InAncient andClassical India, the area that is now Bihar was considered the centre of political and cultural power and as a haven of learning.[17]Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankar led theshramana order in this region in 9th century BCE.[18][19][20]Jainism was revived and re-organised byMahavira, the 24thTirthankar in 6th century BCE. From Magadha arose India's first empire, theMaurya empire, as well as one of the world's most widely adhered-to religions:Buddhism.[21] Magadha empires, notably under theMaurya andGupta dynasties, unified large parts of South Asia under a central rule.[22] Another region of Bihar,Mithila, was an early centre of learning and the centre of theVideha kingdom.[23][24]
However, since the late 1970s, Bihar has lagged far behind other Indian states in terms of social and economic development.[25] Many economists and social scientists claim that this is a direct result of the policies of thecentral government, such as thefreight equalisation policy,[26][27] its apathy towards Bihar,[28] lack of Bihari sub-nationalism,[29] and thePermanent Settlement of 1793 by theBritish East India Company.[27] The state government has, however, made significant strides in developing the state.[30] Improved governance has led to an economic revival in the state through increased investment in infrastructure,[31] better healthcare facilities, greater emphasis on education, and a reduction in crime and corruption.[32]
Etymology
The nameBihar is derived from theSanskrit andPali wordvihāra (Devanagari: विहार), meaning "abode" and usually referred to a Buddhist monastery. The region roughly encompassing the present state had many Buddhist vihāras, the abodes of Buddhist monks in the ancient and medieval periods.[33][34][35]
Copy of the seal excavated from Kundpur,Vaishali. The Brahmi letters on the seal state: "Kundpur was in Vaishali. Prince Vardhaman (Mahavira) used this seal after theJudgement."
Mithila gained prominence after the establishment of theVideha Kingdom.[5][38] During the late Vedic period(c. 1100–500 BCE), Videha became one of the major political and cultural centers of South Asia, along with Kuru and Pañcāla. The kings of the Videha Kingdom were calledJanakas.[39]Sita, a daughter of one of the Janaks ofMithila is mentioned as the consort ofLord Rama, in theHindu epicRamayana, written byValmiki.[5][40][page needed] The Videha Kingdom later became incorporated into theVajjika League which had its capital in the city ofVaishali, which is also in Mithila.[41] Vajji had a republican form of government where the head of state was elected from the rajas. Based on the information found in texts pertaining to Jainism and Buddhism, Vajji was established as a republic by the sixth century BCE, before the birth ofGautama Buddha in 563 BCE, making it the first known republic in India.
TheHaryanka dynasty, founded in 684 BCE, ruled Magadha from the city of Rajgriha (modernRajgir). The two well-known kings from this dynasty wereBimbisara and his sonAjatashatru, who imprisoned his father to ascend the throne. Ajatashatru founded the city ofPataliputra which later became the capital of Magadha. He declared war and conquered theVajjika League. The Haryanka dynasty was followed by theShishunaga dynasty. Later, theNanda dynasty ruled a vast tract stretching fromPunjab toOdisha.[42]
The Nanda dynasty was replaced by theMaurya Empire, India's first empire. The Maurya Empire and the religion ofBuddhism arose in the region that now makes up modern Bihar. The Mauryan Empire, which originated from Magadha in 321 BCE, was founded byChandragupta Maurya, who was born in Magadha. It had its capital atPataliputra (modernPatna). Mauryan EmperorAshoka, who was born in Pataliputra (Patna), is often considered to be among the one of most accomplished rulers in world history.[43][44]
Buddhism in Magadha declined due to the invasion ofMuhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, during which many of theviharas were destroyed along with the universities ofNalanda andVikramashila. Some historians believe that thousands ofBuddhist monks were massacred during the 12th century.[48][49][50][51]D. N. Jha suggests, instead, that these incidents were the result of Buddhist–Brahmin skirmishes in a fight for supremacy.[52] After the rule of thePala Empire, theKarnat dynasty came into power in the Mithila region in the 11th century and they were succeeded by theOiniwar dynasty in the 14th century. Aside from Mithila, there were other small kingdoms in medieval Bihar. The area aroundBodh Gaya and much ofMagadha came under the BuddhistPithipatis of Bodh Gaya. TheKhayaravala dynasty were present in the southwestern portions of the state until the 13th century.[53][54][55]
After theBattle of Buxar (1764), theBritish East India Company obtained the diwani rights (rights to administer and collect tax revenue) for Bihar,Bengal, andOdisha. The rich resources of fertile land, water, and skilled labour had attracted the foreign imperialists, particularly the Dutch and British, in the 18th century. A number of agriculture-based industries had been started in Bihar by foreign entrepreneurs.[57] Bihar remained a part of theBengal Presidency ofBritish India until 1912, whenBihar and Orissa were carved out as separate provinces.
In the northern and central regions of Bihar, theKisan Sabha (peasant movement) was an important consequence of the independence movement. It began in 1929 under the leadership ofSwami Sahajanand Saraswati who formed theBihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (BPKS), to mobilise peasant grievances against thezamindari attacks on their occupancy rights. The movement intensified and spread from Bihar across the rest of India, culminating in the formation of theAll India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) at theLucknow session of theIndian National Congress in April 1936, where Saraswati was elected as its first president.[60]
Following independence,Bihari migrant workers have faced violence and prejudice in many parts of India, such asMaharashtra,Punjab, andAssam.[61][62]
Decades following the independence in 1947 were full of violent conflicts between the landless section of Bihari society and the landed elite who controlled the government at various level. This was an outcome of the failed land reform drive and improper implementation of the land ceiling laws that were passed byIndian National Congress government in the 1950s. Landed castes likeRajput andBhumihar became suspicious of the land reforms and used their influence in government to hinder the efforts of the land redistribution programme, which may have alleviated the huge caste based income inequalities. Unscrupulous tactics such asabsentee landlordism neutralised the reforms which was architected byKrishna Ballabh Sahay.[63]
In theZamindari areas of Bihar, such asBhojpur district, theDalits were also subjected to frequent humiliation and practice ofbegar existed. This led to first spark of mass scalenaxalism to grew up in the plains of Bhojpur. This armed struggle was led initially byMaster Jagdish Mahto, a school teacher turned naxalite.[64] Soon, the struggle spread into other parts of Bihar, where the landlords and agricultural labourers locked horns against each other. Between 1950 and 2000, several massacres took place. In Bihar, unlike the other parts of India, the naxalism took the form of caste conflict as the landed section of society belonged primarily toForward Castes and a section ofUpper Backward Castes, on the other hand, the landless were the people belonging toSchedule Castes and a section ofOther Backward Castes. Formation of caste based private armies calledsenas took place in response to violent activities of the naxalites. One of the most dreaded caste army of the landlord wasRanvir Sena, which was involved in massacres of Dalits in Laxmanpur Bathe.[65] The Dalit struggle against these caste armies was led byIndian People's Front and its successorCommunist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, which was controlled at the upper echelon by the middle peasant castes such as theKoeris andYadavs, with Dalits and Extremely Backward Castes forming its mass support base and activists.[66][67]
Meanwhile, the 1960s saw the rise of political instability in the state with dwindling power of Indian National Congress and rise of parties likeSamyukta Socialist Party. The leaders belonging to Backward Castes became vocal for their political rights. The toppling ofMahamaya Prasad Sinha government byJagdeo Prasad hastened the end of dominance of Forward Caste backed Indian National Congress in the state.[68]
Bihar covers a total area of 94,163 km2 (36,357 sq mi), with an average elevation above sea level of 173 feet (53 m). It is land locked byNepal in the north,Jharkhand in the southWest Bengal in the east andUttar Pradesh to the west.[70] It has three parts on the basis of physical and structural conditions: theSouthern Plateau, theShivalik Region, andBihar's Gangetic Plain.[71] Furthermore, the vast stretch of thefertileBihar Plain is divided by theGanges River into two unequal parts –North Bihar and South Bihar.[72] The Ganges flows west–east and, along with its tributaries, regularly floods parts of the Bihar plain. The main northern tributaries are theGandak andKoshi, which originate in the Nepalese Himalayas, and theBagmati, which originates in theKathmandu Valley. Other tributaries are the Son,Budhi Gandak, Chandan, Orhani andPhalgu. Bihar has some small hills, such as theRajgir hills in center,Kaimur Range in south-west andShivalik Range in North. Bihar has a forest area of 6,764.14 km2, which is 7.1 per cent of its geographical area.[73] The sub-Himalayan foothills ofShivalik ranges, primary Someshwar and Dun mountain, inWest Champaran district are clad in a belt of moist deciduousforest. As well as trees, this consists of brush, grasses and reeds.
Bihar lies completely in the Subtropical region of the Temperate Zone, and its climatic type ishumid subtropical. Its temperature is subtropical in general, with hot summers and cold winters. Bihar has an average daily high temperature of only 26 °C with a yearly average of 26 °C. The climate is very warm, but has only a very few tropical and humid months. Several months of the year it is warm to hot at temperatures continuously above 25 °C, sometimes up to 29 °C. Due to less rain the best time for travelling is from October to April. The rainiest days occur from May to September.[74]
Bihar is the principal holder of the country'spyrite reserves and possesses 95% of all known resources.[79]
In May 2022, a gold mine was found in the district ofJamui.[80] It accounts for more than 44% of the country's gold reserve, approximately 223 million tons.[81]
At the2011 census, Bihar was thethird most populous state of India with a total population of 104,099,452. It was also India's most densely populatedstate, with 1,106 persons per square kilometre. Thesex ratio was 1090 females per 1000 males in the year 2020.[84] Almost 58% of Bihar's population was below 25 years age, which is the highest in India. In 2021, Bihar has had an urbanisation rate of 20%.[15][85] Bihar has an adultliteracy rate of70.9% (79.7% for males and 60.5% for females) in 2017 according to NSC report 2017.[84][86] According to Bihar caste survey 2023, Bihar's literacy rate grew upto 79.8%[87] (which is 18% increase from 61.18% of Census 2011) showing remarkable growth in education sector from past decades. Population increased to 130,725,310 as per the Bihar caste survey conducted in 2023.[83]
Hindi is the official language of the state and is spoken natively by 25.54% of the total population.[91] At 8.42%, Urdu is the second official language in 15 districts of the state.[92] However, the majority of the people speak one of theBihari languages, most of which were classified as dialects of Hindi during the census. The major ones areBhojpuri (24.86%),Maithili (12.55%) andMagahi (10.87%)[93][94]Angika andBajjika, two other Bihari languages, are classified under other dialects of Hindi in the census. Maithili is a recognised regional language of India under theEighth Schedule to the Constitution of India. Proponents have called for Bhojpuri, Magahi, Angika, and Bajjika to receive the same status.[95][96] Smaller communities ofBengali andSurjapuri speakers are found in some parts of the state, especially in the eastern districts and urban areas.[90]
Under theConstitution of India, the Governor is the head of the government of Bihar, and is appointed by thePresident of India. TheChief minister is the executive head of the government who, with its cabinet ministers, makes all important policy decisions. The political party or coalition of political parties having a majority in the Bihar Legislative Assembly forms the government.
The Chief Secretary is the head of the bureaucracy of the state, under whom a hierarchy of officials is drawn from theIndian Administrative Service,Indian Police Service,Indian Forest Service, and different wings of the state civil services. Thejudiciary is headed by the Chief Justice of the High Court. Bihar has ahigh court in Patna, which has been functioning since 1916. All the branches of the government are located in the state capital, Patna.
Nitish Kumar (left) with Lalu Prasad Yadav (right) discussing with former Prime Minister,Manmohan Singh (centre) about flood relief operation in Bihar.
The politics of Bihar have been based oncaste since the onset ofIndian independence. The important castes with political presence and influence in Bihar includes:Yadav,Koeri,Kurmi,Rajput,Bhumihar, andBrahmin. Before 1990, politics was dominated byForward Castes– Brahmin, Rajput, Bhumihar, andKayastha. The numerousOther Backward Class group was only given a token representation in the government. This over representation of upper castes was due to their dominance in theIndian National Congress, which dominated the politics of the state for three decades after the independence of India. According to political scientist Sanjay Kumar: "Using their dominant role in state's government, in the period before 1990, the Forward Castes deliberately subverted the 'land reforms', which could have helped Backward Castes and theScheduled Castes". Theupper backwards relied on the political parties ofLok Dal and laterJanata Dal for increasing their political representation. The year of 1989-90 saw the implementation ofMandal Commission's recommendation byV. P. Singh's government, which reserved 27% per cent seats in government jobs and educational institutions for the members ofOther Backward Class. This event mobilised them against the "politics of religion" of theBhartiya Janata Party, which was backed by theForward Castes. Important figures such asLalu Prasad Yadav andNitish Kumar took a leading role in this mobilisation, and by 1990, the upper backwards–Koeri,Kurmi,Yadav became the new political elites of the state.[108]
Historically, a caste troika consisting the three communities,Kushwaha,Kurmi andYadav also led an anti-upper caste agitation in the state of Bihar, pushing them to the prominence in the state's politics.[109]
However, the tipping point of this Backward Caste unity came in1995 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, when the dominant OBC castes, who were at the forefront in the collective struggle against the Forward Castes, were divided into two rival political camps. While one of these camps was led by Yadavs underJanata Dal, the other camp was led by Koeri and Kurmis, who assembled under theSamata Party. According to Sanjay Kumar, this was the election in which the caste divide in the state was most evident not between the Forward and Backward Castes, but rather between two groups of Backward Castes itself. It was this election from which the Forward Castes felt completely marginalised in Bihar's electoral politics and from then onwards, no longer held any significant role in the state's politics.[110]
Nitish Kumar has been chief minister of Bihar for 13 years between 2005 and 2020. In contrast to prior governments, which emphasised divisions of caste and religion, his political platform was based on economic development, reduction of crime and corruption, and greater social equality. Since 2010, the government confiscated the properties of corrupt officials and redeveloped them into school buildings.[115] They also introduced the Bihar Special Court Act to curb crime.[116] It also legislated a two-hour lunch break on Fridays, to enableMuslim employees to pray and thereby reduce absenteeism.[117] The government has prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol in the state since March 2016,[118] which has been linked to a drop in tourism[119] and a rise in substance abuse.[120]
Public health
Nitish Kumar,Samrat Chaudhary, J.P Nadda and other leaders of National Democratic Alliance inaugurating health projects worth ₹ 850 crore in September 2024.₹ 188 crore eye care facility and hospital established during ninth tenure of Nitish Kumar.
Bihar generally ranks among the weakest in health outcomes in comparison to other Indian states because it lacks adequate health care facilities.[121][122] While theNational Health Mission, theClinical Establishments Act of 2010, and the formation of the Empowered Action Group (EAG)[123] provide federal funds to expand and improve healthcare services, Bihar's ability to fully utilise this funding is lacking.[121][122]
Research indicates that Bihar relies on privatised hospitals to provide healthcare to the masses, with the second-highest ratio among Indian states for private to public spending and high levels of corruption.[121] These factors are associated with slower healthcare delivery and steep healthcare costs.[124][125][126][127] Corruption is enabled as Bihar lacks continuity and transparency of health reporting as required by the Clinical Establishments Act of 2010. In turn, this prevents the government from making evidence-based conclusions about policy changes and hospital effectiveness, resulting in patterns of ill-informed spending and inconsistent hiring.
When comparing Bihar toKerala, the number of healthcare professionals (including registered nurses, auxiliary nurses, physicians and health supervisors) at each hospital are significantly lower, and remain constant over time while they steadily increase in number in Kerala.[128] According to Ministry of Health statistics, the greatest shortfalls are for physicians and specialists at 75%.[121] Bihar has only 50% of the sub-health centres, 60% of the primary health centres, and 9% of the community health centres required by the national supply-to-population standards. The number of public hospital beds in Bihar decreased between 2008 and 2015.[128] Given the high population density of the state, Bihar is significantly behind in the number of healthcare professionals that should be employed.[129][128] Despite these shortcomings, Bihar has shown gradual signs of improvement for female health workers,[121] the overall death rate, and infant, neo-natal, child and maternal mortality rates.[121]
Bihar accounts for 71% of India's annuallitchi production.[132]
Bihar produces 90% of the world'smakhana (Euryale ferox) seeds, also known as fox nuts. It is the largest producer of these seeds in the world.
Bihar's gross state domestic product (GSDP) for the fiscal year (FY) 2024- was around₹9,765.67 billion. By sectors, its composition is 19.9% agriculture, 21.5% industry and 58.6% services.[133][134] Bihar has one of the fastest-growing state economy in terms of GSDP, with a growth rate of 13.5% in FY 2024-25.[135] The economy of Bihar was projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4% during 2012–2017 (the 12thFive-Year Plan). Bihar has experienced strong growth in per capita net state domestic product (NSDP). At current prices, per capita NSDP of the state grew at a CAGR of 12.91% from 2004 to 2005 to 2014–15.[136] Bihar's per capita income went up by 40.6% in FY 2014–15.[137] The state's debt was estimated at 77% of GDP by 2007.[138]
Among the states of India, Bihar is the fourth-largest producer of vegetables and the eighth-largest producer of fruits. About 80% of the state's population is employed in agriculture, which is above the national average.[136] The main agricultural products are litchi, guava, mango, pineapple, brinjal, lady's finger, cauliflower, cabbage, rice, wheat, sugarcane, and sunflower. Though good soil and favourable climatic conditions favour agriculture, this can be hampered by floods and soil erosion.[139] The southern parts of the state endure annual droughts, which affect crops such as paddy.[140]
Industry
Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar on a visit to a leather factory in Bela,Muzaffarpur, established during his tenure.CM Nitish Kumar inaugurated the cement grinding unit of Ambuja Cement Private limited in Warsaliganj on 3 August 2024.
Hajipur,Dalmianagar,Munger,Jamalpur andBarauni are the major industrial cities in Bihar[141][142] The capital city, Patna, is one of the better-off cities in India when measured by per capita income.[relevant?][143]Hajipur is also known for presence of private industries like Competence Exports, which gained international recognition in 2024, when it was reported to be catering to the demand of many European countries. In 2024, Hajipur was reported to become the exporter of designer shoes for European companies. It also exported shoes forRussian Army amidst their Ukrainian campaign.[144]
The Finance Ministry has sought to create investment opportunities for big industrial houses likeReliance Industries. Further developments have taken place in the growth of small industries, improvements in IT infrastructure, a software park in Patna, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur,[145] and the completion of the expressway from the Purvanchal border through Bihar to Jharkhand. In August 2008, a Patna-registered company called theSecurity and Intelligence Services[146] took over the Australian guard and mobile patrol services business of American conglomerate,United Technologies Corporation (UTC). SIS is registered and taxed in Bihar.[147][relevant?]
Prior toprohibition, Bihar emerged as a brewery hub with numerous production units.[148] In August 2018,United Breweries Limited announced it would begin production of non-alcoholic beer at its previously defunct brewery in Bihar.[149][150]
Startup
The startup ecosystem in Bihar is rapidly evolving, fuelled by a combination of entrepreneurial zeal and proactive government initiatives. The Bihar Startup Policy 2022-2027 aims to make Bihar a preferred destination for startups and entrepreneurs by leveraging local youth for inclusive growth.[151][152]
The policy offers various incentives, including interest-free seed funding up to ₹10 lakh,[153] tax exemptions, and access to incubation centers. The government has established a Startup Bihar Fund Trust (SBFT)[154] with an initial corpus of ₹500 crore[155] to provide venture capital for startups. Key sectors witnessing significant growth include agritech, healthcare, edtech, and e-commerce. With a focus on skill development, mentorship, and ease of doing business, Bihar is steadily transforming into an emerging hub for startups, driving both economic growth and employment.
Income distribution
In terms of income, the districts ofPatna,Begusarai,Bhagalpur,Munger, and placed highest among the 38 districts in the state, recording the highest per capita gross districtdomestic product of₹2,15,049,₹84,279 , ₹80,471,₹79,272 respectively, in FY 2022-23.[143]
Per Capita of major districts of Bihar (FY 2022-23)
District
GDDP Per Capita
Patna
₹2,15,049
Begusarai
₹84,279
Bhagalpur
₹80,471
Munger
₹79,272
Bihar also ranks very low in per capital income in comparison to other cities in India. Patna has per capital income of 1.85L, which is much lower than other cities like Gurugram (₹7.41L), Noida (₹6.13), Bengaluru (₹6.21L), Hyderabad (₹6.58L) and Mumbai (₹6.43).
Income disparity among social groups
Rumela Sen, a lecturer at Columbia University,[156] outlines the inequalities and backwardness prevalent in Bihar in the post-independence period as a consequence of the "delaying tactics" against the implementation of land reform and utilisation of kinship ties by the upper-caste landlords, who had an obstructionist attitude towards land reform policies.[157] The upper-caste not only dominated the administration, but also the politics in the post-independence period; they utilised their caste ties in order to prevent the distribution of about 9000acres of land intended for the poor. Since the landlords primarily belonged to upper-castes, just like the politicians and administrators in the early decades afterindependence, they were successful in grabbing large holdings of land amidst the passage of the Zamindari abolition act of 1952.[158]
There are several traditional styles of painting practised in Bihar. One isMithila painting, a style used in theMithila region of Bihar. Traditionally, this form was practised mainly by women, passed down generation to generation. Painting was usually done on walls during festivals, religious events, births, marriages, and other cultural milestones.[159] It was traditionally done on the plastered walls of mud huts, and is also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. Famous Mithila painters include Smt Bharti Dayal,Mahasundari Devi, the lateGanga Devi, and Sita Devi.
Mithila painting is also calledMadhubani art. It mostly depicts human beings and their association with nature. Common scenes illustrate deities andSaraswati from ancient epics, celestial objects, and religious plants likeTulsi, and scenes from the royal court and social events. Generally, no space is left empty.[159]
Bhojpuri painting is a folk painting style that has flourished in theBhojpuri region of Bihar thousands of years ago. This painting style is a type of wall painting primarily done on temple walls or on walls of the rooms of newly married couples and the main motifs are that of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Although in recent times motifs of natural objects and life and struggles of village people are also depicted to make the painting more acceptable among the common people and bring the style close to reality.[160]
ThePatna School of Painting (Patna Kalam), sometimes called "Company Painting", flourished in Bihar during the early 18th to mid-20th centuries. It was an offshoot of theMughal Miniature School of Painting. Those who practised this art form were descendants of Hindu artisans of Mughal painting. Facing persecution from the Mughal Emperor,Aurangzeb, these artisans found refuge, viaMurshidabad, inPatna during the late 18th century. Their art shared the characteristics of the Mughal painters, expanded subject matter from court scenes tobazaar scenes, daily life and ceremonies. They usedwatercolours on paper and onmica. This school of painting formed the basis for the formation of thePatna Art School under the leadership of Shri Radha Mohan. The school is an important centre of thefine arts in Bihar.
Gaya is another centre of classical music, particularly of theTappa andThumri varieties.Pandit Govardhan Mishra–son of the Ram Prasad Mishra, himself an accomplished singer– is perhaps the finest living exponent of Tappa singing in India, according toPadma Shri Gajendra Narayan Singh, founding secretary of theSangeet Natak Academi of Bihar[citation needed].
Gajendra Narayan Singh also writes, in his memoir, that Champanagar,Banaili, was another major centre of classical music.Rajkumar Shyamanand Sinha of Champanagar, Banaili princely state, was a great patron of music and was himself a renowned figure in the world of classical vocal music in Bihar in his time.[161] Singh, on the subject of Indian classical music in a separate book of his, wrote that "Kumar Shyamanand Singh of Banaili estate had such expertise in singing that many great singers includingKesarbai Kerkar acknowledged his ability. After listening tobandishes from Kumar Sahib,Pandit Jasraj was moved to tears and lamented that, alas, he did not have such ability himself."[162][163]
During the 19th century, many Biharis emigrated as indentured labourers to theWest Indies,Fiji, andMauritius. During this time many sorrowful plays and songs calledbirha became popular in theBhojpur region, asBhojpuri Birha. Dramas incorporating this theme continue to be popular in the theatres ofPatna.[164][better source needed]
Bihar has a robustBhojpuri-language film industry. There is also a smaller production ofMagadhi-,Maithili language films. The first film with Bhojpuri dialogue wasGanga Jamuna, released in 1961.[165]Bhaiyaa, the firstMagadhi film, was released in 1961.[166]The firstMaithili movie wasKanyadan released in 1965.[167]Maithili filmMithila Makhaan won theNational Film Award for Best Maithili Film in 2016.[168]The history of films entirely in Bhojpuri begins in 1962 with the well-received filmGanga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo ("Mother Ganges, I will offer you a yellow sari"), which was directed by Kundan Kumar.[169]1963'sLagi nahin chute ram was the all-time hit Bhojpuri film, and had higher attendance thanMughal-e-Azam in the eastern and northern regions of India.Bollywood'sNadiya Ke Paar is another well-known Bhojpuri-language movie. Films such asBidesiya ("Foreigner", 1963, directed by S. N. Tripathi) andGanga ("Ganges", 1965, directed by Kundan Kumar) were profitable and popular, but in general Bhojpuri films were not commonly produced in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the 1980s, enough Bhojpuri films were produced to support a dedicated industry. Films such asMai ("Mom", 1989, directed by Rajkumar Sharma) andHamar Bhauji ("My Brother's Wife", 1983, directed by Kalpataru) had success at the box office. However, this trend faded during the 1990s.[170]
In 2001, Bhojpuri films regained popularity withSaiyyan Hamar ("My Sweetheart", directed by Mohan Prasad), which raised actorRavi Kishan to prominence.[171] Several other commercially successful films followed, 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). These films did much better business in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar than mainstream Bollywood hits at the time, and were both made on extremely tight budgets.[172]Sasura Bada Paisa Wala also introducedManoj Tiwari, formerly a well-loved folk singer, to the wider audiences ofBhojpuri cinema. The success of Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari's films led to a revival in Bhojpuri cinema, and the industry began to support an awards show[173] and trade magazineBhojpuri City.[174] The industry produces over one hundred films per year.[citation needed]
In 2019, the Maithili filmMithila Makhaan won Best Maithili Film in the 63rd National Film Awards.[175]
Biharbandhu was the firstHindi newspaper published in Bihar. It was started in 1872 by Madan Mohan Bhatta, aMarathiBrahman who settled inBihar Sharif.[176] Hindi journalism often failed[177] until it became an official language in the state. Hindi was introduced in the law courts in Bihar in 1880.[176][178]
Urdu journalism and poetry have a long history in Bihar, with many poets such as Shaad Azimabadi, Kaif Azimabadi, Kalim Ajiz andBismil Azimabadi. Bihar publishes many Urdu dailies, such asQomi Tanzim andSahara, and the monthlyVoice of Bihar.[179]
The beginning of the 20th century was marked by a number of notable new publications. A monthly magazine namedBharat Ratna was started inPatna, in 1901. It was followed byKsahtriya Hitaishi,Aryavarta from Dinapure,Udyoga, andChaitanya Chandrika.[180]Udyog was edited by Vijyaanand Tripathy, a famous poet of the time, andChaitanya Chandrika by Krishna Chaitanya Goswami, a literary figure of that time. The literary activity was not confined toPatna alone but to other districts of Bihar.[176][181]
Chhath Puja is the biggest and most popular festival in Bihar.[182] The four-day-long holy Hindu festival includes intense celebration across the state.Chhath Puja are done in various cities, towns, and villages throughout Bihar. All of Bihar involves itself in devotion to Chhath Puja. The city is decked up in lighting decorations and thousands of colourful ghats are set up, where effigies of the goddess Chhath Maiya and her brother God Surya are displayed and worshipped at both sunset and sunrise. People of all religious backgrounds go to the bank of any river or near by a pond or lake in order to give arghya to the Sun. They carry fruits andthekuaa along with them in soop and daura (a bowl-like structure made of bamboo) for their worship activities. Nowadays, these traditions have spread to multiple countries worldwide wherever Bihari community is present.
Durga Puja is also the biggest, most popular and widely celebrated festival in Bihar.[183] The ten-day-long colourful Hindu festival includes intense celebration across the state.Pandals are erected in various cities, towns, and villages throughout Bihar. The cities of Bihar are transformed during Durga Puja. Urban areas are decked up in lighting decorations and thousands of colourful pandals are set up where effigies of the goddess Durga and her four children are displayed and worshipped. The idols of the goddess are brought in fromKumortuli, where idol-makers work throughout the year fashioning clay models of the goddess. Since independence in 1947, Durga Puja has slowly changed into more of a glamorous carnival than that of a religious festival. Today people of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds partake in the festivities. OnVijayadashami, the last day of the festival, the effigies are paraded through the streets with riotous pageantry before being immersed into the rivers.
Bihar is visited by many tourists from around the world,[184] In 2019, 33 million tourists visited Bihar, including more than 1 million foreign tourists.[185]
Bihar is home to twoUNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as many other ancient monuments. TheMahabodhi Temple (literally: "Great Awakening Temple"), a UNESCO World Heritage site, is an ancientBuddhist temple inBodh Gaya, marking the location wherethe Buddha is said to have attainedenlightenment.Bodh Gaya (inGaya district) is about 96km (60mi) from Patna.TheKhuda Bakhsh Library, which has one of the world's largest collection of books, rare manuscripts and paintings is located inPatna.
Nalanda Mahavihara, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is among the oldest universities in the world, situated inNalanda, Bihar. It comprises the archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the third century BCE to the 13th century CE. It includes stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important art works in stucco, stone and metal. Nalanda stands out as the most ancient university of the Indian subcontinent.Archaeological Survey of India has recognised 72monuments in Bihar asMonuments of National Importance. Furthermore,Archaeological Survey of India has recognised 30 additional monument asprotected monuments in Bihar.
Bihar has a rail network length of 3,794 km (2,357 mi) in 2020.[190] All major cities, districts and towns are well connected.Munger,Jamalpur andBhagalpur are well connected with all major Stations of country.Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, after completion, will pass through Kaimur, Rohtas, Aurangabad, and Gaya with a total length of 239 km (149 mi) in Bihar.[191]
Gaya-Darbhanga Expressway (access controlled highway) will be Bihar's first expressway, with a length of 189 km. It is expected to be completed by 2024.[192] Bihar also has state highways with a total length of 4,006 km (2,489 mi) andnational highways with a total length of 5,358 km (3,329 mi).
Metro transit
Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav examining the construction of Patna Metro project, inaugurated during Kumar's tenure.
Patna will be the first city in Bihar to have mass rapid transit system.Patna Metro with network of 31 km (19 mi) length is under construction as of 2022.[193] However, it is currently delayed due to land acquisition process.[194]
Bus transit
Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) runs interstate, intrastate, and international route buses.[195] BSRTC has a daily ridership of around 100,000. Its fleet includes non-electric and electric buses, and AC and non-AC buses. Delhi, Ranchi, and Kathmandu in Nepal are some of the destinations served outside Bihar.Patliputra Inter-State Bus Terminal is a major bus transit hub in Bihar.[196]
Inland Waterways
National Waterways-1 runs along theGanges river. Gaighat in Patna has a permanent terminal of inland waterways for handling cargo vessels.[197] TheGanges is navigable throughout the year, and was the principal river highway across the vastIndo-Gangetic Plain. Vessels capable of accommodating five hundred merchants were known to ply this river in the ancient period, when it served as a conduit for overseas trade. The role of the Ganges as a channel for trade was enhanced by its natural links to major rivers and streams in north and south Bihar.[198]
Bihta, a suburb of the state capitalPatna, is home of institutes likeIIT Patna,AIIMS Patna,BIT Patna and is now emerging as an educational hub.[212][213] With institutes likeSuper 30, Patna has emerged as a major center forengineering andcivil services coaching. The major privateIIT-JEE coaching institutes have opened up their branches in Bihar and this has reduced the number of students who go to, for example,Kota andDelhi for engineering/medical coaching.
Bihar e-Governance Services & Technologies (BeST) and thegovernment of Bihar have initiated a unique program to establish a centre of excellence called Bihar Knowledge Center, a school to equip students with the latest skills and customised short-term training programs at an affordable cost. The centre aims to attract the youth of the state to improve their technical, professional, and soft skills, to meet the current requirements of the industrial job market.[214] The National Employability Report of Engineering Graduates, 2014,[215] puts graduates from Bihar in the top 25 per cent of the country, and rates Bihar as one of the three top states at producing engineering graduates in terms of quality and employability.[216]
^"Sub-national HDI – Area Database".Global Data Lab. Institute for Management Research, Radboud University.Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved28 September 2024.
^"Table 24: gross state domestic product"(PDF). National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India.Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 December 2022 – via Reserve Bank of India.
^Guruswamy, Mohan; Kaul, Abhishek (15 December 2003)."The Economic Strangulation of Bihar"(PDF). New Delhi, India: Centre for Policy Alternatives. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 May 2009. Retrieved17 August 2015.
^Bihar, Past & Present: souvenir, 13th Annual Congress of Epigraphica by P. N. Ojha, Kashi Prasad Jayaswal Research Institute
Bal Thackeray (5 March 2008)."Biharis an unwanted lot".The Times of India.Archived from the original on 10 March 2008. Retrieved5 March 2008.
Wajihuddin, Mohammed (10 August 2008)."'Bihari' has become an abuse".The Times of India.Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved10 August 2008.
^Das, Arvind N. (1992).The Republic of Bihar. New Delhi: Penguin Books.ISBN978-0-14-012351-7.
Guruswamy, Mohan; Mohanty, Jeevan Prakash (15 February 2004)."The De-urbanisation of Bihar"(PDF). New Delhi, India: Centre for Policy Alternatives. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved17 August 2015.
^Subrata Kumar Mitra; Harihar Bhattacharyya (2018).Politics And Governance In Indian States Bihar, West Bengal And Tripura. World Scientific. pp. 198–200.ISBN978-9813208247.Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved10 June 2022.Zamindari abolition was not immediately followed by land reforms measures, as Bhumihars and Rajputs, the landowning classes dominant in the Congress, became suspicious. K B Sahay, the main architect of the land reforms, had to restrain the efforts.This worsened the conditions of non-occupancy tenants. Fixation of ceiling and distribution of surplus land could not be imple mented effectively as these laws had a number of conciliatory provisions and the landowners could keep the land under various other categories in excess of the stipulated area.Thus, the illegal distribution of land, absentee landlordism and the system of sharecropping or bataidari on unfavorable terms, lack of employment in other sectors, absence of modernization of agri culture, lack of adequate irrigation facilities and power etc. led to brewing of discontent to an unimaginable extent. This provided the naxals a fertile ground for fighting on behalf of the poor peasants and organizing them.
^Sinha, Arun (1978). "Class War in Bhojpur: I".Economic and Political Weekly.13 (1):10–11.JSTOR4366262.He tried to make the poor aware of their condition through a newspaper, but was balked by lack of money and response. He tried democratic protest through the torchlight procession but nothing came of it.Ever since he joined the school, the Master had been going to Ekwari, his village, on leave. As he suffered from chronic dysentery, nobody in the school suspected how the science teacher was using his leave. Towards the end of 1969, his absences on leave became more frequent. That year mysterious' incidents started occurring at Ekwari. Some day a haystack in a landlord's barn would be set on fire, another day someone's crops would be found cut. Reports of these incidents had started reaching Arrah. Soon after the Master applied for three months' leave and never returned.
^Ranabir Samaddar (3 March 2016)."Bihar 1990-2011".Government of Peace: Social Governance, Security and the Problematic of Peace. Routledge, 2016. pp. 201–205.ISBN978-1317125372.Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved21 June 2022.
^Cardona, George; Jain, Dhanesh, eds. (11 September 2003).The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge Language Family Series. Routledge. p. 500.ISBN978-0-415-77294-5....the number of speakers of Bihari languages are difficult to indicate because of unreliable sources. In the urban region most educated speakers of the language name Hindi as their language because this is what they use in formal contexts and believe it to be the appropriate response because of lack of awareness. The uneducated and the urban population of the region return Hindi as the generic name for their language.
^Kumar, Sanjay (1999). ""New Phase in Backward Caste Politics in Bihar: Janata Dal on the Decline."".Economic and Political Weekly.34 (34/35):2472–80.JSTOR4408343.The polarisation was not on the lines of the upper and the backward caste divide, but it was around the two axes of backward caste politics. Laloo Yadav after comp- leting his term in office even with a minority government went to polls in a situation where an anti-incumbency wave was sweeping the country. The consolidated backward castes had fragmented into two blocs, one represented by the yadavs in the form of the Janata Dal and the other represented by the kurmis and koeris represented by the Samata Party. For the first time, the upper-castes felt totally marginalised in the state's politics since the support base of their natural ally, the Congress, has been completely eroded. while the BJP was unable to make much inroads among the voters.
^Raza, Wameq A.; van de Poel, Ellen; Bedi, Arjun; Rutten, Frans (28 December 2015). "Impact of Community-based Health Insurance on Access and Financial Protection: Evidence from Three Randomized Control Trials in Rural India".Health Economics.25 (6):675–687.doi:10.1002/hec.3307.ISSN1057-9230.PMID26708298.
^Ramani, K. V.; Mavalankar, Dileep; Govil, Dipti (2008).Strategic issues and challenges in health management. New Delhi: Sage.ISBN978-8132100201.OCLC316005200.
^abcGovernment of India- Ministry of Health & Family Welfare- Health and Family Welfare Census Data, 2008–2015
^"Census of India: Provisional Population Totals India: Paper1: Census 2011". Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
^Rumela, Sen (2021).'Rebel Retirement in the North through Discordant Exit Networks', Farewell to Arms: How Rebels Retire Without Getting Killed. New York: Oxford Academic.doi:10.1093/oso/9780197529867.003.0005.The big landlords of Bihar derailed land reform via delaying tactics and by refusing to comply with paperwork. They refused to submit documents for their estates despite government orders and filed thousands of court cases halting the landholding ceiling and redistribution of over 9,000 acres of land across the state of Bihar. Since administrators and politicians came mostly from the same landed gentry upper castes as the landlords, the landlords exploited their kinship ties to have government field surveys halted, amended, and ultimately aborted.
^abCarolyn Brown Heinz, 2006, "Documenting the Image in Mithila Art", Visual Anthropology Review, Vol. 22, Issue 2, pp. 5–33
^"Durga Pooja".Festivals of Bihar. Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation.Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved7 October 2022.
Swami Sahajanand and the Peasants of Jharkhand: A View from 1941 translated and edited byWalter Hauser along with the unedited Hindi original (Manohar Publishers, paperback, 2005).
Sahajanand on Agricultural Labour and the Rural Poor translated and edited byWalter Hauser (Manohar Publishers, paperback, 2005).
Religion, Politics, and the Peasants: A Memoir of India's Freedom Movement translated and edited byWalter Hauser (Manohar Publishers, hardbound, 2003).
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Jagannath Sarkar, "Many Streams" Selected Essays by Jagannath Sarkar and Reminiscing Sketches" Compiled by Gautam Sarkar Edited by Mitali Sarkar, First Published May 2010, Navakarnataka Publications Private Limited, Bangalore.
Indradeep Sinha, 1969,Sathi ke Kisanon ka Aitihasic Sangharsha (Historic Struggle of Sathi Peasants), in Hindi, Patna.
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