
| 1911 | 812,855 | +0.64% |
| 1921 | 826,679 | +0.17% |
| 1931 | 913,931 | +1.01% |
| 1941 | 1,021,217 | +1.12% |
| 1951 | 1,071,382 | +0.48% |
| 1961 | 1,325,122 | +2.15% |
| 1971 | 1,587,019 | +1.82% |
| 1981 | 1,972,610 | +2.20% |
| 1991 | 2,333,666 | +1.70% |
| 2001 | 3,043,466 | +2.69% |
| 2011 | 3,935,042 | +2.60% |
| source:[18] | ||
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 77.44% | |||
| Islam | 21.98% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.58% | |||
According to the2011 census West Champaran district has apopulation of 3,935,042,[20] roughly equal to the nation ofLiberia[21] or the US state ofOregon.[22] This gives it a ranking of 63rd in India (out of a total of640).[20] The district has a population density of 750 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,900/sq mi).[20] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 28.89%.[20] Pashchim Champaran has asex ratio of 906females for every 1000 males,[20] and aliteracy rate of 58.06%. 9.99% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Tribes made up 14.08% and 6.35% of the population respectively.[20]
At the time of the2011 Census of India, 91.86% of the population in the district spokeBhojpuri, 3.32%Hindi and 2.97%Urdu as their first language.[23]
Languages includeBhojpuri, a language in theBihari language group with almost 51 million speakers, written in both theDevanagari andKaithi scripts.[24]
{{cite book}}:|last1= has generic name (help)Amund Ringnes Island 5,255km2
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help){{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)Liberia 3,786,764 July 2011 est.
Oregon 3,831,074
Places adjacent to West Champaran district | |
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