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Bihar: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Bihar
The name Bihar itself, derived from the Sanskrit word vihara, originally meant the abode of Buddhist monks, yet today it stands as the second most populous state in India, housing over 130 million people. This region, once the epicenter of political and cultural power in ancient India, has undergone a dramatic transformation from the seat of the first great empire, the Maurya, to a state grappling with complex modern challenges. The land is split by the mighty Ganges River, flowing from west to east, dividing the state into North and South Bihar, and has been home to some of the world's most significant religious and philosophical movements. From the 9th century BCE, when Parshvanatha led the shramana order, to the 6th century BCE when Mahavira revived Jainism, this soil has been a crucible for spiritual evolution. The ancient kingdom of Magadha, rising from this region, gave birth to the Maurya Empire in 321 BCE, which unified large parts of South Asia under a central rule, with its capital at Pataliputra, now modern-day Patna. The Gupta Empire, which originated in Magadha in 240 CE, is often referred to as the Golden Age of India, marking a period of unprecedented advancement in science, mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. Despite this glorious past, the state has faced significant economic and social stagnation since the late 1970s, a period often attributed to specific government policies and historical neglect.
The Republic of Vaishali
Before the rise of empires, the region that is now Bihar was home to the Vajjika League, a republican form of government established by the 6th century BCE, making it the first known republic in India. The capital of this league was Vaishali, located in the Mithila region, where the head of state was elected from the rajas. This unique political structure existed before the birth of Gautama Buddha in 563 BCE, highlighting the region's early commitment to democratic principles. The Videha Kingdom, which later became part of the Vajjika League, was a major political and cultural center, with its kings known as Janakas. One of the most famous Janakas was the father of Sita, the consort of Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana, written by Valmiki. The Haryanka dynasty, founded in 684 BCE, ruled Magadha from the city of Rajgriha, with well-known kings like Bimbisara and his son Ajatashatru. Ajatashatru, who imprisoned his father to ascend the throne, founded the city of Pataliputra, which later became the capital of Magadha. The Nanda dynasty followed, ruling a vast tract stretching from Punjab to Odisha, before being replaced by the Maurya Empire. The Mauryan Empire, which originated from Magadha in 321 BCE, was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, who was born in Magadha. It had its capital at Pataliputra, and under Emperor Ashoka, who was born in Pataliputra, the empire became one of the most accomplished in world history. The Gupta Empire, which originated in Magadha in 240 CE, is referred to as the Golden Age of India in science, mathematics, astronomy, commerce, religion, and Indian philosophy.
The name Bihar is derived from the Sanskrit word vihara, which originally meant the abode of Buddhist monks. Today, it stands as the second most populous state in India, housing over 130 million people.
When was the Maurya Empire established in Bihar?
The Maurya Empire originated from Magadha in 321 BCE with its capital at Pataliputra, now modern-day Patna. This empire unified large parts of South Asia under a central rule and was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, who was born in Magadha.
Who founded the Vajjika League in Bihar?
The Vajjika League was a republican form of government established by the 6th century BCE with its capital at Vaishali in the Mithila region. The head of state was elected from the rajas, making it the first known republic in India.
When were the ancient universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila destroyed?
Nalanda and Vikramashila universities were destroyed by the invading forces of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji in 1200 CE. This destruction marked a significant turning point in the region's history, leading to a decline in the influence of Buddhism.
When did the Champaran Satyagraha take place in Bihar?
Mahatma Gandhi visited Champaran in April 1917 to support farmers who revolted against indigo cultivation in 1914. The movement received support from many Bihari nationalists and became a key event in the independence movement.
When was the Bihar Special Court Act introduced?
The government of Bihar introduced the Bihar Special Court Act to curb crime during the tenure of Nitish Kumar, who served as chief minister for 13 years between 2005 and 2020. The state also prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol since March 2016.
The decline of Buddhism in Magadha was precipitated by the invasion of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, during which many of the great viharas were destroyed along with the universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila. Some historians believe that thousands of Buddhist monks were massacred during the 12th century, though others suggest these incidents were the result of Buddhist-Brahmin skirmishes in a fight for supremacy. The Pala Empire was followed by the Karnat dynasty, which came into power in the Mithila region in the 11th century, and was succeeded by the Oiniwar dynasty in the 14th century. Despite the destruction, the area around Bodh Gaya and much of Magadha came under the Buddhist Pithipatis of Bodh Gaya. The Khayaravala dynasty were present in the southwestern portions of the state until the 13th century. Many famous Buddhist and Hindu philosophers and scholars have originated or studied in Bihar during the period from the 5th to 13th century at institutions like Nalanda and Vikramashila, including Kamalaśīla, Ratnākaraśānti, Śāntarakshita, Abhayakaragupta, Udayana, and Gañgeśa. The destruction of these great centers of learning marked a significant turning point in the region's history, leading to a decline in the influence of Buddhism and the rise of other religious and political forces.
The Indigo Revolt
In 1914, farmers in Champaran revolted against indigo cultivation, and in 1916, the movement spread to Turkaulia. In April 1917, Mahatma Gandhi visited Champaran, where Raj Kumar Shukla had drawn his attention to the exploitation of the peasants by European indigo planters. The Champaran Satyagraha that followed received support from many Bihari nationalists, such as Rajendra Prasad, Shri Krishna Sinha, and Anugrah Narayan Sinha. In the northern and central regions of Bihar, the Kisan Sabha, or peasant movement, was an important consequence of the independence movement. It began in 1929 under the leadership of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, who formed the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha to mobilize peasant grievances against the zamindari attacks on their occupancy rights. The movement intensified and spread from Bihar across the rest of India, culminating in the formation of the All India Kisan Sabha at the Lucknow session of the Indian National Congress in April 1936, where Saraswati was elected as its first president. Following independence, Bihari migrant workers have faced violence and prejudice in many parts of India, such as Maharashtra, Punjab, and Assam. 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 levels. This was an outcome of the failed land reform drive and improper implementation of the land ceiling laws that were passed by the Indian National Congress government in the 1950s. Landed castes like Rajput and Bhumihar became suspicious of the land reforms and used their influence in government to hinder the efforts of the land redistribution program, which may have alleviated the huge caste-based income inequalities.
The Caste Wars
In the Zamindari areas of Bihar, such as Bhojpur district, the Dalits were also subjected to frequent humiliation and the practice of begar existed. This led to the first spark of mass-scale Naxalism to grow up in the plains of Bhojpur. This armed struggle was led initially by Master Jagdish Mahto, a school teacher turned Naxalite. Soon, the struggle spread into other parts of Bihar, where the landlords and agricultural laborers 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 to Forward Castes and a section of Upper Backward Castes, while the landless were the people belonging to Schedule Castes and a section of Other Backward Castes. Formation of caste-based private armies called senas took place in response to violent activities of the Naxalites. One of the most dreaded caste armies of the landlord was the Ranvir Sena, which was involved in massacres of Dalits in Laxmanpur Bathe. The Dalit struggle against these caste armies was led by the Indian People's Front and its successor, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, which was controlled at the upper echelon by the middle peasant castes such as the Koeris and Yadavs, with Dalits and Extremely Backward Castes forming its mass support base and activists. Meanwhile, the 1960s saw the rise of political instability in the state with dwindling power of the Indian National Congress and the rise of parties like the Samyukta Socialist Party. The leaders belonging to Backward Castes became vocal for their political rights. The toppling of the Mahamaya Prasad Sinha government by Jagdeo Prasad hastened the end of dominance of Forward Caste-backed Indian National Congress in the state.
The Mandal Shift
The year 1989-90 saw the implementation of the Mandal Commission's recommendation by V. P. Singh's government, which reserved 27 percent seats in government jobs and educational institutions for the members of Other Backward Class. This event mobilized them against the politics of religion of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was backed by the Forward Castes. Important figures such as Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar took a leading role in this mobilization, and by 1990, the upper Backwards, Koeri, Kurmi, Yadav, became the new political elites of the state. Historically, a caste troika consisting of the three communities, Kushwaha, Kurmi, and Yadav, also led an anti-upper caste agitation in the state of Bihar, pushing them to the prominence in the state's politics. However, the tipping point of this Backward Caste unity came in the 1995 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 under Janata Dal, the other camp was led by Koeri and Kurmis, who assembled under the Samata Party. According to political scientist 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 marginalized in Bihar's electoral politics, and from then onwards, no longer held any significant role in the state's politics. By 2004, The Economist magazine said that Bihar had become a byword for the worst of India, of widespread and inescapable poverty, of corrupt politicians indistinguishable from mafia-dons they patronize, and of a caste-ridden social order that has retained the worst feudal cruelties.
The Economic Turnaround
Nitish Kumar has been chief minister of Bihar for 13 years between 2005 and 2020. In contrast to prior governments, which emphasized 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. They also introduced the Bihar Special Court Act to curb crime. It also legislated a two-hour lunch break on Fridays, to enable Muslim employees to pray and thereby reduce absenteeism. The government has prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol in the state since March 2016, which has been linked to a drop in tourism and a rise in substance abuse. Bihar's gross state domestic product for the fiscal year 2024-25 was around 1.09 trillion rupees. By sectors, its composition is 19.9% agriculture, 21.5% industry, and 58.6% services. Bihar has one of the fastest-growing state economies in terms of GSDP, with a growth rate of 13.5% in FY 2024-25. The economy of Bihar was projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.4% during 2012-2017. Bihar has experienced strong growth in per capita net state domestic product. At current prices, per capita NSDP of the state grew at a CAGR of 12.91% from 2004 to 2005 to 2014-15. Bihar's per capita income went up by 40.6% in FY 2014-15. The state's debt was estimated at 77% of GDP by 2007. In terms of income, the districts of Patna, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Munger, and placed highest among the 38 districts in the state, recording the highest per capita gross district domestic product of 2,15,049, 84,279, 80,471, 79,272 respectively, in FY 2022-23.
The Renaissance of Learning
Historically, Bihar has been a major center of learning, home to the ancient universities of Nalanda, established in 450 CE, Odantapura, established in 550 CE, and Vikramashila, established in 783 CE. Nalanda and Vikramashila universities were destroyed by the invading forces of Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1200 CE. Bihar saw a revival of its education system during the later part of the British rule, when the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library was established in 1891 by Sir Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh, which is currently one of the world's largest functioning libraries and boasts more than five million items. It is known for its paintings and rare manuscripts. Patna University, the seventh oldest university on the Indian subcontinent, was established in 1917. Some other centers of high learning established under British rule are Patna College, established in 1839, Bihar School of Engineering, established in 1900 and now known as the National Institute of Technology, Patna, Prince of Wales Medical College, established in 1925 and now Patna Medical College and Hospital, Science College, Patna, established in 1928, Patna Women's College, Bihar Veterinary College, established in 1927, and Imperial Agriculture Research Institute, established in 1905 and now Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, Pusa. Today, Bihar is home to eight Institutes of National Importance: IIT Patna, IIM Bodh Gaya, AIIMS Patna, NIT Patna, IIIT Bhagalpur, NIPER Hajipur, Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library, and the Nalanda International University. In 2008, Indian Institutes of Technology Patna was inaugurated with students from all over India, and in the same year the National Institute of Fashion Technology Patna was established as the ninth such institute in India. The Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya was established in 2015. In March 2019, the government of Bihar sent a proposal to the central government to upgrade Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital into an AIIMS-like institution. Bihar is home to four Central universities, which includes the Central University of South Bihar, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, and Nalanda University. In 2015, the central government proposed the re-establishment of Vikramshila in Bhagalpur and had designated 500 crores for it. Bihar also has the National Institute of Fashion Technology Patna, National Law University, Patna Institute of Hotel Management, Footwear Design and Development Institute, Bihta, and Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology. CIPET and IHM were established in Hajipur in 1994 and 1998 respectively. Bihar Engineering University was established under the Bihar Engineering University Act, 2021, of the Bihar Government with the purpose of the development and management of educational infrastructure related to technical, medical, management, and related professional education in Bihar. Based on 2020-21 data, Bihar Engineering University has 56 and Bihar Medical Science University under the Bihar Medical Science University Act, 2021. There are Pharmacy colleges, 15 Medical colleges, and 36 Nursing colleges after establishing this university. Aryabhatta Knowledge University has 33 educational colleges, 8 community colleges, and one vocational college. Chanakya National Law University and Chandragupt Institute of Management were established in the latter half of 2008 and now attract students from not just within Bihar but also students from far-flung states. Nalanda International University was established in 2014 with active investment from countries such as Japan, Korea, and China. The A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies is a premier research institute in the state. Bihar has eight medical colleges which are funded by the government, namely Patna Medical College and Hospital, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital, Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital Gaya, Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Bhagalpur, Government Medical College, Bettiah, and five private medical colleges. Bihar has the seven oldest Government Engineering colleges: Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology, Bhagalpur College of Engineering, Gaya College of Engineering, Nalanda College of Engineering, Darbhanga College of Engineering, Motihari College of Engineering, and the Loknayak Jai Prakash Institute of Technology. Bihta, a suburb of the state capital Patna, is home to institutes like IIT Patna, AIIMS Patna, BIT Patna, and is now emerging as an educational hub. With institutes like Super 30, Patna has emerged as a major center for engineering and civil services coaching. The major private IIT-JEE coaching institutes have opened up their branches in Bihar, and this has reduced the number of students who go to, for example, Kota and Delhi for engineering/medical coaching. Bihar e-Governance Services and Technologies and the government of Bihar have initiated a unique program to establish a center of excellence called the Bihar Knowledge Center, a school to equip students with the latest skills and customized short-term training programs at an affordable cost. The center 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. The National Employability Report of Engineering Graduates, 2014, puts graduates from Bihar in the top 25 percent of the country, and rates Bihar as one of the three top states at producing engineering graduates in terms of quality and employability.