State of India - Bihar

Area: 1,73,877 sq km

Population: 8,63,74,465

Capital Of City: Patna

Languages: Hindi, Bhojpuri

Crops: Jute, Millets, Oilseeds, Pulses, Rice, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Wheat.

How You Know: It was from Bihar that Mahatma Gandhi launched his civil-disobedience movement, which ultimately led to India's independence. At the request of a farmer, Raj Kumar Shukla, from Champaran, in 1917, Gandhiji went to the district. Here he learned of the sad plight of the indigo farmers suffering under the oppressive rule of the British. He became so popular with the locals that the Britishers asked him to leave the place. Gandhiji refused to comply and so he was sent to jail at Motihari. From his jail cell, Gandhiji wrote letters describing what he saw in Champaran, and made formal demands for the emancipation of these people. His demands were agreed to and he was freed. This was the first instance of the success of civil-disobedience as a tool to win freedom and Gandhiji emerged as a national leader. Thus began a series of events in a remote corner of Bihar, that ultimately led to the freedom of India in 1947!

History: Bihar is the ninth largest state (in area) in India and second largest in population. Bihar is one of the richest state in India in terms of mineral wealth but ironically, is the poorest in terms of per capita income! Bihar has 41% of the total mineral wealth of India. The name Bihar is derived from the world 'vihara', which means a Buddhist monastery. What you can find in Bihar? * India's largest heavy vehicles plant of Tata Engineering and Locomotives Company at Jamshedpur. * India's largest diesel engine manufacturing plant at Tata Cummins at Jamshedpur. * Railway wagons plants at Bharat Wagon Limited at Muzaffarpur and Mokama. * India's only uranium complex of Uranium Corporation of India at Jadugora. * Gothalas, the founding place of two of the oldest world religions - Buddhism and Jainism. * Bihar is also the birth place of the tenth guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, and houses the Har Mandir Takht, one of the four sacred shrines of the Sikhs. * Gaya, one of the most holy cities of the hindus. * The magnificent Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an architectural combination of many centuries, cultures and many heritages that came to pay their homage here. The temple definitely has architecture of the Gupta and later ages, inscriptions describing visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and China between 7th and 10th century AD. Nalanda, the first residential international university of the world with 2,000 teachers, 10,000 students and 90,00,000 books is in Bihar! Palamau National Park (Betla): The forest where the world's first tiger census was exacted in 1932. On your left is the famous art form of Madhubani, paintings made by rural women of Mithila. Done in primary colours of natural origin on paper and cloth, they narrate mythological and religious events. Chhath is one of the holiest festivals for the people of Bihar. This is observed mostly by the people of North Bihar. It is devoted to the worship of the Sun God, therefore, also known as SuryaShashti. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India was from Bihar.