Bihar – A Religious Historical Place

A Brief Info about Bihar

Population	100.4 million (third-largest state by population)
Area	94,163 square km (twelfth-largest by territory)
Founded on	22 March 1912
First Chief Minister	Shri Krishna Sinha alias Shri Krishna Babu (1946–61)
Sex Ratio	918 females per 1000 males
Urbanisation Rate	11.3% (Second lowest in India)
Capital	Patna
Main Language	Hindi, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Magadhi
Best Time To Visit	October To March
Districts	38 administrative districts

Introduction to Bihar

Bihar is as old as civilisation itself. It is a place of unmatched history that cannot be found anywhere in the world. It is a glorious, colourful and ancient land. Here lived the mythological king Janaka of Videha, Vedic period Rishi Yajnavalkya, Ramayan famed Maharshi Valmiki, Kautilya (Chanakya or Vishnugupta), the author of Arthashastra, the first treatise on modern economics. It is the place where the religious leader, the founders of Jainism (Bhagwan Mahavir), Buddhism (Bhagwan Budhha) and the tenth Sikh Guru Govind Singh were born. This had been the land where great kings like Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka and Sher Sah ruled. Here in the land flourished the ancient seats of learning – Nalanda and Vikramshila. `Ahimsa’ was propagated from here and Gandhiji launched his civil-disobedience movement against the mighty British. This is the land of great Madhubani paintings, enchanting Sujuni work, Bhagalpuri silks and plenty of delicious Lichies and Mangoes. Bihar has a rich religious history and people from all around the world come to visit this state.

Capital Of Bihar

Patna (the ancient name is Patliputra) is the capital of Bihar. Patna is one of the largest and oldest cities in the country and has seen the rise and fall of many kings and empires right from the Mauryan times.

Land of Bihar

Located in the central and lower Gangetic plateau in the North-eastern Sector of India the State is surrounded by The Himalayan land of Nepal in the North, Uttar Pradesh in the West, Jharkhand State in the South and West Bengal in the East.

Ancient History of Bihar

Ancient Bihar comprised independent States like Magadha, Anga, Baishali, Mithila etc., which had shaped the socio-cultural heritage of India. But, Brihadratha, the Magadha King first established the Magadha empire in the region which in course of history came to be known as Bihar. The Sisunagas followed the Magadha Kings around the 6th century B.C. Bimbisar and his son Ajatsatru annexed Anga and expanded the kingdom up to Punjab. In order to be away from the Baishali State, they erected their Capital at the confluence of the Ganges and Sone rivers in Pataligram which was known as Puspapur or Pataliputra. If the Sisunag kings strengthened the Magadha empire, it is the Maurya and Gupta kings who made ancient Bihar a prosperous and enlightened State as known from history. 

Medieval History of Bihar

With the fall of the Gupta dynasty to the invaders from the middle east during the 7th & 8th centuries, Bihar lost its past glory and it no longer remained the political and cultural centre of India. Pataliputra and Munger were annexed by the Pal Kings of Bengal. Gaya, Bhagalpur, Rohtas etc. became small independent States. The mighty Magadh empire disintegrated. Bakhtiar Khilji captured Bihar from the Pal kings, but it was difficult for Delhi Sultanate to administer. Bihar continued to be under provincial administration except during the period of Sher Shah. It is Akbar, the great Mughal emperor during 1575-76 annexed Bihar and Bengal to his empire and gave Bihar a stable administration making it a part of Bengal. However, with the decline of the Mughal empire, Bihar passed into the hands of the Nawabs of Bengal.

Modern History of Bihar

With the rise of British ascendancy in Bengal during 1757-65, Bihar’s political life was much influenced. Jharkhand, Singhbhum, and Santhal Parganas remained away from the local politics. The tribal chiefs remained independent of Muslim Subedars. At this juncture, Lord Clive arrived at Patna in 1757 and in the decisive war of Buxar in 1765, the Dewani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa was granted to the East India Company by the Mughal emperor Shah Alam. However, the people of Bihar never accepted the British. The Santhal Pragana revolt of 1781-82, the Hoj agitation of 1820-21, Kol agitation of 1831-33, finally shaped into the revolt of 1857 led by Kunwar Singh. This was the beginning of the national freedom movement in India. Formation of Brahma-Samaj in 1868, the publication of the Bihar Times in 1894 demanding a separate State regulated further the political course in Bihar.

Sh. Satchidanand Sinha was selected to the central legislative council in 1910. In December 1911 Bihar & Orissa was made separate from Bengal but in 1912 Bihar State was first formed. Orissa was ceded away from Bihar on 1st  April 1936 under the Govt. of India Act, 1935 as an independent separate State. At independence in 1947, erstwhile Bihar province formed the State of Bihar and underwent geographical changes during 1956 with 4 Provinces and 17 Districts, which were further changed to 5 Provinces and 33 Districts during 1972-73. With the formation of the Jharkhand state on 14th November 2000, the state again had undergone changes in its boundary.

The Art & Culture of Bihar

The Art and Culture of Bihar are not only old but rich and prosperous. It was the land where we found the Art of the Stone-age man. The original settlers of Bihar were the Aryans from Central Asia. The culture and traditions of the state are greatly inspired by the main religions prevalent here. “Bastu Kala” was at its peak around the 4th century BC while the Mauryas were ruling. The rise of two great religions i.e. Jainism and Buddhism in Bihar provided much impetus to her architectural novelties reaching heights, particularly during the reign of the Pal kings. 

Paintings also received encouragement during the period of the Pals. The Palm-leaf paintings and paintings on the walls of the houses were the diversified classifications of the Art in primary colours like Red, Green, Black, and White and secondary colours like Yellow, Violet, Light rose-red and Gray. The wall paintings found here are very famous. 

Art of Asokan period still can be seen at Lauriya, Nandangarh, Lauriy-Areraj, Rampurba and Bashadh. Bihar is the owner of one of the best silk-producing centres in the country and the silk made here is famous worldwide. Other famous handworks include bangle making, decorative utility items, embroidery etc.

Madhubani Painting (The Mithila Painting):

Though the style is very old yet, it came into prominence recent soon. It is a sort of Folk Art to which the womenfolk had contributed much. Initially drawn on walls and later on, on paper, canvas etc. though the paintings do not augur a great style yet, are rich in imagination, feelings and natural colours. Broadly divided into two categories of paintings, Madhubani paintings concentrate on religious themes as well as decorative ones on the walls of the houses. Nature with her full array of flora and fauna works as the background of the paintings. Madhubani Art further extended to various ‘Alpanas’ locally known as ‘Aripan Art’. These artistic works are done by the womenfolk in hands on the ground either in front of the houses or in the Courtyards with the help of powdered rice, water and colours. The beautiful designs of different dimensions cover men, animals, birds, flowers, trees, fruits, Gods, Goddesses, Lamps and many more other items used in Tantrism. The triangular and rectangular ‘Alpanas’ of Girls worshipping Goddess Tulsi, symbolic ones for the general welfare and marriage etc. are distinctive features of the Art.

Weather of Bihar

Bihar experiences extreme weather. The summers are very hot and the temperature shoots up to 45 degrees. Hot and dry dust storms blow during the months of May and June. The monsoons are unexpected. Sometimes the rainfall is higher than normal while other times it is just not enough. The post-monsoon period is quite pleasant. During winters, the temperatures fall down to as low as 0 degrees.

Lifestyle of Bihar

The Biharis are very orthodox and strictly follow traditional Indian values. The people are staunch believers of the religion they follow and hence worship gods and goddesses. They follow a very simple lifestyle and live every moment of their lives wholeheartedly. Bihar is known for silk, the majority of people are spotted in silk attires.

Major festivals of Bihar

The major festivals celebrated in Bihar are basically related to nature. They worship nature as their deity. The only festival in Sanatan Dharma which is going on since the Vedic period or to say the oldest festival of Hindu tradition is Chhath Puja (read chhath puja in Hindi), which is the biggest and most popular festival of Bihar. The different festivals celebrated have some or other kind of link to the ancient times and are Mahavir Jayanti, Buddha Jayanti, Diwali, Dussehra, Makar Sankranti, etc.

Major crops of Bihar

The people of Bihar have agriculture as their main occupation. The main crops grown here include wheat, pulses, paddy and maize. The cash crops found here are tobacco, oilseeds, chillies, potato, jute and sugarcane.

Costumes of Bihar

A large population that resides in Bihar prefers to wear a sari over Salwar-Kameez. For men, the garments include traditional dhoti, Kurta and sandals made of wood. Some men also wear turbans which, according to them, is a symbol of their status. Though the men have been influenced by western clothes, women of Bihar still stick to their traditional outfits.

Kinds of homes in Bihar

The weather conditions here are extreme and hence the people in Bihar pay extra attention to the houses when they are built. They make sure that the base is strong and enough outlets are provided for ventilation. The villages, though, still rely on fodder to construct the roofs. 

Famous personalities of Bihar

Many known personalities have been brought up in Bihar and a few of them are- Rajendra Prasad, who was chosen as the Republic of India’s first president, an efficient lawyer and a prominent political leader. Ramdhari Singh Dinkar is a very well-known poet and many more of them.

Famous places and tourist attractions in Bihar

One can find a lot of sacred places in Bihar as it is the place of inception of some of the great religions of the world including Buddhism. Famous tourist destinations include Gaya, Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Patna, Vaishali and Rajgir. Below are the famous places in Bihar.

Golghar:- Beehived-shaped granary of 1786.

Patna Museum:-  Built in Mughal and Rajput style full of archaeological finds of Maurya & Gupta period and world’s largest fossilised tree of 200 million years old.

Har Mandir:- White marbled Sikh Shrine built by Ranjit Singh in honour of the last Sikh guru Govind Singh Ji.

Vaishali:-  Ruins of the palace of Lichhavis king Vishal-an earliest republic of the world, remains of 13 Stupas and Ashokan Pillar.

Bodhgaya:- City of Monasteries & seat of enlightenment where stands the Mahabodhi temple of Ashokan period in the Bodhi Vriksha.

Nalanda:- The landscaping, architectural design and archaeological finds of ancient Buddhist university.

Rajgir:- Ruins of Jarasandha’s capital, Amaravan the medical centre of Jeevak, Bimbisar’s prison, caves & stupas.

Sasaram:- Caves on the hills of Chandan Pir and Sher Shah Suri’s tomb.