Bihar
The state of Bihar lies in the Norther part of India. Please find below some major facts about Bihar.
Magadha: Bihar is the origin place of the many of the great dynasties and ancient empires such as the Haryanka dynasty, the Mauryan and the Gupta Empire, etc.
Leading center of Learning: World famous universities such as Nalanda and Vikramshila were established in Ancient Bihar.
Land Size: The land size of 98,940 sq. km makes Bihar the 12th largest state in India.
Population: With population of 103.8 million people, Bihar is the 3rd largest populous state in India, behind Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Economy: Bihar is one of the fastest growing economy in India. The growth rate of Bihar was 14.5 percent during 2012-13.
Forest Area: Bihar has 6764 sq. km of forest area.
Capital: Patna is the Capital city of Bihar. Patna, earlier known as Pataliputra, is an Ancient Indian Civilization. The founder of Pataliputra was Ajatashatru. He made Pataliputra his capital city.
Pillar of Ashoka: The Lion Pillar build by Emperor Ashoka the Great, at Kolhua is a major tourist attraction.
Youth: The future of Bihar is promising since around 58 percent of the people in the state of Bihar are aged below 25.
Language: The official languages are Hindi and Urdu. The spoken language of the majority of the people is Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Maithili, etc.
Boundary: The neighboring states are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jharkhand. Nepal is situated on the north of Bihar.
Festivals: Chhath Puja, Holi, Diwali, Ram Navami, Makar-Sankranti, Bihula, Madhushravani are the major festivals of Bihar.
Climate: The climate of Bihar is diverse. It is very hot during summer and very cold during the winter months of December and January.
Buddhism: Bihar is the birth place of Buddhism.
Major Rivers: Ajay River, Bagmati River, Mahananda River, Budhi Gandak River, Ganga River, Ghaghara River, Koshi River, Kamala River, Son River, etc.
Connectivity: Bihar has very well developed road, railway and air connectivity. There are numerous state highways that connect various towns and cities of Bihar. Further, Bihar is well connected will all the major towns and cities of India. The airports at Patna and Gaya are well developed.
Pilgrim Centres: The famous pilgrim centres in Bihar are Bodhgaya, Gaya, Parasnath Hill, Rajgir, Baidyanath Dham, Janki Kund, etc.
Tourist destination: The places of interest near Patna are Kumrahar, Har Mandir Takht, Pathar Ki Masjid, Jalan Museum and Patna Museum, etc. The places of interest near Bodhgaya are the Bodhi Tree, Mahabodhi Temple, Ratnagar, etc. The places of interest near Nalanda are the Nalanda University, Archaeological Museum, etc.
Visit: The best time to visit Bihar is the month between October and March.
