BPSC Bihar Special

Bihar Special
1. General Introduction about Bihar
Note: This map is not to scale and is for reference only.

State Formation Day - 22 March 1912 8 Districts that border Uttar Pradesh in the north to south
First Division of Bihar - 1936 (Odisha) direction : West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran,
Second Division of Bihar - 15 November 2000 (Jharkhand) Bhojpur, Buxar, Kaimur and Rohtas.
8 Districts that border Jharkhand in the west to east
Facts Related to Bihar Map direction: Rohtas, Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, Jamui, Banka,
Bihar is located in the eastern part of the country (between Bhagalpur and Katihar.
83°-19′-50″ to 88°-17′-40″E longitude). 3 Districts that border West Bengal in the north to south
It is an entirely landlocked state. direction : Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar.
Bihar lies midway between the humid West Bengal in the There are 9 districts share their boundaries with Patna
east and the sub-humid Uttar Pradesh in the west, providing and they are- Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai,
it with a transitional position regarding climate, economy and Lakhisarai, Nalanda, Jehanabad and Arwal.
culture. Popular Names of Cities
It is bounded by Nepal in the north and by Jharkhand in
Popular Cities Popular Names
the south.
Patna The City of Leaders
The Bihar plain is divided into two unequal halves by the
river Ganga which flows through almost the middle from Bhagalpur Silk City
west to east. Madhubani The City of Mithila & Madhubani Art
7 Districts that border Nepal in the west-to-east direction: Muzaffarpur The Land of Litchi
West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Hajipur Banana city
Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj. Gaya The City of Enlightenment
OSWAAL BPSC Prelim 20 previous years solved papers
Physical Features 8. Chief Justice - K. Vinod Chandran (Incumbent)
9. Area - 94,163 km2
Latitude 24°-20′-10″ ~ 27°-31′-15″ N 10. Population (2011) - 10,40,99,452
Longitude 83°-19′-50″ ~ 88°-17′-40″ E 11. Official language - Hindi
Total Area 94,163.00 sq. kms 12. Maximum Spoken Regional Language - Maithili
13. Divisions - 9
Height above Sea-Level 173 Feet 14. Districts - 38
Distance from east to west 483 km 15. Subdivisions - 101
Distance from north to south 345 km 16. CD Blocks - 534
As per 2011 Census
Length of Nepal border 726 km
1. Density of Population - 1,106 per sq kms
Geological Structure 2. Highest Density - Sheohar, 1880 per sq kms
Younger rocks to the north, older rocks to the south, North- 3. Lowest Density - Kaimur, 488 per sq kms
West is Terai, Central is Gangetic plain and South is a plateau. 4. Most Populous District - Patna: 58,38,465
Bihar plain is the youngest to be formed. Dharwar rocks - 5. Least Populous District - Sheikhpura: 6,36,342
South Eastern Bihar - Jamui, Nawada, Munger districts. 6. Sex Ratio (Females/Thousand Males) - 918
Vindhyan Rocks - South Western Bihar - Kaimur and 7. Highest Ratio - (Gopalganj) 1,021
Rohtas districts. 8. Lowest Ratio - (Munger) 876
Famous Waterfalls 9. Lowest Literacy Rate - Purnia, 51.08%
10. Highest Literacy Rate - Rohtas, 73.37%
Telhar Waterfall Kaimur 11. Symbols of Bihar
Tutla Bhawani Rohtas 12. State Animal - Gaur
(Truth or Tutla Dham) 13. State Bird - House Sparrow
Dhua Kund Waterfall Rohtas 14. State Flower - Marigold
Karkat Waterfall Kaimur 15. State Tree - Peepal
Kakolat Falls Nawada Protected Areas
Famous Springs Baraila Lake SAJS Bird Sanctuary Vaishai
Sita Kund Sitamarhi Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Bhagalpur
Sanctuary
Hot Spring Rajgir Udaipur Wildlife Sanctuary West Champaran
Dhua Kund Rohtas Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary Munger
Manjhar Kund Rohtas Kanwar Jheel Bird Sanctuary Begusarai
Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden Patna
Famous Lakes
Nakti Dam Bird Sanctuary Jamui
Saraiya Man Lake Bettiah Gogabil Pakshi Vihar Katihar
Ghora Katora Lake Rajgir Gautam Buddha Wildlife Gaya
Sanctuary
Kanwar Lake Begusarai
Kusheshwar Asthan Wetland Darbhanga
Muchalinda Lake Bodhgaya
Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary Rohtas and Kaimur
Kharagpur Lake Munger Pant Wildlife Sanctuary Rajgir, Nalanda
Moti Jheel Motihari Valmiki National Park and West Champaran
Pandu Pokhar Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary
Titles of Personalities
UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites Dr. Rajendra Prasad - Deshratna, Ajatshatru
Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Ancient Jai Prakash Narayan - Loknayak, JP
Nalanda University): Nalanda (2016) Kunwar Singh - Babu
Mahabodhi Temple Complex : Bodh Gaya (2002) Dr. Shri Krishna Singh - Bihar Kesari
General Information about Bihar List of Divisions of Bihar
1. Governor - Rajendra V. Arlekar Ramdhari Singh Dinkar - Rashtra Kavi
2. Chief Minister - Nitish Kumar (8th time) Babu Jagjivan Ram - Babujee
3. Deputy Chief Minister - Tejashwi Yadav Baidya Nath Misra - Baba, Nagarjun
4. Legislature - Bicameral: Legislative Council - 75 Legislative Dr. Anugraha Narayan Sinha - Bihar Bibhuti
Assembly - 243 Vidyapati - Bihar Kokil
5. Lok Sabha Seat - 40 } First in Bihar
6. Rajya Sabha Seat -16 Sugar Mill : Marhuara (1904)
7. High Court - Patna High Court Nagar Palika : Patna (1864)
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Bihar Prelims
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Irrigation Project : Sone Multipurpose Project Neolithic age ornaments : Chirand
Lok Sabha Speaker : Baliram Bhagat Chief Minister : Sri Krishna Singh
English Newspaper Daily : The Search Light Governor : Jai Ram Das Daulat Ram
English Newspaper Weekly : The Bihar Herald T.V. Relay Centre : Muzaffarpur (1978)
Hindi Newspaper Weekly : Bihar Bandhu Oil Refinery Centre : Barauni
Hindi Newspaper Daily : Sarvhitaishi
Divisions Districts (38)

Bihar Religious Data (as per census 2011)
Bhagalpur 1) Bhagalpur 2) Banka Description Population in 2020 Percentage
Darbhanga 3) Darbhanga 4) Madhubani Hindus 86,078,686 82.69%
5) Samastipur Muslims 17,557,809 16.87%
Kosi 6) Madhepura 7) Saharsa 8) supaul
Christians 129,247 0.12%
Magadh 9) Arwal 10) Aurangabad
Sikhs 23,779 0.02%
11) Gaya 12) Jehanabad
13) Nawada Buddhists 25,453 0.02%
Munger 14) Begusarai15) Jamui Jains 18,914 0.02%
16) Lakhisarai 17) Munger
Not Stated 252,127 0.01%
18) Khagaria 19) Sheikhpura
Patna 20) Bhojpur 21) Buxar Total 104,099,452 100.00%
22) Kaimur 23) Nalanda Literacy in Districts as per Census 2011
24) Patna 25) Rohtas
} Highest Literate Districts
Purnia 26) Araria 27) Katihar
28) Kishanganj 29) Purnia District Percentage
Saran 30) Gopalganj 31) Saran
Rohtas 73.37%
32) Siwan
Tirhut 33) East Champaran Patna 70.68%
34) Muzaffarpur Bhojpur 70.47%
35) Sheohar 36) Sitamarhi
37) Vaishali 38) West Champaran Munger 70.46%
} Lowest Literacy Districts } Most Populous Districts
District Per District Population Population in
Purnia - 51.08% Purnia - 51.08% in 2011 2023 (Estimated)
Sitamarhi - 52.05% Sitamarhi - 52.05% Patna 5,838,465 7,207,001
Katihar - 52.24% Katihar - 52.24%
East Champaran 5,099,371 6,294,664
Madhepura - 52.25% Madhepura - 52.25%
Muzaffarpur 4,801,062 5,926,431
Sex Ratio in Districts as Per Census 2011 Madhubani 4,487,379 5,539,221
} Highest Sex Ratio Districts
} Bihar Population Facts
District Sex Ratio
Description Districts As Per 2011
Gopalganj 1,021 Census
Siwan 988
Most Populous District Patna 5,838,465
Saran 954
Least Populous District Sheikhpura 636,342
Kishanganj 950
District with Highest Gopalganj 1,021
} Lowest Sex Ratio Districts Sex Ratio
District Sex Ratio District with Lowest Munger 876
Munger 876 Sex Ratio
Bhagalpur 880 District with Highest Rohtas 73.37%
Literacy Rate
Khagaria 886
District with Lowest Purnia 51.08%
Sheohar 893
Literacy Rate
Bihar Population District with Highest Sheohar 1,882
Estimated population of Bihar in 2023 - 128,500,364 Population Density
Estimated population of males in 2023 - 66,997,061 District with Lowest Kaimur 488
Estimated population of females in 2023 - 61,503,302 Population Density
} Population as per 2011 census
} Least Populous Districts
Population 104,099,452 District Population in Population in 2023
Male Population 54,275,001 2011 (Estimated)
Sheikhpura 636,342 785,501
Female Population 49,824,451
Sheohar 656,246 810,070
% of Male’ Population 52.14%
% of Female’ Population 47.86% Arwal 700,843 865,121
Sex Ratio 918 Lakhisarai 1,000,912 1,235,526
% of India’s Population 8.60%
Density/km2 1,106 2. Geography of Bihar
Child Sex Ratio 935
Important Sites for Tourism In Bihar
Density/mi2 2,863
} Golghar
Child Population (0-6 Age) 19,133,964 The Golghar (“Round house”) is a large granary located
Boys Population (0-6 Age) 9,887,239 to the west of the Gandhi Maidan in Patna, capital of Bihar
state, India.
Girls Population (0-6 Age) 9,246,725 The design was conceived and built by Captain John
Literacy 61.80% Garstin.
Male Literacy 71.21% It is Built in the Stupa architecture, the building has a
height of 29 m. It is pillar-less with a wall of thickness of
Female Literacy 51.50%
3.6 m at the base.
Total Literates 52,504,553 } Takht Sri Harmandir Jee Patna Sahib
Male Literates 31,608,023 Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, was born in
Female Literates 20,896,530 Patna, Bihar, in 1666. He also spent his early years here
before moving to Anandpur. Besides being the birthplace of
Population Rural 92,341,436
Guru Gobind Singh, Patna was also honoured by visits from
Population Rural Percentage 88.71% Guru Nanak as well as Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Takht Sri Harmandir Jee Patna Sahib is a Gurdwara (Sikh
Population Urban 11,758,016
place of worship) located in Patna City.
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It was built in remembrance of the birthplace of Guru } Buddha Smriti Park
Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. Buddha Smriti Park also known as Buddha Memorial Park
It was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the first (as translated in english) is an urban park located on Frazer
Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, who also built many other Road near Patna Junction in Patna, Bihar.
Gurdwaras in the Indian subcontinent. This park has been developed by the Bihar Government
The current shrine of Patna Sahib or Takht Sri Harmandirji to commemorate the 2554th birth anniversary of the Buddha.
Sahib was built in the 1950s. This park was inaugurated by the 14th dalai lama
} Agam Kuan } Barabar Caves
Agam Kuan (bottomless well) is an ancient well and Barabar Caves are the oldest rock-cut caves in India dating
archaeological site in Patna, India. It is said to date back to the back to the Mauryan period, Located in Jehanabad district in
period of Mauryan emperor Ashoka (304–232 BCE). Circular Bihar, about 31 Km north of Gaya, some of the caves have
in shape, the well is lined with brick in the upper 13 metres inscriptions that date back to the Ashokan period.
(43 ft) and contains wooden rings in the remaining 19 metres The caves are situated in the Barabar Hills. There are
(62 ft). similar caves in the Nagarjuni Hills which are located less
} Ancient Temple – Patan Devi than two km away which are also considered as part of the
Patan Devi, also called Maa Pataneswari is the oldest and Barabar Caves.
one of the most sacred temples of Patna. It is regarded as There are many Hindu and Jain sculptures in the caves
one of the 51 Siddha Shakti Pithas in India. According to that are believed to have been carved out of huge boulders
Puranic legends, the ‘right thigh’ of the corpse of Sati had from 273 BC to 232 BC. The caves were used extensively by
fallen here when it was chopped off by Lord Vishnu with monks belonging to the Ajivika sect.
his ‘Sudarshan Chakra’. The ancient temple, originally called There are four caves that form the Barabar caves –Lomas
Maa Sarvanand Kari Patneshwari, is believed to be the abode Rishi, Sudama, Karan Chaupar and Vishwa Zopri.
of the goddess Durga.
Of these, Lomas Rishi and Sudama are the oldest examples
} Motihari of rock-cut architecture in the country with the architectural
Legendary author George Orwell was born here and one designs from the Mauryan period and they went to influence
can visit George Orwell’s monument. most rock sculptures in the next few centuries. Similar
The Mahatma Gandhi Museum and Stone Pillar are the architectural detailing has been found in Ajanta caves and
most distinguished tourist locations of Motihari Tourism. Karla caves along with many other caves in South Asia.
Moti Jheel is a historical canal located in the heart of the } Navlakha Palace, Rajnagar
city of Motihari. Navlakha Palace is situated in Rajnagar near Madhubani in
} Mahavir (Hanuman) Temple Bihar.
Mahavir or Hanuman temple of Patna is one of the holiest This palace was built by Maharaja Rameshwar Singh
Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Hanuman located outside and said to have suffered extensive destruction during an
Patna Junction in Patna. earthquake in 1934.
} Kumhrar Park The palace complex comprised gardens, pond and temples.
Kumrahar is the name of an area of Patna, where remains of } Kesaria Stupa, Kesaria (East Champaran)
the ancient city of Pataliputra were excavated. It is located 5 km
Reckoned to be the tallest and largest Buddha Stupa in India,
east of Patna Railway Station.
Kesaria Stupa is one of the major attractions of Bihar tourism.
Archaeological remains of the Mauryan period
(322-185 BCE) have been discovered here, this include the The stupa is believed to have been built between 200 and
ruins of a hypostyle 80-pillared hall. The excavation found 750 AD under the rule of Raja Chakravarti. With a height
here dates back to 600 BCE, and marks the ancient capital of of 104 feet, it is an imposing structure that must be visited
Ajatshatru, Chandragupta and Ashoka collectively from four during a visit to Bihar.
continuous periods from 600 BC to 600 CE. } Gandhi Sangrahalaya
} Patna Museum The Gandhi Sangrahalaya situated in Motihari town has a
Inaugurated on 3 April 1917 during the British Raj to house wide collection of relics and photographs of the Champaran
the historical artefacts found in the vicinity of Patna, it is in Satyagraha.
the style of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is known The Gandhian Memorial Pillar in the ashram was designed
locally as the Jadu Ghar. by Nand Lal Bose, a famous artist of Shantiniketan.
} Bihar Museum } Nalanda
Bihar Museum is a modern state of the art museum located Probably the oldest university in India, Nalanda is an
in Patna. important site to visit in Bihar.
} Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library A perfect reminiscence to the time of flourishing Gupta
Close to the banks of the Ganges, in Patna, stands the and Pala period, Nalanda is an acclaimed tourist attraction
Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, a unique repository in Bihar.
of about 21000 Oriental manuscripts and 2.5 lakh printed Buddha is said to have delivered lectures near the mango
books. Though founded earlier, it was opened to the public grove in Nalanda.
in October, 1891 by the illustrious son of Bihar Khan Bahadur Hieun Tsang, the famous Chinese traveller visited here and
Khuda Bakhsh with 4,000 manuscripts, of which he inherited stayed for at least two years here. I-tsing, another famous
1,400 from his father Maulvi Mohammed Bakhsh. Chinese voyager, stayed at Nalanda for about 10 years.
} Sher Shah Suri Tomb vicinity. It was the capital of one of his Shravakas (followers)
The Tomb of Sher Shah Suri is in Sasaram in Rohtas district King Shrenik. Thus Rajgir is a very important religious place
of Bihar. for Jains.
The chief architect of this structure was Alawal Khan. This The twentieth Jain tirthankara, Munisuvrata is supposed
beautiful Medieval structure is made of fine sandstone. to have been born here. An ancient temple (about 1200 years
} Maa Tara Chandi Temple old) dedicated to Munisuvrat bhagwan is also present here
along with many other jain temples. This temple is also a
Maa Tara Chandi temple is one of the 51 Shakti peethas. The
place for four Kalyanakas of Bhagwan Munisuvratnath.
temple is situated in a cave which is at a distance of 4 kilometres
from Sasaram. It is said that the right eye of Maa Tara Chandi } Saptaparni Cave
fell here in this place hence called Tara and the goddess had Saptaparni Cave, also referred to as Sattapani Cave, is
slaughtered Chand and hence she is called as Chandi, so this a Buddhist cave site located at about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi)
place is known as Maa Tara Chandi temple. The idol of the southwest from Rajgir, Bihar India,
goddess Tara Chandi in this temple is in the form of a girl child It is embedded in a hall.
which is the most attractive part of the temple. The Saptaparni Cave is important in the Buddhist tradition,
} Rohtas Garh Fort because many believe it to be the site in which Buddha spent
The ancient and glorious fort is located at the top of Kaimur some time before his death, and where the first Buddhist
hills. council was held after Buddha died (parinirvana).
In Bihar it is said that the historic fort derived its name } Vishwa Shanti Stupa
from the son of King Harishchandra, Rohitashwa. Vishwa Shanti Stupa (World Peace Pagoda) is a popular
} Sitamarh Buddhist pilgrim site.
Sitamarhi is the birthplace of Sita, the main character of It is situated on Ratnagiri hill.
the epic Ramayana; there are three temples of significant
It is a white beauty, showing the four phases of Buddha’s
importance to visitors located here – Sita Temple, Janki
life through four golden statues of Lord Buddha.
Temple, and Haleshwar Sthan.
The Peace Pagoda is said to be built by a Japanese Buddhist
Rama Navami, a spring festival, in Dumra is widely
monk, Nipponzan Myohoji in 1969.
celebrated with a large fair held to mark the occasion.
This stupa is the world’s tallest Peace Pagoda and
Sama Chakeva is a prominent winter festival dedicated to
considered as the symbol of peace and harmony.
celebrate brother-sister relationships.
} Son Bhandar Caves
Janki Temple, Punaura (Punaura Dham) is about
5 km west of Sitamarhi. Saint Pundrik’s Ashram was situated The Son Bhandar caves, also known as Sonebhandar, are
here. Sita-Kund place is the honour of being the birthplace of two artificial caves belonging to Jainism (to Ajivikas earlier)
Hindu Goddess, Sita. located in Rajgir in the state of Bihar in India.
} Rajgir (Girivraj) The caves are generally dated to the 3rd or 4th century CE,
based on the dedicatory inscription found in the largest cave
Rajgir is a city and a noted area in Nalanda district in the
which uses Gupta script of the 4th century CE, although some
Indian state of Bihar.
authors have suggested the caves could actually go back to
The city of Rajgir (ancient Rājagāha; Pali: Rājagaha) was the
the period of the Maurya empire from 319 to 180 BCE.
first capital of the kingdom of Magadha, a state that would
eventually evolve into the Mauryan Empire. } Jarasandh Ka Akhara
Its date of origin is unknown, although ceramics dating to Magadh’s great majestic king Jarasandha’s capital was
about 1000 BC have been found in the city. Grivarj which is known today by the name of Rajgir.
This area is also notable in Jainism and Buddhism as one of According to the Mahabharata, this is where Bhima fought
the favourite places for Lord Mahavira and Gautama Buddha Jarasandha and Bhima rips apart Jarasandha’s body into
and the well known “Atanatiya” conference was held at two and threw in two opposite directions to prevent it from
Vulture’s Peak mountain. rejoining and hence successfully killing Jarasandha in the
The name Rajgir came from Rājagaha ‘house of the king’ or process.
“royal house”, or the word rajgir might have its origin in its
} Tomb of Mallick Ibrahim Baya
plain literal meaning, “royal mountain”.
It was the ancient capital city of the Magadha kings
Peer Pahari (At Bari Pahari): A beautiful ancient tomb
until the 5th century BC when Udayin (460-440 BC), son of constructed on top of the rocky hill. Nearby are the ruins,
Ajatshatru, moved the capital to Pataliputra. In those days, it which are believed to be ruins of Jarasandh Jail.
was called Rajgriha which translates as ‘the home of Royalty’. The beautiful natural view from the top of the hill is very
Shishunaga founded the Shishunaga dynasty in 413 attractive.
BCE with Rajgir as its initial capital before it was moved to } Pandu Pokhar (Rajgir)
Pataliputra. From beautiful gardens to an open air theatre, to a pond
It is sacred to the memory of the founders of both the overlooking 37 feet tall bronze statue of King Pandu to a
religions: Jainism and Buddhism and associated with both the herbal maze – This is a place to enjoy and admire nature.
historical Mahavira and Buddha.
} International Convention Centre at Rajgir
Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara, spent fourteen years of his
life at Rajgir and Nalanda, spending Chaturmas at a single International Convention Centre is one of the first public
place in Rajgir (Rajgruhi) and the rest in the places in the buildings in Bihar to facilitate convention activities.
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
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The form of the Convention centre is inspired by the form The present temple dates back to the 15th century.
of the ‘Stupa’. The dome of the Convention hall is one of the The shrine is dedicated to Shakti or the mother Goddess
largest domes in recent years with a clear span of 43.26 m. in the predominantly Vaishnavite pilgrimage centre of Gaya.
} Ghora Katora Lake at Rajgir } Vaishali
This is a lake surrounded by beautiful hills. This is situated Vaishali derives its name from King Vishal. Vaishali was the
near World Peace Pagoda.. As this area too is connected to capital of the vibrant Vajji confederation, since before the
the lord Buddha, Govt. of Bihar has decided to mark this as birth of Mahavira (c. 599 BC), it was perhaps the first republic
the largest statue of Buddha in India and among top 5 in the in the world, similar to those later found in ancient Greece.
world. z Ashoka Pillar
Its height will be 200 feet and it will take 3-4 yrs to get The pillars of Ashoka are a series of columns dispersed
completed. throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected or at least
} Bodh Gaya inscribed with edicts by the Mauryan king Ashoka during his
z Maha Bodhi Temple reign from c. 268 to 232 BC.
Maha Bodhi Temple, one of the holiest sites of Buddhism, Two pillars were relocated by Firuz Shah Tughlaq to Delhi.
marking the spot of the Buddha’s enlightenment (bodhi). It is A graphic representation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka
located in Bodh Gaya (in Bihar state, northeastern India) on from the column there was adopted as the official Emblem
the banks of the Niranjana River. of India in 1950.
The temple is 55 metres (180 feet) in height. Its pyramidal z Licchvi Stupa (Mud Stupa)
shikhara (tower) comprises several layers of niches, arch Licchvi Stupa is 35 km from Hajipur, district headquarter of
motifs, and fine engravings. Four towers, each identical to Vaishali, beside Abhishek Pushkarini tank’.
its central counterpart but smaller in size and topped with Nowadays this holy place is known as ‘Buddha Asthi
an umbrella-like dome, adorn the corners of the two-story Kalash Asthal’. In the 5th Century BC, the Lichhavi Stupa
structure. A shrine inside the temple holds a yellow sandstone housed the 8th part of the holy mortal remains (relic) of Lord
statue of the Buddha encased in glass. Buddha in Vaishali.
z Bodhi Tree z Shanti Stupa
The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from Sinhalese: Bo),
The Vishwa shanti stupa is erected according to the
“peepal tree,” and “arasa maram”, was a large and very old teaching of the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra (The Lotus
sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya, under Sutra) to disseminate love and peace and to create “The Pure
which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who later Land” on the earth.
became known as the Buddha, is said to have attained
The Lord Buddha’s relics have been enshrined on the
enlightenment (Bodhi).
foundation and on the top of the stupa.
z Vishnupad Temple
} Mandara Parvat (Hill)
Vishnupad Temple is an ancient temple in Gaya, India. It is
Mandara Parvat (Hill) is located in Banka district of Bihar.
a Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Mandar Hill is extremely sacred in Hindu mythology.
This temple is located along the Falgu River, marked by a
The Skanda Purana records the history of the famous Amrit
footprint of Lord Vishnu known as Dharmasila, incised into a
Manthan (the churning of the ocean). It is said that the hill
block of basalt. Several legendary saints as Ramanujacharya,
was used by Gods to churn the ocean for procuring nectar.
Madhvacharya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Ramakrishna
have visited this shrine. } Kuppaghat
z Dungeshwari Cave Temple Kuppaghat is a place located by the banks of the holy river
Ganges in Bhagalpur, Bihar. Kuppaghat translates to “cave
Dungeshwari Cave Temples, also known as Mahakala
by the banks of a river” and accordingly has a cave which is
caves, is situated 12 km north-east of Bodhgaya, in Gaya
believed to have been used by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans as
district Bihar.
a place for meditation.
Dungeshwari cave temples are also popular as Sujata Sthan
} Vikramshila
to local people. It is believed that when Buddha was doing
his self-mortification, he became frail, feeble and starved. Vikramshila University was established as a measure when
When he rested under a Banyan tree, a village woman named the quality of education at Nalanda started declining.
Sujata offered him food. Buddha accepted her offerings and Founded by the Pala King Dharmapala, Vikramshila was
consumed the food; his explicit approval presented him with a part of the network of the five important learning centres
a divine truth that neither extreme self indulgence nor self- of the era.
abasement is the right way to attain enlightenment. } Ajgaibinath Temple
Buddha attained the knowledge that following the middle Ajgaibinath Temple, located in Sultanganj, is one of the
path will lead to attaining the supreme nirvana. most famous hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Sujata Sthan or Dungeshwari Temple stands as a symbol The Idol in the main temple of Ajgaibinath is believed to be
commemorating this event. Swayambhu (Self-manifester).
z Mangla Gauri Temple } Kaimur
The Mangla Gauri Temple in Gaya, Bihar, India has been Baidyanath: Baidyanath village is situated 9 kms south of
mentioned in Padma Purana, Vayu Purana and Agni Purana Ramgarh block headquarters. A Shiva temple built by the
and in other scriptures and tantric works. late Pratihar dynasty is located here. Coins and valuables of
This temple is among the eighteen maha shakti Peeth. historical importance have been unearthed here.
Ramgarh: Ramgarh village in the Bhagwanpur block z Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary
in Bhabua Subdivision contains the famous Mundeshwari Established in 1987 and located at Begusarai district of
temple, built on a hilltop at a height of about 600 feet. Bihar. It spread across 70 sq km.
Inscriptions of archeological importance found here describe Kabar Taal Lake increases its importance, which is Asia’s
the temple to be old enough to have been built around the largest freshwater oxbow lake. This is the home of thousands
year 635 A.D. of birds.
} Ashoka Pillars (West Champaran) z Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary
About one kilometre east of Nandangarh in Lauria block
Established in 1979 and covered up across 1350 sq km area.
is the lion pillar of Ashoka, over 2300 years old and is in
excellent condition. It is located at Kaimur Hills range (Kaimur District of Bihar)
where beautiful lakes are present.
This pillar is 35 feet in height and its base diameter is 35
inches and upper diameter is 22 inches. Its massiveness and This is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Bihar. It is famous for
exquisite finish furnish striking proof of the skill and resources blac buck. This is also famous for terracotta painting, caves etc.
of the masons of Ashokan age. z Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary
Two more such pillars with their capitals removed have Rajgir or Pant Wildlife Sanctuary, is situated in Nalanda
been discovered in Rampurwa village, close to Gandhi’s Forest Division covering an area of 35.84 km2 under the
Bhitiharwa Ashram in Gaunaha block. Nalanda district administration and it was established in 1978.
One of their capitals, the bull, is now in the National The sanctuary is enclosed by five peaks of the Rajgir hills
Museum at New Delhi and the other, the lion, is at Calcutta that form a natural boundary, separating the sanctuary from
Museum. the surrounding landscape of agricultural fields, habitation,
} Nandangarh and Chankigarh (West Champaran) roads and villages.
Nandangarh is situated in Lauria block while Chankigarh These five peaks are Vipulgiri (1), Ratnagiri (2), Udaigiri (3),
is situated in Narkatiaganj block. These are actually two Sonagiri (4) and Baibhavgiri (5).
big mounds which are the remains of palaces of the Nanda To the north of the sanctuary is located the Pachanan
Dynasty and Chanakya, the world famous economist. and Saraswati rivers as well as the town of Rajgir.
Nandangarh has also been conjectured as the ashes Stupa z Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary
where the ashes of Buddha are said to have been enshrined.
Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary established in 1975 and
} National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries covers across 682 sq km, situated in Munger district of Bihar
Bihar has 1 national park and 12 wildlife sanctuaries. state.
Around 800 sq km of land is covered by the Valmiki National It is surrounded on all sides by densely inhabited non-
Park, which is located in Bihar ’s West Champaran district, forestry areas. In the valley portions and at the foothills are
close to Nepal. Shorea robusta, a damp sal-bearing forest, several hot springs of which the finest are at Bhimbandh, Sita
makes up the majority of the park. Kund and Rishi Kund.
Total forest area – 7299 sq. km which is 7.84% of total area
All the hot springs maintain nearly the same temperature
(1.04% of India’s forest).
all year round. Of them, the Bhimbandh springs have the
Minimum forest area – Sheikhpura hottest temperature (52 °C to 65 °C) and discharge (0.84-1.12
Maximum forest area – Kaimur district cum/sec).
The total area under very dense forest is in West Champaran z Udaipur Wildlife Sanctuary
The Dry Deciduous forest is most abundant in Bihar, Udaipur Wildlife Sanctuary (also spelled Udaipur) is a
Kaimur, Purnia, Raxaul etc. wildlife sanctuary located in West Champaran district of
The Moist Deciduous forest is found in Kishanganj, West Bihar state, India.
Champaran, Kaimur, Gaya etc. It was established in 1978, and covers an area of 8.74 km².
} The important National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries The wildlife sanctuary is predominantly wetland, located
and Tiger Reserves in the state of Bihar are: on an oxbow lake in the floodplain of the Gandaki River.
z Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Wildlife Sanctuary
The sanctuary has areas of swamp forest, dry riverine forest,
Vikramshila Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for its Dolphins. and khair-sissoo forest (Acacia catechu-Dalbergia sissoo). It is in
It was established in 1991 and located at Bhagalpur district the Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests ecoregion
of Bihar. z Gautam Buddha Wildlife Sanctuary
It is a 60 km stretch of the Ganga River, from Sultanganj to
Established in 1976 and spread over 259 sq km, situated
Kahalgaon. Total number of Gangetic dolphins in the world is
in Gaya district of Bihar and Koderma district of Jharkhand.
approximately 1500, and half of them are found here.
Leopards and Elephants are important animals.
z Valmiki National Park
z Nakti Dam Bird Sanctuary
Valmiki National Park is a National Park and a Tiger
Reserve in the West Champaran District of Bihar, India. The Nagi Dam (791 ha) and Nakti Dam (332 ha) are two
Valmiki National Park was established in 1989 and covered

sanctuaries so close to each other that they can be taken as
across 335.65 sq km. It is the only national park in Bihar. one bird area.
Nagi is 7 km from Jhajha in the district Jamui, and Nakti is a
It is also a wildlife sanctuary (area is 880 sq km).
further 4 km from Nagi, occupying similar habitat.
This park is famous for the Royal Bengal Tigers, rhinoceros
and bison. z Nagi Dam Wildlife Sanctuary
Huge numbers of flying foxes, i.e a kind of bat are also Nagi Dam Wildlife Sanctuary is Situated in Jamui District,
observed here. Nagi Dam Bird Sanctuary is the smallest bird sanctuary in
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 17
Bihar. It is spread over an area of about 2 sq km near Jhajha. } Pulses
Birdwatchers can identify a large variety of migratory birds. y Arhar, gram, urad, masoor, moong and khesari are grown.
} List of National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries in y Maximum area - Patna, Aurangabad and Supaul
Bihar:
y Maximum production - Patna, Aurangabad and Nalanda
Name District y Maximum productivity - Jehanabad, Vaishali and Bhojpur
Valmiki National Park West Champaran y Bihar is known for its Litchi and Mango production.
Valmiki Vanya Prani Sanctuary West Champaran
y Litchi of Muzaffarpur is famous all over India.
Irrigation in Bihar
Udaypur Vanya Prani Sanctuary West Champaran
Almost 3/4th of the Canal irrigated area is in South Bihar.
Pant Vanya Prani Sanctuary Nalanda } Kosi Canal
Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary Rohtas and Kaimur y Two canals took out from Hanuman Nagar reservoir.
Gautam Buddha Bird Sanctuary Gaya and Koderma y Eastern Kosi Canal - irrigates Purnia, Madhepura and
(Jharkhand) Saharsa.
Nagi-Nakti Dam Bird Sanctuary Jamui y Western Kosi Canal - irrigates Darbhanga district.
} Sone Canal
Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Bhagalpur
Sanctuary y Eastern Sone Canal taken out from Indrapuri Barrage near
Barun - irrigates Patna, Jahanabad, Aurangabad and Arwal.
Kanwar Jheel Bird Sanctuary Begusarai y Western Sone Canal has been taken out from Tishri -
Baraila Jheel Salim Ali Jubba Vaishali irrigates Ara, Buxar and Rohtas.
Sahni Bird Sanctuary } Kamla Canal
Kusheshwar Sthan Bird Darbhanga y It is taken out from Kamla River in Darbhanga.
Sanctuary y It irrigates mainly the Madhubani district.
Agriculture in Bihar } Gandak Canal
} Rabi Crops
y Two Canals took out from the dam at Valmiki Nagar.
y They are sown in October-November and harvested in y Saran Canal - irrigates Saran, Gopalganj and Siwan.
March-April. y Tirhut Canal - irrigates Muzaffarpur, Vaishali and East
y Important crops - Wheat, Gram, Rapeseed and Mustard. Champaran.
} Kharif Crops } Triveni Canal
y They are also called Badhai and Aghani crops. y It is taken out from Gandak River at Triveni.
y They are sown in May-June and harvested in September- y It irrigates the West Champaran district.
October.
Dams In Bihar
y Important crops - Maize, Paddy and Jute.
} Zaid Crops Name River District
y They are produced between Rabi and Kharif crop seasons. Jalkund Dam Jalkund Munger
y Important crops - Muskmelon, Watermelon, Gourd etc. Baskund Dam Baskund Lakhisarai
} Rice Badua Dam Badua Banka
y Main cereal crop of Bihar
y Two crops are grown - Aus (Summer Crop) and Aman Amrity Dam Jamui
(Winter Crop) Ajan Dam Ajan Jamui
y Maximum area - Rohtas, East Champaran and Aurangabad Gaighat Dam Beghara Munger
y Maximum production - Rohtas, Aurangabad and Kaimur Durgawati Dam Durgawati Kaimur
y Maximum productivity - Rohtas, Aurangabad and Arwal
} Wheat Chandan Dam Chandan Banka
y The best suited is sandy soil having the capacity to retain Belharna Dam Belharna Banka
moisture. Bilasi Bilasi Banka
y Ganga Diara and Bagmati plains are the most important.
y Maximum area - Rohtas, Muzaffarpur and East Champaran Transport In Bihar
y Maximum production - Rohtas, Kaimur and West } Roadways
Champaran The longest NH in Bihar is NH 27 of which 487 km is in Bihar.
y Maximum productivity - West Champaran, Khagaria and z East-West Corridor
Begusarai y It passes through 10 districts - Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia,
} Maize Araria, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, East
y Light clay soil is best for maize, example, Bal Sundari soil. Champaran and Gopalganj
y Maximum production - Katihar, Purnia and Khagaria y It crosses the Gandak River in Bihar.
y Maximum productivity - Araria, Purnia and Katihar y It consists of NH-27.
} Jute z Golden Quadrilateral
y Bihar ranks 2nd in jute production after West Bengal y It passes through 4 districts. Kaimur, Rohtas, Aurangabad
y It requires alluvial soil with a large amount of rainfall. and Gaya. It crosses the Sone River in Bihar. It consists of
y Major district for jute production - Kishanganj and Purnea NH-19 which connects Delhi to Kolkata.
z Major NHS: � Patna Cracker, Cotton Textile
y NH-31 - Chhapra to Katihar � Bhagalpur Tussar Silk
y NH-27 - Muzaffarpur to Purnia � Munger Gun, Cigarette
y NH-22 - Sitamarhi to Gaya � Gaya Sugar, Lac, Cotton Textile, Leather
y NH-33 - Arwal to Bhagalpur � Dumraon Cotton Textile, Laltern
y NH-139 - Aurangabad to Patna � Darbhanga Paper
z Major Road Bridges: � Samastipur Paper mill, Sugar
y Mahatma Gandhi Setu on Ganga river in Patna. � Katihar Jute, Matchstick
y Vikramshila Setu on Ganga river in Bhagalpur. � Dalmianagar Cement
z Major Rail-Road Bridges: � Hajipur Plywood
y Rajendra Setu on Ganga river in Mokama. Physiographic division of Bihar
y Nehru Setu on Sone river in Dehri-on-son. Geologically, Bihar consists of both the younger and older
y Abdul Bari Bridge on Sone river connecting Patna and formation of rocks ranging from the Tertiary Period to Pre-
Bhojpur. Cambrian Period.
y Ganga Rail-Road Bridge on Ganga river connecting Patna Bihar is divided into three physiographic units:
and sonepur. 1. The Shivalik Ranges or Shiwalik Ranges.
} Railways 2. The Bihar plains.
y Railways started developing quite early in Bihar by the 3. Southern Plateau regions.
East India Company in 1860-62. Bihar has three railway lines. } The Shiwalik Range in Bihar
y North-Eastern Railway - North Bihar y The Shiwalik range is located in the north-western part of
y East Central Railway - South Bihar West Champaran.
y North-East Frontier Railway - North-East Bihar y It spreads over an area of 32 km in length and 6-8 km
y The headquarters of the East Central Railway is located in in width.
Hajipur in the Vaishali district of Bihar. y Based on the local variations of topography, it can be
} Airways further divided into the following parts.
Ramnagar Dun of Bihar (Harha valley)
y There are two international airports in Bihar.
Extent - 24 km in length.
y Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport, Patna
Location - Between Ramnagar Dun and Someshwar Range
y Gaya International Airport mainly to developed for
of Bihar.
Buddhist tourism in Gaya.
Commonly known as Valley of Harha River.
} Waterways
Someshwar Range
y Waterways are the cheapest means of transport.
y Extent - From the mouth of Triveni canal, up to Bhikhna
y It is environment friendly and fuel-efficient. National Thori pass.
Waterway-1 that connects Prayagraj to Haldia passes through y Border - It forms a boundary between India and Nepal.
Bihar. y Highest Point - Someshwar Fort (874 m).
Industries in Bihar State } Bihar Plains
y Most of the industries are agro-based. y The Ganga river flows from west to east in Bihar, dividing
y The first sugar manufacturing company was set up by the the state into two unequal halves namely North Bihar plains
Dutch in 1840. and South Bihar plains.
y Bihar State Milk Co-operative Federation (COMFED) was y The plains of Bihar are formed by the silt carried by the
established in 1983. Ganga and its tributaries. They are spread over an area of
y SUDHA brand is marketed by COMFED. 45000 km2.
z The North Ganga plains
y The tea industry in Bihar is mostly concentrated in the
Kishanganj district. y The north Bihar consists of the plains of alluvium north
of Ganga, falling between the Ganga and Indo-Nepal border.
y Bhagalpur region has great potential for the Silk Industry. y Generally, the slope of north Bihar is from north-west to
y Jute Park is being set up at Maranga in the Purnia district. south-east. Also, this region has been drained by the rivers
y The leather industry is concentrated in Muzaffarpur and of north Bihar.
Mokama. z The South Ganga Plains
y Due to only a few working industries, most of the raw In terms of the geographical area of Bihar, South Bihar is
materials find a way to Kolkata, Kanpur and Chennai. spread over 40,070 km2. In terms of percentage, it accounts for
y Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA): 42.7% of the total area of Bihar. Demographically, it supports
� It was constituted under the BIAD Act 1974 to promote 36.5% of the state’s population. Also, this area is administered
industrialization in Bihar. under the Magadh, Patna, parts of Munger and Bhagalpur
� It has 4 regional offices in Patna, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur administrative divisions.
and Bhagalpur. The eastern portion of the alluvial plains of South Bihar is
y Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company Limited is a interrupted by the Kharagpur Hills. The south plains of Bihar
PSU located in Mokama which manufactures rail wagons. are wider in the west and narrower in the east. Moreover, the
} Major Industrial locations in Bihar western portion of this alluvial plain slopes from southwest
to northeast. On the other hand, central and eastern parts
y Mokama Leather, Rail Wagon
of the plain slopes from south to north. The hills of Rajgir
y Digha Leather
have an elevation of 445 m. While the Kharagpur range has
y Bihta Sugar an elevation of 300 m above the mean sea level.
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 19
} South Hilly region of Bihar in Bihar are divided into the soils of North Bihar Plains and
y The south Hilly regions of Bihar is marked by hills and ridges. South Bihar Plains.
y Geographically, it extends from Kaimur district in the west z Soils of North Bihar
to Banka district in the east. y Piedmont Swamp Soil.
y Geologically, this region is made up of hard rocks of y Terai Soil.
Genesis, Schist and Granite. y Recent Alluvium Soil- Khadar and Bhangar.
y The important hills of this region are Pretshila, Jethian, z Soils of South Bihar
Ramshila etc. y Old Alluvium Soil.
} Soils of Bihar y Tal Soil.
Being an agriculture dominant state, the people of Bihar y Balthar Soil.
obtain their livelihood from agriculture. Based on the y Red Sandy Soil.
composition, regional distribution and its features, the soils
} Important Soils of Bihar
Types of Soil District Crops Chemical Composition
Balthar Kaimur Jowar, Bajra, Arhar. Sandy, Calcareous sand Yellow.
Bal Sundari Saharsa, East and West Sugarcane, Wheat, Maize Lime and Alkaline.
Champaran. and Tobacco.
Bhangar Patna, Gaya and Rohtas. Jute, Sugarcane and Arhar. Acidic, Rich in Lime.
Khadar Muzaffarpur, Purnia, Saharsa, Wheat, Rice, Gram and Dark brown and fertile.
Darbhanga, Bhagalpur. Maize.
Tal Patna, Munger. Pulses, Oilseeds and Wheat. Heavy soil.
Terai West Champaran Sugarcane, Jute and Rice. Sandy and calcareous, Brown and light yellow.
} Climate in Bihar There are three distinct seasons in Bihar (Summer

The climate of Bihar is characterised by humid and season, Winter Season and Rainy Season). Annual average
subtropical climate. temperature ranges between 8°C in cold winters during
December- February to 38°C in the hot summer month during
April- June.
} Agro-climatic Zones of Bihar
Agro-climatic Zones-I
Agro-climatic Zones-II
Agro-climatic Zones-III(a)
West
Agro-climatic Zones-III(b)
Champaran Sheohar
Nepal
East
Champaran Sitamarhi
Gopalganj
Madhubani
Kishanganj
Siwan Supaul
Muzaffarpur Araria
Darbhanga
Madhepura
Uttar Saran
Samastipur Saharsa Purnia
Pradesh Vaishali
Buxar Begusarai Khagaria Katihar
Bhojpur Patna
Bhagalpur
West
Arwal Nalanda Lakhi- Munger
Kaimur Rohtas sarai Bengal
Aurangabad Gaya Nawada Jamui banka
Sheikpura
Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Agro-climatic Zones of Bihar
Agro-climatic Zones of Bihar
The following are the agro-climatic zones of Bihar. y The Eastern part receives 200 cm of rainfall while the
1. North-West zone, consisting of 13 districts with an annual western part receives 100 cm.
rainfall of 1040 mm-1450 mm. y Nor’wester – tropical cyclonic thunderstorm, extremely
2. North-East zone, covering 8 districts having annual helpful for pre-Kharif crops
rainfall of 1200 mm to 1700 mm and loam or clay loam soil. y The temperature of the eastern part is reduced due to the
3. South Zone covering 17 districts, having soil of sandy impact of the Nor’wester shower.
loam, loamy, clayey or clay-loam and rainfall of 990 mm to Factors influencing the climate of Bihar:
1300 mm. The climate of Bihar is influenced mainly by following five
Out of the three zones, the north-east zone receives high factors:
annual precipitation. Also, the precipitation in this zone is y Proximity to Himalayas.
more than 80% during the Kharif season. y Proximity to Tropic of Cancer.
Geological Structure of Bihar: y Proximity to Bay of Bengal.
With the oldest formation, the Dharwar Rock System, located y Activities of South-West monsoon.
in the southern portion of the state, bordering Jharkhand, and y Nor-westers and Summer Winds.
the youngest formation, the Quaternary Rock System, located } Seasons in Bihar
in the central part of the state, Bihar has an unified framework y Bihar experiences three distinct seasons because it is located
of its geological formations (in between Dharwar System and in a tropical area:
Tertiary rock system of North-Western Terai Region of Bihar). y Summer Season: March to June
A four-part division of Bihar’s geological structure is as y Rainy Season: July to October
follows: y Winter Season: November to February
1. Dharwar Rock System } Summer Season
2. Vindhyan Rock System y It begins in March with the Inter Tropical Convergence
3. Tertiary Rock System zone moving slowly and gradually towards the Tropic of
4. Quaternary Rock System Cancer and extends up to Ganga Plains.
Given below is the detailed information about each of the y It causes the air pressure to drop and the temperature to
rock system of Bihar: rise in the area. Bihar experiences the greatest temperatures,
} Dharwar Rock System which can reach up to 45 °C, particularly in Gaya, the state’s
y The Dharwar Rock Formation is a part of the oldest hottest region.
Archaean Rock System. y In the Bihar plains, a strong summer wind known as “Loo”
y This Dharwar Rock System created the southern regions blows in the months of April, May, and early June. There are
of the Bihar districts of Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, Jamui, many health conditions and even deaths in Bihar as a result
Bhagalpur, Banka and Munger. of the dry, hot air.
y Quartzite, Phyllite, Gneiss, Schist, Shale, and Slate made up } Rainy Season
this rock system. Schist and mica are abundant in the area. y Nearly 91% of Bihar’s yearly rainfall falls during the rainy
} Vindhyan Rock System season, and that too in just three months: June, July, and
y Vindhyan Rocks are found in Rohtas and Kaimur districts August.
y The Vindhya Ranges served as the basis for the naming of y The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which draws
this rock formation. the South-West monsoon from the Arabian Ocean and Bay of
y Sandstone, limestone, dolomite, quartzite, and shale are Bengal, completely shifts over the Ganga Plain in the middle
the main constituents of Vindhyan rocks. of June.
y Large reserves of limestone and pyrite are present in the Bihar receives monsoon from both of the monsoon’s
region. branches:
} Tertiary Rock System y S-W Monsoon branch in the Bay of Bengal.
y The Tertiary Rock System of Bihar are found in the Western y S-W Monsoon’s Arabian Sea Branch.
Champaran districts in the state’s Upper North-Western } Retreating Monsoon:
regions or in the Terai Region of the Shivalik Ranges. y The S-W Monsoon slows down and begins to retreat after
y Sandstone, sandy shale, mudstone, and conglomerate make August.
up this rock system. y It is accompanied by little to no rain.
} Quaternary Rock System } Winter Season:
y It is situated between the northern Chota Nagpur plateau y After the summer and rainy season ends, there is a
region and the southern Himalayan Terai region of Bihar. decreased heating of the land surface. The fall in temperature
y This rock structure was created by the rapid deposition of marks the beginning of the winter season.
alluvium by Himalayan and Peninsular rivers like the Ganga, y The day length significantly shortens, and the nights are
Ghagra, Gandak, Koshi, Bagmati, Koshi, Son, Mahananda, and chilly and long.
Punpun, which slowly deposited and crushed to create the y The temperature often drops the most in December and
Quaternary rocks. January.
y Sandstone, conglomerate, coarse gravels, and other y The Shiwalik Ranges in North-Western Bihar experience
materials are used to make quaternary rocks. frost in January, which significantly damages agriculture in
} Important Facts the area (especially Potato).
y According to standard classification its climatic type is y Light rain (approximately 5% to 10% of the year ’s total
Humid Subtropical (Cwa). rainfall) is brought on by North-Western Disturbances in
y The average daily high temperature in Bihar is only 26°C, the months of January and February, which aids in the
while 26°C is the average temperature throughout the year. growth of Rabi Crops.
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 21
List of Major Rivers in Bihar

1. Ganga y It enters Bihar from Jaynagar town of Madhubani
y It is the main river of Bihar that enters into the state from district. Kamala Barrage has been constructed by the State
Chausa after which it forms the boundary between Bihar & Government near Jayanagar town.
Uttar Pradesh. It also form the boundary between Bhojpur y Dhauri, Soni, Balan and Trisula are the main tributaries.
and Saran district. 7. Mahananda
y Tributaries: Gandak, Bagmati, Kosi, Kali, Sone, Karmanasa y It originates from Sikkim and enters into Bihar from
and Punpun. Kishanganj.
y Mahatma Gandhi Setu was built to connect North Bihar y It forms in its upper course an important eastward linguistic
with South Bihar and was made part of the national highway boundary between the Bengali and Hindi Speaking area.
22 (NH22). y Balason, Ratwa, and Kankai are the main tributaries.
2. Ghagra/Saryu y It joins the Ganga in Nawabganj district of Bangladesh.
y It originates from Nampa of Nepal and enters Bihar from 8. Son
Siwan and joins River Ganga at Chhapra. y It originates from Amarkantak Hills in Madhya Pradesh and
y It is a sacred river for both Hindus and Buddhists. joins the Ganga at Maner.
3. Gandak y Rihand and the North Koel are the main tributaries.
y It originates from the north of Dhaulagiri in Tibet near y Anicut at Dehri and Indrapuri Barrage is built to check the
Nepal and enters into the Indian Territory near Triveni town flood.
in Nepal. 9. Kosi
y It flows in a southern direction and forms a boundary y It is known as ‘sorrow of Bihar’.
between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It drains its water in West y It is also known as ‘Saptakoshi’ for its seven upper
Champaran, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, tributaries.
Saran, and Vaishali district of Bihar. y It enters the Indian Territory near Hanuman Nagar in
y Triveni Canal gets water from Gandak River. Nepal and joins the Ganga River near Kursela in Katihar
4. Burhi Gandak district.
y It originates at Someshwar Hills and flows parallel to the 10. Punpun
Gandak River and enters in Bihar from Chautarwa Chaur y It originates from Hazaribagh Plateau and joins the River
near Bishambhar Pur in the district of West Champaran. Ganga at Fatuha.
y It flows through West Champaran, East Champaran, y Main tributaries: Dordha, Butane, Madar and Morhar.
Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Begusarai. y It originates in Palamu district of Jharkhand and flows
y It joins the River Ganga in Khagaria. through Chatra, Aurangabad, Gaya and Patna districts of the
5. Bagmati Indian states of Jharkhand and Bihar.
y It originates from the Shivpuri range of hills in Nepal and y River is mentioned in the Vayu and the Padma Puranas
enters Bihar at Shorwatia village in Sitamarhi. in connection with Gaya Mahatmya as the punah-punah of
y It flows from Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Sheohar which Pun-Pun is the conversational form.
and Samastipur. 11. Phalgu
y It is a perennial river of Bihar. Lalbakeya and Lakhendei are y Niranjana is another name for the river.
its tributaries. y It is a sacred river for Hindus and Buddhists. As per Hindu
y It meets the Kosi River at Badlaghat. belief, pindadan or religious ceremony is performed at the
6. Kamla bank of river to the salvation for the dead from the cycle of
y It originates from the Mahabharata range in Nepal near rebirth.
Sindhuli Gadhi. y Mohane is the main tributary of the river.
12. Karmanasa y Mainly found in the Sone valley and Vidhyan belt in
y It originates from Rohtas Plateau and joins the river Ganga Rohtas district.
near Chausa forming Uttar Pradesh- Bihar border for a long y Author (Rohtas) has an iron pyrite industry.
distance. 4. Limestone
y Main tributaries: Durgavati, Chandraprabha, Karunuti, Nadi, y It mainly consists of calcium carbonate.
and Khajuri. y Limestone deposits are of sedimentary origin.
Waterfall and Hot Springs of Bihar y Good quality limestone is used in the cement industry
while low quality is used in the iron and building construction
1. Kakolat Waterfall
industry.
y Located about 33 km away from Nawada.
y In Rohtas, Munger and Kaimur, good quality limestones
y The water cascades from a height of 160 feet.
are found.
y According to the Hindu mythology, Treta Yug king was
cursed to take the shape of a python and live at the falls 5. Asbestos
here. When Pandavas visited the place during their time of y It is fibrous in nature.
exile, the python king got rid of the curse and after that the y It can be used in fireproof safes, insulators, insulating mats
King proclaimed that any person who takes the bath in the etc.
waterfall would never be reborn as a snake. y Asbestos cement is used in making sheets, pipes, and tiles
for building purposes.
2. Karkat Waterfall
y It is situated near Kaimur hills in the Kaimur district of
y In Bihar, it is mainly found in Munger.
Bihar.
6. Monazite
y Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary is located near the waterfall. It is found in Gaya and Munger.
7. Quartz
3. Telhar Waterfall
y It is situated in Kaimur District of Bihar.
y It is found in Jmaui and Munger.
y Water showers from great height into a very deep pool.
y It is used in the cement and power industries.
Hence, it is believed that waterfall from great height causes
8. Uranium
the flow of undercurrent in the pool which prohibits the y It is found in Gaya.
bathers & swimmers in the pool. y It is used in nuclear reactors.
9. Beryllium
Waterfalls in Bihar Location y It is used as a moderator in the nuclear reactor.
Kakolat Waterfall Nawada y It is found in the Gaya and Nawada district.
10. Bauxite
Karkat Waterfall Kaimur
y It is an important ore of aluminium.
Telhar Waterfall Kaimur y It is not a specific mineral but a rock consisting mainly of
hydrated aluminium oxides.
Manjhar Kund and Dhua Sasaram (Rohtas)
y It is found in the Munger and Rohtas district.
Kund Waterfall.
11. Gold
Minerals and Energy Resources in Bihar y It is found in the Jamui district.
South Bihar has a greater concentration of minerals than y It is auriferous lode and some of it is found in the sands of
North Bihar. Prior to the bifurcation, Bihar was one of the rivers.
leading producers of minerals. y It is used for making ornaments and is also used as an
1. Manganese international currency.
y India is the 5th largest producer and has the 9th largest 12. Feldspar
reserves in the world. y It is found along with quartz in Pegmatite rocks.
y It is used in the Iron and Steel industry for making alloy. y It has applications in ceramic, glass and refractory
y In Bihar, it is found in Munger and Gaya. industries.
2. Mica y Feldspar is found in Munger, Gaya and Jamui district.
y 3 varieties of mica are found in India - Muscovite,
13. Lead
Phlogopite, and Biotite. y This is obtained from a mineral called Galena.
y Mica that is found in Bihar and Jharkhand is Muscovite. y Lead is used in many forms.
y For its insulating property, it is used abundantly in the y It is found in Banka, Bhagalpur and Rohtas District.
electronics industry.
Minerals Region
y Prior to the bifurcation, Bihar was a leader in mica
production. Limestone Kaimur, Munger and Rohtas.
y It is found in Southeast Bihar in the districts of Nawada,
Jamui, Gaya. Mica Nawada, Jamui and Gaya.
y In Jharkhand, it is found in Hazaribagh, Koderma, and Quartzite Lakhisarai, Munger and Nalanda.
Giridih.
Lead & Zinc Banka and Rohtas.
3. Pyrite
y It is the sulphide of iron, chiefly used for making sulphuric Monazite Gaya and Munger.
acid. Uranium Gaya
y Industries like fertiliser, petroleum, steel etc. use sulphuric
acid. China Clay Bhagalpur and Munger.
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 23
Energy Resources
Availability of adequate, reliable, affordable and quality 3. Polity
power is necessary for economic growth and to sustain that
growth. The three organs or pillars of the state administration in Bihar
is taken care by Bihar Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.
It generates employment thus leading to the elimination of
poverty and human development. A. Bihar Legislature
Bihar State Electricity Board was set up in April 1958 under The State of Bihar follows a bicameral system of
the Electricity Supply Act. government i.e. it has two houses, Bihar Legislative Council
It was mandated for the generation, transmission, and
(Vidhan Parishad) and Bihar Legislative Assembly (Vidhan
distribution in Bihar. Sabha).
Article 168 to 212 of the Constitution of India lays down
Power generation in Bihar is primarily based on fossil
fuels. provisions for legislatures, their formation,members, election,
business, dissolution and powers, etc.
But to promote renewable energy, Bihar Govt. has created
an agency called Bihar Renewable Energy Development } Bihar Legislative Council
Agency (BREDA). The Vidhan Parishad is also known as Legislative Council.
Barauni Thermal Power Plant Article 169 of the Constitution provides for establishment
y The only power plant under the state sector. of Legislative Council. Election of the Legislative Council
y It was established in 1963 with Russian help. is indirect. The members are elected by means of single
Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited
transferable vote through proportional representation.
Out of total members, five-sixth are elected and one-sixth
It is a joint venture of NTPC and Bihar State Power
Generation Company Limited. members are nominated by the Governor.One-third of its
Kosi Hydel Power Station
members retire every second year. Legislative Council is a
permanent house and not subject to dissolution.
y Constructed on the river Kosi in Supaul.
Bihar Legislative Council (Bihar Vidhan Parishad) was
y It was commissioned in 1970.
y It was handed over to the Bihar govt. in 16th November formed in 1911 when a new province of Bihar was created by
2003. separating it from Bengal on 25th August, 1911. The Council
New Projects - Thermal
began its sitting from 20th January, 1913.
The first session began from 20th Jan, 1920 and had 43
Nabinagar Power Plant
members. It was converted into upper house in 1936 when
y The project is located in Aurangabad. Bihar received statehood and separated from Odisha under
y It is a coal-based plant. the Government of India Act 1919. A bicameral legislature was
Pirpainti Power Plant
formed in Bihar from that time. It consisted of 29 members as
y The project will be constructed in Bhagalpur. rest became the members of Legislative Assembly.
y It will be constructed by NHPC. During the first general elections in 1952, its members
Kajara Power Plant
increased to 72 and then to 96 by 1958. After the creation
y The project will be constructed at Lakhisarai. of Jharkhand state in 2000, its members are now 75. Bihar
y It will be constructed by NTPC. council has 27 committees and 3 financial committees.
New Projects - Hydel
z Composition of Bihar Legislative Council
y Chausa Hydel Power Plant in Buxar. Of the total number of members of a legislative council:
y Mathai Hydel Power Project in West Champaran.
1. 1/3rd are elected by the members of local bodies in the
Thermal Power Plants in Bihar Associated District state like municipalities, district boards, etc.,
Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Muzaffarpur 2. 1/12th are elected by graduates of three years standing
Limited and residing within the state,
3. 1/12th are elected by teachers of three years standing in the
NTPC, Nabinagar Aurangabad
state, not lower in standard than secondary school.
NTPC, Barh Patna 4. 1/3rd are elected by the members of the legislative assembly
NTPC, Barauni Begusarai of the state from amongst persons who are not members of
NTPC, Kahalgaon Bhagalpur the assembly.
5. The remainder are nominated by the governor from
Chausa Thermal Power Plant Buxar amongst persons who have a special knowledge or practical
experience of literature, science, art, cooperative movement
Tribes Districts
and social service.
Oraon urnea, Katihar, Supaul, Rohtas, Darbhan-
P 6. Thus, 5/6th of the total number of members of a legislative
ga, Kaimur, West Champaran, Buxar and council are indirectly elected and 1/6th are nominated by the
Bhagalpur. governor.
Kharwar Bhagalpur, Purnea, Rohtas, Kaimur The members are elected in accordance with the system of
Gond iwan, Bhojpur, Kaimur, Saran, West
S proportional representation by means of a single transferable
Champaran and Rohtas. vote.
z Qualification of Members of Bihar Legislative Council
Munda Gaya, Nawada, Jamui etc.
Article 173 mentions the qualifications required to become a
Chero Rohtas, Bhojpur, Gaya. member of Legislative Council. The qualifications are:
Tharu West Champaran Should not less than 30 years of age.
Should be a citizen of India. } Governor
Should not be a member of the legislature of union or of The Governor of Bihar is a nominal head and representative
any other state. of the President of India in the State. Article 153 to 161 of the
Must not hold any other office of profit. Constitution lays down appointment, tenure, election and
Should not be a proclaimed criminal. powers of Governor of a state.
} Legislative Assembly The Governor is appointed by the President for a term of
The Vidhan Sabha is also known as Legislative Assembly. 5 years but remains in office at the pleasure of the President.
The Legislative Assembly is directly elected on the basis of adult He works as a liaison between Centre and the State. There
suffrage elected i.e. general elections. is a provision under Article 158 of the Constitution that if a
member of a Legislature is appointed as Governor, he ceases
The Bihar Legislative Assembly first came into existence in
to be a member immediately upon such appointment.
1937 after Bihar attaining statehood in 1936 and its separation
The first Governor of Bihar after independence of India
from Orissa.
was Jairamdas Daulatram.
The strength of the Assembly at that time was 152. In the first
general elections held in 1952 in Bihar its strength increased to } Qualifications
331 and was reduced to 318 in 1956. In 1977, the members again The Constitution lays down only two qualifications for the
increased to 324. After the formation of Jharkhand, there are appointment of a person as a governor. These are:
total 243 members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. 38 seats are He should be a citizen of India.
reserved for Scheduled Castes and 2 seats for Scheduled Tribes. He should have completed the age of 35 years.
The Chairman is also called the Speaker and Deputy Chairman Additionally, two conventions have also developed in this
is known as Deputy Speaker. regard over the years. First, he should be an outsider, that is,
z Functions and Powers of Bihar Legislative Assembly he should not belong to the state where he is appointed, so
The functions and the powers of Legislative Assembly: that he is free from the local politics.
To make laws related to the working of the executives. Other is while appointing the governor, the president is
To prepare interim budget for the state. required to consult the chief minister of the state concerned.
Money bill can be introduced in Legislative Assembly only. However, both the conventions have been violated in some
Laws related to State List and Concurrent List are framed of the cases.
by Legislative Assembly. The Constitution lays down the following conditions for the gover-
z Qualification of Members of Bihar Legislative nor’s office:
Assembly 1. He should not be a member of either House of Parliament
According to Article 173, qualification for membership of State or a House of the state legislature. If any such person is
Legislative Assembly are: appointed as governor, he is deemed to have vacated his seat
Should be a citizen of India.
in that House on the date on which he enters upon his office
as the governor.
Should not be less than 25 years of age.
2. He should not hold any other office of profit.
Should possess other qualifications prescribed in that
3. He is entitled without payment of rent to the use of his
behalf by or under any law made by Parliament.
official residence (the Raj Bhavan).
z Speaker of Legislative Assembly
4. He is entitled to such emoluments, allowances and
According to Article 178 of the Constitution of India one privileges as may be determined by Parliament.
Speaker and one Deputy Speaker is appointed for each 5. Parliament and cannot be diminished during his term of
Legislative Assembly by the elected members of the Assembly. office.
Ram Dayalu Singh was the first Speaker or Chairman of
The normal term of a Governor’s office is five years, however he may
Bihar Legislative Assembly. His tenure was from 23rd July, be terminated earlier by: dismissed by the President under Article
1937 to 11th November, 1944. 156(1) resignation under Article 156(2).
Protem Speaker: A Protem Speaker is a presiding officer in } Term of Governor’s Office
the State Legislative Assembly who carries out the functions
A governor holds office for a term of five years from the
of the speaker till the time, a Speaker or Deputy Speaker are
date on which he enters upon his office. However, this term
not elected.
of five years is subject to the pleasure of the President.
} Patna Secretariat Further, he can resign at any time by addressing a
The Patna Secretariat was constituted in the year 1912 from resignation letter to the President. The Supreme Court held
where all administrative work of the state was carried. The that the pleasure of the President is not justifiable. The
Patna Secretariat building was designed by Joseph Munnings governor has no security of tenure and no fixed term of office.
and Martin Burn in 1913. It is in Indo-Saracenic style, has Raj
He may be removed by the President at any time. The
Bhawan and Patna High Court in its Western and Eastern
President may transfer a Governor appointed to one state to
sides.
another state for the rest of the term. Further, a Governor whose
The new Secretariat is located at Bihar Vikas Bhavan, Patna. term has expired may be reappointed in the same state or any
B. Bihar Executive other state. A governor can hold office beyond his term five
As per Article 153 to 167 of Indian Constitution, the Governor, years until his successor assumes charge to avoid interregnum.
Chief minister and Council of Ministers together form the } President’s Rule in Bihar
Executive. The President’s rule is imposed during the time of emergency,
when the state Legislature dissolves before time or there is
loss of majority in the State Legislative Assembly and when
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 25
a coalition government breaks down. It is imposed by the is earlier. BPSC initially began its functioning for the state
Governor of the state after consulting it with the President. with its headquarters at Ranchi.
The President’s rule in Bihar was imposed for 8 times. 4. The State Government decided to shift the headquarters of
} Chief Minister BPSC from Ranchi to Patna and it was finally shifted to Patna
Article 164 only says that the Chief Minister shall be appointed on 1st March, 1951. The first Chairman of BPSC was Rajandha
by the governor. In accordance with the convections of the Sinha.
parliamentary system of government, the governor has to 3. Bihar Human Rights Commission
appoint the leader of the majority party in the state legislative 1. The Protection of Human Rights Act 1993, provides for
assembly as the Chief Minister. But, when no party has a clear establishment of State Human Rights Commissions. The Hu-
majority in the assembly, then the governor may exercise his man Rights Commission was established in Bihar on 3rd Jan-
personal discretion in the selection and appointment of the uary, 2000 and was formally constituted on 25th June, 2008.
Chief Minister. A Chairperson and two other members are appointed by the
The Governor appoints the Chief Minister, whose is collectively Governor.
responsible to the assembly. The Chief Minister’s term is for 5
2. The first Chairperson of Bihar Human Rights Commission
years and is subject to no term limits. He is given oath by the
was Justice S. N. Jha.
Governor.
The first Chief Minister of Bihar was Shri Krishna Singh. Bihar Judiciary
} Bihar Cabinet The Supreme Court is the highest judiciary body of India.
First Cabinet of Bihar was formed in 1946 consisting of two The High Court is the highest judiciary body of a State. Bihar
members, Dr. Shri Krishna Singh as first Chief Minister also has a High Court situated in Patna.
of Bihar and Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha as Bihar’s first } High Court
Deputy Chief Minister cum Finance Minister (also incharge Article 214 to 231 of the Indian Constitution provides
of Labour, Health, Agriculture and Irrigation). Other ministers provisions for the establishment of a High Court in each
were inducted later. The Cabinet served as the first Bihar state. High Court stands at the head of the state’s judicial
Government after independence in 1947. administration. Under Article 231, some powers have been
} Council of Ministers given to the Parliament for creation of common High Court
Article 163 provides that there shall be a Council of Ministers for two or more states. High Court is headed by a Chief Justice
with the Chief Minister as the head to aidand advise the and other judges. According to Article 217, Chief Justice of a
Governor in the exercise of his functions. High Court is appointed by the President with the consent of
Article 164 provides that Council of Ministers shall hold the Governor.
office during the pleasure of the Governor. Council of The Judges of High Court is/are appointed by the President
Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative in consultation with Chief Justice of India and the Governor
Assembly of the state. Before a Minister enters upon his office, of the concerned state.
the Governor shall administer to him the oaths of the office The other judges of a state are appointed in consultation
and of secrecy according to the forms set out for the purpose with Chief Judge of High Court. A person to be appointed
in the Third Schedule. as a judge of a high court, should have the following
A Minister who is not a member of the state legislature for qualifications:
a period of six consecutive months shall cease to be a minister 1. He should be a citizen of India.
at the expiration of that period. 2. (a) He should have held a judicial office in the territory of
The salary and allowances of Ministers shall be determined India for ten years; or (b) He should have been an advocate of
by the State Legislature, specified in Second Schedule. a high court (or high courts in succession) for ten years. They
91st Constitutional Amendment 2003 of Article 164 provides hold office till the age of 62 years.
that the total members of the Council of Ministers should not } High Court in Bihar
be more than 15% of the members of State Legislature and
The High Court in the State of Bihar is located in Patna. The
not less than 12.
foundation stone of High Court building at Patna was laid by
C. Important Commissions in Bihar the then Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge, on 1st December,
1. Bihar State Election Commission 1913 and the building was inaugurated on 3rd February, 1916.
1. The Bihar State Election Commission is a constitutional body The Patna High Court started its work in 1916 with the
entrusted with the duty and responsibility of holding elec- Chief Justice and six other Judges. In the year 1947, the
tions in Panchayat elections. sanctioned strength of the Court was nine permanent and
2. The commission is formed as per Article 243 (K). The head three additional Judges.
of this commission is Chief Election Officer who is appointed Though a separate province for Odisha was created in
by Governor of Bihar. the year 1937, this High Court exercised jurisdiction over
2. Bihar Public Service Commission the territories of both Bihar and Orissa till 26th July, 1948. A
1. The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) is a body separate High Court was constituted for Orissa in 1948.
created by the Constitution of India (Article 318). It consists A circuit bench was opened for Patna High Court at Ranchi
of a Chairman and other members who are appointed by the in 1972. This circuit bench became the Jharkhand High Court
state Governor. under the Bihar Reorganisation Act of 2000 on November, 2000
2. BPSC came into existence on 1st April, 1949. Its headquarters when the separate state of Jharkhand was created. At present
was in Ranchi, but now it is shifted to Patna. there are 32 permanent judges including the Chief Justice in
3. The tenure of the Chairman and members of BPSC is six the Patna High Court. This High Court has completed 100
years or until the attainment of the age of 62 years, whichever years of its working on 3rd February, 2016.
} Prominent Judges from Bihar 2016 to provide/address the grievances and complaints of
First Chief Justice of Patna High Court was Sir Justice common public and provide relief/benefit in a time bound
Edward Maynard Des Champs Chamier. manner i.e. within 60 days of lodging the complaint. The state
Lakshami Kant Jha was the first Indian Chief Justice of
provids online portal Lokshikayat.bihar.gov.in to provide
Patna High Court after independence. support and information for lodging complaints.
Justice Rekha Doshit, was the first woman Chief Justice of
} Lokayukta
Patna High Court. Lokayukta is appointed by the governor after consulting the
Justice Gyan Sudha Misra is the first female judge of the
committee consists of the Chief Minister, Speaker, Opposition
Supreme Court of India from Bihar. Leader and Chief Justice of High Court. Once appointed,
Lokayukta cannot be dismissed or transferred. It can be re-
Justice Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha from Bihar served as
moved by passing an impeachment motion.
the 6th Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India.
} Lokayukta in Bihar
Justice Lalit Mohan Sharma from Patna High Court served
as the 24th Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India. Lokayukta in Bihar was constituted under the Bihar
Lokayukta Act of 1973. The State Government brought
} Subordinate Courts
various changes in the Act under Bihar Lokayukta Act of
Subordinate Courts in Bihar included District Courts, Lok 2013. The Lokayukta is extended to the whole of Bihar. It
Adalats and Lokayuktas. is appointed by the Governor of Bihar after consultation
} District Courts with the Chief Justice of Patna High Court and leader of
The Constitution of High Court and District Court is the opposition of the Bihar State Legislative Assembly. It is
formed as per Article 233 to 237 of the Indian Constitution. appointed for a period of 5 years.
The District Court administers justice at district level. } Structure of Bihar Lokayukta
The District Court is presided over by District Judge who Bihar Lokayukta consists of three members out of which two
is appointed by the Governor in consultation with the Chief members should be from Bihar Judiciary serving or served
Justice of the High Court of the concerned state.Other as Judge of Bihar High Court.The three members consist of
appointments to the judicial service is also made by the Chairperson, Judicial member and member. The age of the
Governor in consultation with State Public Service Commission members of Bihar Lokayukta should be less than 70 years.
and the High Court. The first Chairperson of Bihar Lokayukta was Justice Sridhar
} District Courts in Bihar Vasudev Sohoni.
There are total 38 districts in Bihar. All the districts are having } Advocate General
District or Subordinate Courts. The oldest District Court in The post of Advocate General is a constitutional post in nature
Bihar is in Muzaffarpur. The judgeship was formed in the year and created as per the Article 165 of the Indian Constitution.
1875 and was under the Calcutta High Court at that time . The Governor of a State appoints the Advocate General of
} Gram Katchahary or Village Court in Bihar that state. The proposal for appointment is moved at the
The state of Bihar is the only State to set up Gram level of Joint Secretary in the Department of Legal Affairs.
Katchahary or village court under Section 990 of Bihar Advocate General is assisted by Additional Advocate General.
Panchayati Raj Act 2006. The Gram Katchahary consists of } Advocate General in Bihar
five members including all the Panches and Sarpanch. One The Solicitor or Advocate General in Bihar is a law officer of
of them is elected as the judge of the proceedings. the highest order and is appointed by the Governor of Bihar.
It functions under the Panchayati Raj Institutions in rural He gives advices to State Legislature from time to time. The
Bihar. post of Advocate General was restored in Bihar from 1937 in
The Gram Katchahary has the right to hear cases related to the Patna High Court.
the loss of movable property of less than ten thousand as per Local Self Government
section 120 of the Civil Right Act. It is an initiative of the State For understanding of Panchayati Raj in India, two important
Government to settle petty disputes without the loss of time committees deserve special mention. These are Balwant Rai
or money. The police department gives necessary assistance Mehta Committee in 1957 and the Ashok Mehta Committee in
for the proper functioning of the Gram Katchaharis. 1978. Moreover the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment
The Gram Katchahary are formed for a period of five years are the milestone in the process of establishing democratic
from the date appointed. Sarpanch is elected leader of Gram decentralised.
Katchahary, Up-Sarpanch is Vice Chairperson and Panches
are the elected members of it. Panchayati Raj System in Bihar
} Lok Adalats The Bihar Panchayati Raj Act was passed in 1947,
Lok Adalats are formed under the Legal Services Authority Act, immediately after independence and the act started
1987. They are organised at the central, state and district levels. functioning from 1949. This act was further amended in 1959
according to the recommendations made by Balwant Rai
} Lok Adalats in Bihar
Mehta Committee.
The Bihar State Legal Services Authority (BSLSA) is constituted
The Bihar government enacted Bihar Panchayat Samiti and
under the Legal Service Authority Act, 1987 to provide legal
Zila Parishad Act in 1961. It came into force from 2nd October,
services to weaker sections of the society. There are three
1963. According to these two acts, the entire state of Bihar
types of Lok Adalats running in Bihar. They are Continuous
was divided into three tier Panchayati Raj System beginning
Lok Adalat, Mobile Lok Adalat and National Lok Adalat.
from the lowest level i.e. Gram Panchayat.
Bihar Right to Public Grievance Redressal Act The second tier is the Panchayat Samiti that works at
The State of Bihar has implemented this Act from 5th June, block level and it is followed by Zila Parishad at district
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 27
level. State Election Commission undertakes elections of 1. Municipal Corporation
Gram Panchayats. Salient Features of Panchayati Raj in Bihar 2. Municipal Council
In response to the 73rd constitutional amendment, Bihar 3. Nagar Panchayat
Panchayati Raj Act, 2006 was enacted to strengthen the three- z Municipal Corporation
tier panchayat system in the state. As per Census 2011, the state of Bihar is having 12
The salient features of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Bihar: Municipal Corporations.
There is reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (16%) The population of the twelve cities is more than two lakhs.
and Scheduled Tribes (1%) in every Panchayat. The first city of Bihar to get a Municipal Corporation was
The Bihar government has given 50% reservation to Muzaffarpur and Patna in 1864.
women in the local Panchayats. It is the first Indian state The Patna Municipal Corporation was established on 15th
to do so. It is also legalised in other certain states such as August, 1952. The Corporation receives its funds by way of
Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. taxes, rents and government grants.
Around 20% reservation is given to extremely Backward
Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation is reserved for
Classes.
Backward Classes and Gaya Municipal Corporation is
The duration of a Panchayat is for 5 years and there has to be reserved for Scheduled Tribes. The cities with Municipal
four meetings of Gram Sabha within one year. Corporation in Bihar have population ranging from five to
Three Tier Structure of Panchayati Raj System ten lakhs or more.
The Panchayati Raj system has a three tier or levels of z Municipal Council
governance i.e. Zila Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram The Municipal Councils (Nagar Parishad) operating in
Panchayat. The Chairpersons of the Gram Panchayat, Bihar take care of small cities, towns and semi urban areas.
Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad are called Mukhiya, Usually these places have a population ranging from 40000-
Pramukh and Adhyaksha, respectively. 200000.
} BIPARD These towns/small cities are distributed into wards ranging
The Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural from 25 to 45. The Municipal Council is headed by Chairman
Development (BIPARD) is one of the most important and other members.
regulatory departments of the State Government. The z Nagar Panchayats
department has created a group of master resource persons
Nagar Panchayats in Bihar operate in those areas that are
to impart training to IT personnel and implement the
undergoing a transition from rural to urban areas. These
e-Panchayat mission mode project.
areas usually have a population from 12000-40000 people.
} Urban Self Government They are distributed into wards ranging from 10 to 25.
According to the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act of
The Nagar Panchayat is headed by Chairman and ten
1992, all state governments have to make provisions for
other members, all of them are elected by general elections in
local self government in urban areas. The 74th Constitutional
their respective wards.
Amendment Act of 1992 proclaims the formation of urban
local bodies.
} Urban Local Bodies in Bihar
4. Ancient History
The urban local bodies in Bihar are operating in the state Archaeological Evidences
since 1920. The Government of British India passed the } Stone Age
Bihar and Orissa Municipal Act in 1922 according to which The stone age culture has been divided into three stages:
various Municipalities and Notified Area Committees were
1. Palaeolithic
constituted. The rules came into effect from 1st April, 1929.
2. Mesolithic
The Patna Municipal Corporation was formed after the
3. Neolithic Ages
Patna Municipal Act 1951. The Municipalities in Bihar were
notified as Municipal Council/Nagar Parishad and Notified z Palaeolithic sites
Area Committees as Nagar Panchayats and reconstituted It had been discovered in Munger and Nalanda.
after the 1951 Act on the basis of population and level of The Palaeolithic age in India have been divided into three
urbanisation. The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act made phases:
it mandatory for state governments to give clear and well Early or Lower Palaeolithic Age (5,00,000 BC to 50,000 BC):
defined functions, responsibilities to Urban Local Bodies. y Tools of the early Palaeolithic age associated with hominids
The Bihar Legislature enacted the Bihar Municipal Act 2007 are pebbles of quartz known as chopping tools.
replacing all previous acts of the formation and working of y In the Early stone age the people were food gatherers.
the urban local bodies in Bihar. They took to small game hunting and lived also on fish and
The Bihar State Government has given fifty percent res- birds.
ervation to women, twenty percent reservation to backward Middle Palaeolithic Age (50,000 to 40,000 BC):
classes and some percentage of seats to SC and ST in urban y It is also known as Flake Culture because it was based
local bodies. Apart from Municipal Corporations, Municipal upon flakes or small pieces of stones. After a long period of
Councils and Nagar Panchayats, there are township and can- time they learnt to control fire which helped to improve their
tonment boards to look after the urban and semi-urban areas living in many ways.
in Bihar. y Their Tools: Blades, points, borers and scrapers (all made
Three Tier Structure of Urban Local Bodies - The three tier of flakes).
structure of urban local bodies is explained below: y Major Sites: Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh.
Upper Palaeolithic Age (40,000 to 10,000 BC): Rigveda mentions Kikatas, as the earliest inhabitants of
y New flint industries and men of modern type (Homo Magadha.
sapiens sapiens) are the main appearance of this age. The main information about the Aryan expansion in north
y In the upper palaeolithic age caves and rock shelters were Bihar is contained in Satapatha Brahmana.
used by humans. Markandeya Purana presents details about the kings who
y Oldest paintings have also been found here. ruled Videha and Vaishali.
y Their Tools: Blades and burins. The Buddhist canons, the Anguttara Nikaya, mentions the
y Major Sites: Belan valley, Renigunta, Bizapur. republics and monarchies in north-east India.
z Mesolithic sites Digha Nikaya (Book of Dialogues) and Vinaya Pitaka (Book
Have been discovered from Hazaribagh, Ranchi, of Discipline) give an account on the history of the monarchy
Singhbhum and Santhal Pargana (all in Jharkhand). of Magadha and republic of Vaishali.
The transitional phase between the Palaeolithic and the The Jain canon Bhagavati Sutra provides information
Neolithic or New Stone ages is known as the Mesolithic Age. about the Licchavis of Vaishall, the Arthashastra of Kautilya,
In this stone age the Mesolithic people lived on Mudrarakshasa of Vishakhadatta, Mahabhasya of Patanjali and
hunting, fishing and food gathering, at a later stage they Rajatarangini of Kalhana provide valuable inputs of Mauryan
also domesticated animals, so this age is also known as a empire.
transitional phase in the mode of subsistence leading to Mahajanapadas
animal husbandry.
Kuru: Covering the modern Haryana and Delhi area to the
Evidence for the domestication of animals in India has
west of river Yamuna with its capital at Indraprastha (Delhi).
been found from Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Bagor
Avanti: Modern Malwa, with its capital at Ujjaini and
in Rajasthan.
Mahishmati.
From a study of the deposits of Sambhar lake (Rajasthan)
Ashmaka: Between the rivers Narmada and Godavari with
evidence for the cultivation of plants around 7000-6000 BC
its capital at Patna.
has been found.
Kashi: Covering the present area of Banaras with its capital
Tools: Paisara (Munger, Bihar)
at Varanasi.
z Neolithic (6000 – 1500 B.C.)
Kosala: Covering the present districts of Faizabad,Gonda,
It was one of the largest Neolithic settlements between the
Bahraich etc., with its capital at Shravasti.
Indus and the Mediterranean.
Vatsa: Covering the modern districts of Allahabad and
It was the food producing stage. At this stage the humans
Mirzapur etc., with its capital at Kaushambi.
started to cultivate plants and domesticate animals.
Chedi: Modern Bundelkhand with its capital at Shuktima-
This settlement is located in Mehrgarh, on the banks of
ti.
Bolan river in the Kochi plain, which is called the breadbasket
Panchala: Covering the area of Western Uttar Pradesh upto
of Balochistan.
the East of river Yamuna, with its capital at Ahichhatra.
Some cereals like wheat and barley were grown by them.
Surasena: Covering Braj-mandal with its capital at
As a result man started to settle down in certain selected
areas. This led to the growth of villages and farming. Mathura.
Matsya: Covering the area of Alwar, Bharatpur and Jaipur
The Wheel was the most important and useful discovery
by them. in Rajasthan.
Their Tools: Tools made of bones, polished tools like stone In the Later Vedic Age, a number of small kingdoms
axes. emerged.
Major site: Senwar (Bihar), Maski, Brahmagiri, Hallur, 16 monarchies and republics known as Mahajanapadas
Edakkal. stretched across Indo-Gangetic plains.
There is also evidence of the earliest village. They used Three Mahajanapadas were in Bihar namely:
coarse pottery. 1. Magadha,
People used bone tools. 2. Anga and
Chirand (Saran, Bihar)- A big number of bones have been 3. Vajji.
found here that are made of deer horn. } Magadha Kingdom
Literary Sources It is mentioned for the first time in Atharvaveda. It
Accounts of Fa-hien and Hieun Tsang gives an account of extended from the Ganga in the north to Chhotanagpur in
the social and religious history of Bihar in Gupta and post- the south, Champa in the east to river Sone on the west.
Gupta times. Its capital was Girivraja or Rajgir which was surrounded
Dharmasvamin visited Bihar in 1232-34, gives an account on all sides by five hills. Later the capital was shifted to
of Nalanda after the Muslim invasion. Patliputra.
Asokavadana and Divyavadana present an organised life The Magadha Kingdom annexed Koshal, Vatsa, and Avanti.
history of Ashoka. It played an important role in the development of Buddhism
A Buddhist text Aryamanjusrimulakalpa throws light on and Jainism.
the political history of Bihar under the Guptas. Two of India’s greatest empires, Maurya and Gupta,
The earliest references to Bihar in the Vedic are found in emerged in Magadha
the Atharvaveda and Panchavimisha Brahmana, both texts
} Anga Kingdom
speak of people called Vratyas living in the land of Magadha.
It is mentioned for the first time in Atharvaveda.
OSWAAL BPSC
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It comprised present-day Khagaria, Bhagalpur, and Brihadratha was the earliest known king of Magadha. He
Munger. was the eldest son of Vasu, Kuru king of Chedi. His name has
It was situated to the northeast of the Magadha Empire. been mentioned in Rigveda.
Champa (in present-day Bhagalpur) was the capital. The Pradyota dynasty succeeded the Brihadratha dynasty
It was established by king Maha Govind. It was also called in Magadha.
Chenanpo (by Hiuen Tsang) and Malini. } Haryanka Dynasty - 544 B.C. to 412 B.C.
} Vajji Kingdom z Bimbisara
It consisted of eight clans. He was a contemporary of Buddha. He founded the
Most important clans were - Licchavi, Videha and Jnatrika. dynasty and established his capital at Rajgir. He had forces/
It was located in Northern India. The capital of Vajji was army.
located at Vaishali. It was considered the world’s first republic. He also sent royal physician Jivaka to Ujjain for treating
} Mahajanpads and their Capital Chanda Pradyota, King of Avanti, and his longtime rival who
later became a friend.
Name Capitals Locations
z Ajatshatru
Panchala Ahichhatra, Present time part of Central To become the next ruler he killed his father Bimbisara.
Kampilya Doab in UP and Rohilkhand. Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana and Lord Mahavira
Kashi Banaras Present time located in Varanasi also attained Moksha during his reign. The first Buddhist
UP. Council (483 B.C.) was conducted under his patronage at
Magadha Rajagriha or Modern district of Gaya, Patna, Rajgir.
Girivraja Arwal, Aurangabad, Nalanda z Udayin
and Nawada. He also killed his father Ajatshatru to become the next
Kuru Hastinapur Modern Haryana and to the ruler.
or west of river Yamuna Delhi. He founded the city Patliputra at the confluence of rivers
Indraprastha Ganga and Sone and made it his capital.
Kosala Sravasti Present district of } Shishunaga Dynasty - 412 B.C. to 344 B.C.
Gonda,Faizabad etc. z Shishunaga
Anga Champa Modern district of Bhagalpur He was a viceroy of Banaras and was the founder of the
and Munger in Bihar. dynasty.
Vatsa Kaushambi Situated on the banks of river During this time Magadha had two capitals -
Yamuna near modern Allahabad. 1. Rajgir and
Avanti Ujjain It is identified with modern 2. Vaishali
Malwa and some parts of He finally destroyed the resistance Avanti and brought to
Madhya Pradesh. end the 100-year rivalry.
Vajji Vaishali Covering the area to the north of z Kalasoka
the river Ganga in Bihar. The second Buddhist Council (383 B.C.) was conducted
Matsya Virat Nagri Located in the areas of under his patronage at Vaishali.
Bharatpur, Alwar and Jaipur in He also made his capital Patliputra and it continued as the
Rajasthan. capital of the Magadha Empire onwards.
Malla Pawa and Covering the modern district } Nanda Dynasty - 344 B.C. to 322 B.C.
Kusinara of Basti, Deoria, Gorakhpur in z Mahapadma Nanda
Easter UP.
After killing the last Shishunaga ruler Nandivardhana he
Chedi Suktimati Located in the area of modern established the dynasty .
Bundelkhand.
He was also introduced as Mahapadmapati - sovereign of
Surasena Mathura Covering the areas of the Mathura an infinite host of the immense wealth In Maha Bodhi Vamsa,
at the junction of the Uttarapatha called Ugrasen.
and Dakshinapatha.
Dhana Nanda was the last ruler of this dynasty and was
Asmaka Potali or Covering the areas of modern the contemporary of Alexander.
Potana Paithan on the banks of river } Mauryan Dynasty - 322 B.C. to 185 B.C.
Godavari in Maharashtra.
z Chandragupta Maurya:
Gandhar Taxila Covering the areas in the North Founder of the dynasty with the help of his mentor
Western Province between Kabul Chanakya or Kautilya or Vishnugupt.
and Rawalpindi.
Chandragupta was born as Mura to a Shudra woman in
Kamboja Rajpur Located in the Punch area of the court of Nanda.
Kashmir.
As per Buddhist tradition, he belonged to the Moriya
Pre-Mauryan Dynasties Under Magadha Empire Kshatriya clan.
} Brihadratha Dynasty In Mudra Rakshasa, he is also referred to as Vrishala.
Jarasandha, son of Brihadrath was the most famous In 305 B.C he fought Seleucus Nikator, a general of
king. Expanded his empire through matrimonial alliances Alexander. Seleucus later sent Megasthenese to the Mauryan
e.g. Kosala. He was also the first ruler in history to form court. Megasthenesess wrote Indica describing the Mauryan
permanent Girivraja (Rajgir) was the capital under Jarasandh. administration.
The empire was divided into four provinces, each under 1. Kalidas 2. Shanku
one governor. According to him, the Mauryan administration 3. Amarasimha 4. Vetalbhatta
in Patliputra was under a council of 30 members divided into 5. Vararuchi 6. Panaka
6 committees of 5 members each. 7. Varahamihira 8. Dhanwantari
z Bindusara 9. Ghatakarpara
Bindusar was also called by the name Amitrochates by Fa-Hien, a Chinese traveller, visited during his reign.
Greek writers. } 4. Kumaragupta
Deimachus - Syrian ambassador sent by king Antiochus He was also known as Mahendraditya.
Dionysius - sent by Ptolemy II of Egypt. He established Nalanda University which became a centre
He was also known as Mudrasar in Vayu Purana and of learning.
Seemseri in Jaina text Rajvalli Katha. } 5. Skandagupta
z Ashoka He was the last of the great rulers and after him, the empire
According to “Dipavamsa”, Ashoka became a king after killing began to disintegrate.
99 of his brothers, sparing only one. Junagarh Inscription - his governor got restoration of
Kalinga War - 261 B.C. - The Major Edict XII gives Sudarshana Lake. It was originally constructed by the
information about Kalinga war. Ashoka embraced Buddhism Mauryas.
under the influence of monk Upagupta after the Kalinga war. Vishnugupta was the last ruler of the dynasty.
Bhabru inscription - Ashoka as king of Magadha.
Pala Empire
Third Buddhist Council - 250 B.C. - was convened by
They were the followers of Mahayana school of Buddhism.
Ashoka under the presidentship of Mogaliputta Tissa in
Patliputra. Gopala was the first ruler of the dynasty. He was elected
democratically.
} Sunga Dynasty
Odantipur (now in Bihar Sharif), a Buddhist Mahavihara was
z Pushyamitra Sunga established by Gopala.
He was the Commander-in-Chief of Mauryan armed forces. Dharmapala captured Kannauj and took the title of
The last Mauryan rule was overthrown by him. Uttarapatha Swamin (“Lord of the North“).
Two Ashwamedha Yagyas were held under his reign with Vikramshila University (in Bhagalpur) was established by
Patanjali as the main priest - Ayodhya Inscription of Dhandev. Dharmapala.
Agnimitra, son of Pushyamitra was the hero of Kalidasa’s
They also constructed many temples.
drama.
Buddhism and Bihar
Gupta Empire
The divine light of enlightenment was showered on Gautama
Sri Gupta was the founder of the Gupta dynasty.
Buddha so Bihar is the birthplace of Buddhism.
Rule of the Guptas is known as the Indian Golden Age as
It was a place where Buddha attained enlightenment.
rapid strides were made in various fields.
} Gautam Buddha (General Introduction)
Guptas Empire was divided into provinces and each
province was further divided into districts. Villages were the He was born in Lumbini near Kapilavastu Nepal. He
smallest units. belongs to the Sakya clan.
Suddodhana was his father and Mayadevi was his mother.
The most striking difference in the administration of Guptas
from Mauryas was that in Mauryas power was centralised He married Yasodhara at the age of 16.
while in Guptas power was decentralised. Prajapati Gautami was his foster mother who brought him
} Chandragupta I up after his mother’s death.

Rahul was his son.
He was the first king to use the title Maharajadhiraja.
Four incidents compelled him away from worldly life i.e.
He was the son of Ghatotkacha (son of Sri Gupta).
an Old Man; a Diseased Man; a Corpse; and an Ascetic.
His empire included Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
In search of ‘Truth’ at the age of twenty-nine he left home
He married the Licchavi princess, Kumaradevi.
but his seven years of wandering hadn’t given fruitful results.
Gold coins were issued to commemorate this event.
He got enlightenment under a ‘Bodhi Tree’ at the age of 35,
} Samudragupta after intense penance which was called ‘Nirvana’.
Prayag inscription by Harisena was dedicated to him. It was He delivered his first sermon at Sarnath.
discovered by a Tryer. It is written in the Sanskrit language. When he was at the age of eighty he died at Kushinagar.
He was called Napoleon of India for his conquests by
The disciples of Buddhas was:
Vincent Smith.
1. Sariputta,
He gave permission to Sri Lankan ruler Meghavarnan to
construct a monastery at Bodh Gaya. 2. Moggallana,
He was also known as Kaviraj for his patronising
3. Ananda, Kassapa and
of art. 4. Upali
} Chandragupta II - Vikramaditya Prasenjit of Kosala, Bimbisara & Ajatasatru of Magadha
He killed his brother and married his widow. accepted Jainism.
He used friendly relations and matrimonial alliances to } Buddhist Literature
extend his empire. Abhidhamma Pitaka: It contains the meta-physics of
Navaratna present in his court were: Buddhism i.e. Religious Discourse.
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Sutta Pitaka: It was a collection of short sermons of Buddha Jains revere a group of 24 liberated souls called Jinas or
which is further divided into 5 Nikayas. Tirthankaras who act as teachers and role models to the
Vinaya Pitaka: It contains rules and regulations of monks faithful.
and nuns. Jainism does not accept the authority of the Veda.
Jatakas: It was a collection of short stories related to the At the Council of Valabhi Jain Canonical was established,
previous birth of Buddha. presided over by Devardhi around 512 C.E.
Millindapanho: It contains the conversational Buddhist saint Jains consider the primary scripture to be the Tattvartha
Nagasena. Sutra, or Book of Realities, written over eighteen centuries ago
Tripitakas were written in Pali and finally compiled during by the monk-scholar Umasvati (also known as Umasvami).
the third Buddhist Council. } Vardhaman Mahavira (540-468 BC)
} Eight-Fold Paths Son of Kshatriya parents Siddhartha and Trisala.
1. Samma-Ditthi: Complete or Perfect Vision His Birth place was Kundagrama near Vaishali.
2. Samma-Sankappa: Perfected Emotion or Aspiration Yasoda was his wife.
3. Samma-Vaca: Perfected or whole Speech After thirteen years of self basement, he attained the
4. Samma-Kammanta: Integral Action highest spiritual knowledge called Kevala Jnana. Then he
5. Samma-Ajiva: Proper Livelihood was called Mahavir & Jina.
6. Samma-Vayama: Complete or Full Effort, Energy or Vitality Mahavir preached the doctrine of Jainism for thirty years
7. Samma-Sati: Complete or Thorough Awareness and died at Pavapuri near Rajagriha When he was 72 years
8. Samma-Samadhi: Full, Integral or Holistic Samadhi old.
} Four Noble Truths } Spread of Jainism
1. Sarvam Dukkham: Life is full of misery. There are two sects of Jainism:
2. Dukha Samudaya: Desire is the cause of rebirth and 1. Svetambara (White Clad) and
misery. 2. Digambar (Sky Clad or Naked).
3. Dukkha Nirodha: Misery and rebirth can be ended by First Jain Council was convened at Patliputra presided
conquering desire. by Sthuibhadra who was the leader of Digambar during 3rd
4. Gamini pratipad: Nirvana or salvation could be attained century BC.
i.e. man will be free from the circle of birth and death by The Second Jain Council was held at Valabhi in 5th century
following the Eightfold path, ‘Astangika’. AD. In this council the ‘Twelve Angas’ was compiled.
} List of the Buddhist Councils Through Sangha, Mahavira spread his teaching that
z First Buddhist Council consists of women & Men in organised sangha.
1. At saptaparni Rajagriha (483 BC) Under the patronage of Under the patronage of Chandragupta Maurya, Kharavela
King Ajatshatru with the monk Mhakasyapa presiding in the of Kalinga and the royal dynasties of south India such as the
Sattapani Caves. Ganges, the Kadambas, the Chalukyas and the Rashtrakutas.
2. The idea was to preserve Buddha’s teachings (Sutta) and } List of Jain Tirthankara
rules for disciples (Vinaya). Ananda was one of the great
disciples of Buddha recited Suttas and Mahakasyapa recited There are 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism. The first Tirthankara
Vinaya. was Rishabhdev and the last one was Mahavira.
z Second Buddhist Council Some important Tirthankaras names and their symbols
1. At Vaishali (383 BC) Under the patronage of King Kalasoka
and the presidency of Sabakami. Name of Tirthankara Symbol
2. The ruler at the time was Kalasoka (Shishunaga Dynasty). Rishabha Ox
3. The first major split into Theravada and Mahayana
Ajitnath Elephant
happened here.
z Third Buddhist Council Sambhavanatha Horse
1. At Pataliputra (250 BC) Abhinandana Naa tha Monkey
2. Under the patronage of King Ashoka and the presidency
Sumatinatha Goose
of Moggaliputta Tissa.
3. The teachings of Buddha which were under two baskets Munisuvrat Tortoise
were now classified in 3 baskets as Abhidhamma Pitaka was Naminatha Blue-Lotus
established in this council and they were known as ‘Tripitaka’.
It also tried to settle all the disputes of Vinaya Pitaka. Neminatha Conch
Establishment of Sthaviravada School as an orthodox school. Parshwanath Snake
z Fourth Buddhist Council
Mahavira Lion
1. At Kundalvana, Kashmir (72 AD) Under the patronage of
Kushan king Kanishka Vasumitra was the president of this } Sects
council, while Asvaghosa was his deputy. Two main sects of Jainism:
2. This council distinctly divided Buddhism into two sects
1. Digambar (the naked) and
Mahayana and Hinayana.
2. Shwetambar (wearers of white clothes).
Jainism and Bihar
} Origin
One of the Ancient Religions and its name is derived from
Their origin occurred about two hundred years after the
the word Jina, meaning ‘liberator’ or ‘victor’, referring to
nirvana of Mahavira.
spiritual rather than material conquest.
Chief of the Jain monks Bhadrabahu foresaw a period of z Non-Agam Literature
famine and led about 12,000 people to southern India. Non Agam literature mainly consists of commentary and
When they returned after 12 years they found that the explanation of Agam literature and independent works,
Svetambara sect had arisen. compiled by elder monks, nuns, and scholars
The followers of Bhadrabahu came to be known as the These are written in many languages such as Prakrit,
Digambar sect. Sanskrit, Ardhamagadhi, and Gujarati.
There was no clear division until the 5th century, when the z Agam Literature
Valabhi council of 512 C.E. resulted in editing and compilation Agam Literature consists of original scriptures compiled by
of scriptures of the Svetambar tradition. Gandharas and Strut-kevalis.
}Difference between Svetambara and Digambara They are written in the Prakrit language.
z Idols Three jewels of Jainism
Svetambara idols of Tirthankaras are decorated with jewels, 1. Right faith -Samyak Darshan
wearing loincloths with prominent staring eyes. 2. Right knowledge -Samyak jnana
However, Digambara idols are naked, undecorated with 3. Right conduct -Samyak Charitra
downcast eyes. Note: The aim of Jain life is to achieve liberation of the
z Dress Code soul. This is done by following the three jewels of Jain ethics.
Svetambara, on the contrary, believes that practice of Early Medieval Period in Bihar
nudity is not essential to attain liberation. Therefore they Pala dynasty emerged as a strong dynasty from the mid 7th
wore white clothes. century, to the early 11th century. After the Pala dynasty, Sena
Digambara believes that in order to achieve nirvana or and Karnat dynasties also emerged.
liberation, one must renounce everything including clothes. } Pala Dynasty
Therefore Digambara monks are completely naked. After the death of Shashanka the Pala dynasty (750-1162
z Liberation of Woman AD) emerged, when the Bengal and Bihar region was in a
Digambara believes that women cannot achieve nirvana or state of anarchy.
liberation directly. They first have to be reborn as a man for The Palas were followers of the Mahayana and Tantric
this. schools of Buddhism.
Svetambara, on the other hand, has a different opinion. Gopala (AD 750-770) was the founder and the first ruler
According to them, women are equally capable of achieving of Pala dynasty.
liberation as men. Important rulers of Pala dynasty were as follows:
They believe in Sabastra Mukti. They believe that anybody z Gopala
can achieve salvation, be it a householder or a monk. After the fall of powers in Eastern India, to avoid the
z Possessions situation of ‘matsya-nyaya’ Gopal ascended the throne as the
Digambara monks are not allowed to have any kind of first King of the Pala dynasty.
possessions. They believe that it is necessary to renounce In AD 750, the Khalimpur copper plate inscription suggests
everything to lead the life of a true monk. that the people of this region chose him the king. This event
However, they usually carry three things with them: is recognised as one of the first democratic elections in South
1. Picchi: A broom made up of fallen feathers of a peacock. Asia since the time of Mahajanapadas.
They use this broom to remove small insects without harming In Odantapuri, a Buddhist Monastery and a University was
them. established by Gopala.
2. Kamandalu: Oblong water pot used for carrying pure and He consolidated his position by extending his control over
sterilised drinking water. all of Bengal as well as parts of Bihar during his reign.
3. Shastra: Scriptures.
z Dharampala (AD 770-810)
z Scriptures
He was the son of Gopala. After death of his father he
In Jainism, the discourse delivered by Tirthankaras is
succeeded the throne in 770 AD.
known as ŚhrutJnāna. It comprises 11 Angas and 14 Purvas.
Under Dharampala and Devapala reign, the empire
Digambara holds the opinion that original texts of Jainism
reached its peak. Dharmapala extended the empire in the
were lost ago.
Northern parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Svetambara believes that they have the original Jain
He established Vikramshila University at Antichak village
scriptures. However, they also accept that their collection is
of modern Bhagalpur district. He also gave 200 villages for
also incomplete.
the maintenance of Nalanda University.
Tattvartha Sutra is the most authoritative text in Jainism,
This triggered a power struggle for the control of the In-
accepted by both Svetambara and Digambara.
dian sub-continent.After capturing Kannauj, he gained the
The Five Vows are title of Uttarapatha Swami and organised a grand Darbar in
1. Non-violence (ahimsa, or ahimsa) Kannauj. Dharampala was a Buddhist.
2. Truth (satya ) z Devapala (AD 810-850)
3. Non-stealing (asteya)
He was the successor of Dharampala, who extended the
4. Chastity (brahmacharya)
empire to South Asia and beyond. He made Munger as his
5. Non-possession or Non Possessiveness (Aparigraha)
capital.
} Jain Literature
Devapala conquered the Utkalas and the Pragjyotisha it
It can be classified into two major categories: was clarified according to the Pala copper plate inscription.
OSWAAL BPSC
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The Pala kings also patronised Hinduism. They gave Some Important rulers of this dynasty were as follows:
donations for construction of temples and for educational 1. Ganga Singh Deva,
purposes like setting gurukuls. 2. Narsingh Deva and
The Pala kings had close trade relations with South-East 3. Harisimhadeva.
Asia and China. Ganga Singh Deva was an able administrator and the son
The inscriptions of Devapala have been found in of Nanyadeva. Narsingh Deva had the possession of Tirhut
Ghorawan, Hilsa, Nalanda and Munger. and Darbhanga areas.
Balaputradeva, ruler of Suvarnabhumi, founded a Buddhist Harisimhadeva was the last ruler of the Karnata dynasty.
monastery at Nalanda during his time. He was a great patron of art and literature. In his court
z Later Palas Jyotirishwar, the author of ‘Varna Ratnakar’ was the royal
The sons of Devapala were the later rulers of Pala dynasty,
priest.
they were : Vigrahapala Narayanpala, Rajyapala, Gopala II and The period of Karnataka rulers is also known as the Golden
Mahipala I. period of Mithila.
Among these rulers of the Pala dynasty, Mahipala I was the Harisimhadeva was instrumental in initiating and
most prominent ruler. implementing Panji Vyavastha and Panji Prabandha.
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq attacked Mithila due to which
The great rulers of Pala dynasty were Vigrahapala and
Mahipala II. Mahipala II faced the revolt of ‘Kaivarta’ Harisimhadeva fled to Nepal.
Sandhyakar. Nandi was his court poet. After this, the Karnata Dynasty was taken over by the
The last ruler of the Pala empire was Rampala.

Oiniwar dynasty.
z Mahipala I } Oiniwar dynasty
Mahipala succeeded the throne in 988 AD, He was also
The rulers of the Oiniwar dynasty governed North Bihar
known as the second founder of the Pala dynasty. (Mithila) between 1353 to 1526 AD.
Bihar and Bengal were invaded by the South Indian
Medieval Period in Bihar
Emperor Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty in the 11th This period in Bihar was symbolised by the invasion of the
Turks from West Asia.
century during the reign of Mahipala I.
Mahipala fought with Rajendra Chola of Chola Dynasty in
} Turkish Invasion in Bihar
1023 AD. In which he was defeated. Magadh (Bihar) was being attacked by the Islamic invaders
Mahipala-1 died in the same year, after which the Pala
of middle east from the 11th century.
dynasty came to an end. Bakhtiyar Khalji, a slave of Muhammad Ghori, attacked Bihar
} Sena Dynasty and destroyed a lot of Buddhist monasteries including Nalanda

University and killed many innocent people.
A new dynasty emerged in Bihar.
By the Islamic invasion, the rise of Buddhism in Magadha
Sena Dynasty emerged in Bihar after the downfall of Pala was finally swept away. This inversion was tackled under
dynasty. Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji. He was one of the Generals of
This dynasty was founded by Sumantsena in the mid-11th Qutb-al-Din Aibak.
century. He was succeeded by Vijayasena. He destroyed monasteries fortified by the Sena armies,
His son Ballalsena became the king after Vijayasena and during which many of the Viharas and the famous universities
maintained the dominions inherited from his father. of Nalanda and Vikramshila were destroyed.
Ballal Sena was a great scholar who wrote Danasagar and Khilji also destroyed Odantpuri university. He was the first
Advutsagar. muslim conqueror of Bihar.
He started a social movement named ‘Kulinism’ by which In 1198 AD Bakhtiyar Khilji founded the city of
the nobility of birth and purity of blood were carefully Bakhtiyarpur.
protected. Most part of Northern Bihar was under the rule of
Due to internal rebellions and invasion of Bakhtiyar Khalji, Karnataka rulers of Mithila, while Southern Bihar was ruled
the Sena dynasty was weakened. by various small kingdoms.
The last important ruler of this dynasty was Lakshamansena He also invaded Mithila’s Karnata King Narsingh Deva’s
who fled from his capital and took refuge in East Bengal’s territory. Later on, Bengal and Assam region was also invaded
Vikrampur. by him.
Though Lakshamansena was not politically competent, he Bakhtiyar Khilji died there and his mausoleum is in Bihar
was a patron of the great literary minds of the day. Personalities Sharif.
like Jayadev, the author of Gita Govinda, the linguist Halayudha, Sadruddin Hasan Nizami wrote about Khilji’s invasion in
Dhoyi, the author of Pavanadutam adorned his court. 1192-1228 AD in ‘Taj-ul-Maasir’.
Bihar slowly passed onto the hands of Turks and its glory Turkish invasions led to the rule of Delhi sultanate and
also declined, after the Muslim invasion. Bihar was either included under rulers ruling from Delhi or
} Karnata Dynasty (AD 1097-1324) made into a separate province.
This dynasty was founded by Nanyadeva in Mithila. } Bihar and Slave Dynasty
He was a great patron of music. He analysed different At the time of Qutb-ud-din Aibak there is limited evidence
ragas and wrote a treatise on music. about the condition of Bihar; he was the founder of the Slave
The capital of the Karnata dynasty was Simraungadh in Dynasty in Delhi.
Nepal and Darbhanga. Later Kamladityya Sthan (Kamlathan) After Ali Mardan, Hasmuddin Iwaz Khilji established
became their capital which is now known as Andhrathadi in independent rule in Lakhnauti. He was able to get taxes from
Madhubani district. Tirhut rulers.
Iltutmish captured Bihar Sharif in 1225 AD. Majd-ulMulk started an expedition at the time of
Iltutmish was the first sultan to organise military campaigns Muhammad bin Tughlaq against Harisimha Deva due to
and get the possession of Bihar under Delhi Sultanate. which he fled to the hills.
Iltutmish, the slave of Qutb-ud-din-Aibak who invaded Malik Ibrahim served as a General in Sultan Muhammad
Bihar Sharif and Bath and later on moved to Lakhnauti. Bin Tughlaq’s army. He was appointed as the Governor of
The Iwaz army fought near Rajmahal hills but had Bihar by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Malik Ibrahim was honoured
to surrender. Iltutmish made MalikAllauddin Jani as his and called as ‘Malik Baya’.
representative (Subedar) but Iwaz later on forced him to flee. The tomb of Malik Ibrahim Baya (Malik Baya) is located in
Nasiruddin Mahmud the son of Iltutmish who in return Bihar Sharif (on Pir Pahari hill).
attacked Iwaz and killed him. He occupied Bihar, Awadh and The Sufi Literature Malfuzat (compilation of statements) writ-
Lakhnauti in his fold and ruled it till 1229 AD. ten by Sufi Saint Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri at Contemporary
Malik Ikhtiyar ud-din Balka (Balkh Khilji) had revolted to the time of Muhammad bin Tughlaq,and Manaquibul-Asfiya
after Nasiruddin’s death, so Iltutmish after defeating Balkh written by Hazrat Makhdoom. Shah Firdaus gave information
separated Bihar from Bengal. about the rule of Tughlaq dynasty in Bihar.
Iltutmish appointed Saifuddin Aibak as the Governor of } Chero Dynasty
Bihar and later Tughan Khan became the Governor of Bihar. In Medieval Bihar many small tribal states emerged.
The control of Delhi loosened on Bihar when Iltutmish’s Among them, Chero was important.
death in 1236 AD. They established their powerful state in Bhojpur, Sha-
Tughril Khan was defeated and killed by Balban who was habad, Saran, Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Palamu districts.
the instantaneous Lakhnauti ruler and Bulban made Bughra They ruled for 300 years.
Khan as its ruler. Jagdishpur fair started at this time by Fulchand. Between
Maner, Bihar Sharif, Bhojpur, Gaya, Patna, Munger, 1587 to 1607 AD, Kukumchand Jharap was the head of Cheros
Bhagalpur, Santhal Pargana, Nalanda, Lakhisarai and of Bhojpur.
Vikramshila were under slave dynasty. Ujjaini and Chero had fought an important battle in 1611
} Bihar and Khilji Dynasty AD, which was won by Ujjainis.
Medini Rai was the most famous ruler of Chero dynasty.
Jalaluddin Khilji became the Sultan of Delhi in 1290 AD as
a result the reign of Khilji dynasty started. Medini Rai’s territory extended to Gaya, Dawoodnagar and
Arwal. Even Ramgarh became a part of his territory.
Alauddin Khilji ascended the throne in 1296 AD, he
ordered their administrator to collect half of the crops on Medini Rai died at the end of 1634 AD. He was succeeded
land after measurement as revenue. by his son Raja Pratap Rai. During his rule three Mughal
invasions took place.
Raja Sakra Singh defeated Sheikh Mohammad Ismail who
was sent to Darbhanga by Alauddin Khilji. Finally Cheros were assimilated into the Mughal Empire.
Shamsuddin Firozshah declared himself ruler of Bengal } Bhojpur’s Ujjaini Dynasty

in 1301 AD, and declared his son Firozshah as Governor of Bhojpuri Ujjaini is a Rajput clan that inhabits the state of
Bihar between 1309 to 1321. Bihar. After settling in Bihar they were known as Ujjainiya.
Some coins of Khilji dynasty have been found from Several battles were fought between Ujjainiyas and Cheros.
Bhojpur and Lakhisarai. It shows that they had limited Ujjainiyas were powerful in Buxar, Jagdishpur and
control over Bihar. Dumraon and remained till the British came here.
} Bihar and Tughlaq Dynasty They became the rulers of the Bhojpur region in Bihar.
In 1324 AD Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq invaded Bengal and Bihar. Bhojpur was established by Devraj, son of Bhojraj after
Thereafter Lakhnauti king Nasiruddin had surrendered and killing Sahasbal of Chero. Devraj was called Santan Singh in
on the other hand Sonargaon King Ghiyasuddin Bahadur had Bhojpur.
revolted against the Sultan’s army. The Ujjainiya ruler ‘Gajpat’ made an alliance with Sher
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq had defeated him. He also defeated

Shah Suri and defeated the Bengal Sultanate together.
Mithila King Harisimhadeva (Karnata dynasty). } Bihar and Noohani Dynasty
At the time of Muhammad bin Tughlaq (son of Ghiyasuddin In the history of Bihar Noohani Dynasty was a very
Tughlaq) Darbhanga was called Tughlaqpur. important dynasty that emerged as a result of political
A fort and Jama Masjid was also built at that time here. changes at the time of Sikandar Lodhi.
Tughlaq coins have been found from Tirhut. The Governor of Jaunpur fled to Bihar because Sikandar
However, revolt had also started even at the time of Lodhi rose to power. Zamindars of Tirhut and Saran were
Muhammad bin Tughlaq. against central rule. All this led Sikandar Lodhi to invade
From Bihar Sharif Firozshah Tughlaq’s (predecessor of
Bihar.
Muhammad bin Tughlaq) Persian inscription has been found Sikandar Lodhi appointed Dariya Khan Noohani as an
which was the capital of Bihar at that time. administrator of Bihar and defeated Hussain Shah Sharqi.
Some inscriptions and coins have been found from Patna Bahar Khan Noohani became the administrator after his
and Gaya. father’s death. Bahar Khan Noohani succeeded to the throne
The invasion by Taimur marked the end of Tughlaq dynasty
in 1523 AD. He declared himself independent and took the
in Bihar in 1398-99 and it became the part of Sharqi rule of title of Sultan Mohammad.
Jaunpur. The rule of Sharqis in Bihar extended to Buxar and After some time Ibrahim Lodhi invaded him. Initially, the
Darbhanga areas. Sultan Ibrahim Shah Sharqi founded a Delhi army won but later on it got defeated. This defeat led
Mosque in Darbhanga. to the extension of the Mohammadm empire from Bihar to
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 35
Kannauj. Sultan Mohammad, after being defeated by Babur Raja Man Singh was appointed Subedar of Bihar on 17th
in the Battle of Ghaghra held in 1529, had accepted Babur’s March, 1587. He defeated Bhojpur, Giddhaur and Kharagpur
authority. and made Rohtas as his capital. He renovated the fortification
His son Jalal Khan succeeded to the throne after the death in Rohtasgarh Fort in Sasaram.
of Sultan Mohammad. In 1576 AD Akbar realised the importance of Bihar, thus
Sher Shah Suri appointed as his advisor and protector.Sher made it a separate subah of his empire, Munim Khan was
Shah emerged as the powerful Afghan ruler after the fall of made Governor of Bihar.
Noohani rulers. According to Abul Fazl, Man Singh administered excellently
} Bihar and Sur Dynasty and crushed all the rebellions.
Bihar saw a period of glory for about 6 years during the Akbar made Mahesh Thakur as the administrator of Mithila
Medieval period as well as the rule of Sher Shah Suri. He in 1577 AD. Mahesh Thakur made Rajnagar of Madhubani as
became protector of minor Jalal Khan and won many battles. his capital.
His real name was Farid Khan and he was an Afghan.
During the reign of Akbar Asif Khan was the last Governor
He was bestowed by the title Sher Khan by a Afghan ruler
of Bihar.
Sultan Muhammad. He established the Suri Empire with its
capital in Sasaram, Bihar. z Jahangir and Bihar
Sher Shah and Mahmud Shah fought in the Battle of Akbar was succeeded by his son Jahangir on 3rd November,
Surajgarh in 1534 in which was won by Sher Shah. 1605.
Humayun and Sher Shah fought in the Battle of Chausa Soon after his accession to the throne, Jahangir replaced
in 1539 AD. Asif Khan with Lala Beg, known as Beg Bahadur as the
In 1540 again he defeated Humayun at Kannauj and Governor of Bihar.
forced him to move out of India. He took the title of Sher During this time some governors of Bihar were:
Shah Sultan-e-Adil after this victory. 1. Salman Khan, 2. Afzal Khan (Son of Abul Fazl)
In 1541 AD Sher Shah made Patna as the capital of Bihar 3. Zafar Khan, 4. Ibrahim Khan,
province. Sher Shah introduced many land, revenue reforms,
5. Jahangir Quli, 6. Muqarrab Khan.
silver coins and extended Grand Trunk Road from Chittagong
Jahangir declared his son Parvez as the Governor of Bihar
to Kabul.
in 1621. He was the first Mughal Prince to become Governor
Sher Shah was on the throne for only five years (1540-1545).
He expanded his empire which included Punjab, Malwa, of Bihar.
Sind, Multan and Bundelkhand. His empire expanded Shahzada Khurram revolted against Jahangir and captured
throughout the whole of North India except Assam, Nepal, Patna, Rohtas, etc. from Parvez. Later on Khurram was
Kashmir and Gujarat. defeated and driven out of Bihar.
Sher Shah was killed during the siege of Kalinjar fort on In Jahangir’s reign, Baz Bahadur (Jahangir Quli Khan) was
13th May, 1545 AD. The tomb of Sher Shah is situated in made the Subedar of Bihar. He took immediate action and
Sasaram. the rebels were completely defeated. Raja Sangram Singh of
} Bihar and Karrani Dynasty Kharagpur was killed in the battle of Kharagpur. Khokhra
The region of Bihar was ruled by Taj Khan Karrani after region was controlled which was highly beneficial.
the downfall of the Sur dynasty. Mirza Rustam Safri was the last Governor of Bihar during
He made Bihar Sharif as his capital. Sulaiman Karrani

Jahangir’s reign.
(1565-1572) and Dawood Khan Karrani were important rulers z Shah Jahan and Bihar
of this dynasty. During his reign, Bihar was highly peaceful.
Sulaiman Karrani accepted the suzerainty of the Mughal During this time, Khan-i-Alam was appointed as the
emperor Akbar but his son Daud revolted against Akbar. Governor of Bihar but he failed to discharge his duties
In 1576 AD Akbar came to Hajipur and captured the fort efficiently and was recalled within a year. He was replaced
of Hajipur, he defeated Daud in the battle of Rajmahal after by Mirza Safi also known as Saif Khan.
which Mughal rule was firmly established in Bihar. Saif Khan built Shahi Idgah in Patna. He was succeeded
} Bihar and Mughal Dynasty by Abdullah Khan in 1632 AD who suppressed a revolt of the
The Mughals annexed Bihar and turned it into one of their Ujjainia chief Raja Pratap.
Subas with its seat at Patna. British travellers John Marshall Shaista khan was the next Governor of Bihar (1639 AD-
and Bernier visited Patna, Bhagalpur, Munger, Hazipur and 1643 AD). The other governors are Itiqad Khan, Azam Khan
mentioned their prosperity. and Sayeed Khan.
The struggle to annex Bihar by the Mughals starts with Jafar Khan was appointed as Governor in 1651 AD. He
battle of Ghaghar in 1529 AD between Babur and Sultan built Bagh-i-Jafar Khan at Patna and Dundi Bazar Mosque.
Mohammad. Jafar Khan was succeeded by Zulfiqar Khan and then
The Noohani Dynasty came to an end in 1532 AD when Alivardi Khan.
Mughal emperor Humayun defeated Afghans in Doha Sarai.
z Aurangzeb and Bihar
He attacked the Chunar Fort in 1531 AD.
During the reign of Aurangzeb the first Governor was Daud
z Akbar and Bihar
Khan Quraishi. Daud Khan founded the city of Daudnagar in
The Mughals seized Patna from Daud Khan in 1574 AD, who
the Gaya district.
was the son of Sulaiman Khan, an Afghan chief.
Daud Khan was captured and executed, after the Battle of He extended the empire to Chota Nagpur by defeating the
Tukaroi in 1575. Cheros of Palamu.
Daud Khan was succeeded by Jan Nisar Khan. During 1580 AD Bihar declared as Mughal Subah (province)
his tenure, European travellers Tavernier and Bernier visited
Patna. 1666 AD Birth of Tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh at Patna
Jan Nisar Khan was also known as Lashkar Khan and was 1704 AD Name of Patliputra changed to Azimabad
succeeded by Ibrahim Khan. His reign witnessed a severe 1743 AD Maratha invasion in Bihar by Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao
famine in Patna. He was succeeded by Amir Khan and later
by Tarbiat Khan. } Bihar and Nawabs of Bengal
In 1702 AD Aurangzeb had made his grandson Prince Azim By 1733, the Nawabs of Bengal had established their
as Subedar of Bihar who was also known as Azimushan. He control in Bihar. Alivardi Khan was a Naib Nazim or Deputy
rebuilt Patna and called it Azimabad in 1704 AD. Nawab appointed between 1734-1740. He continued till the
Bahadur Shah I (Shah Alam I) became the ruler of year 1756. This period saw many invasions of the Afghans
India after Aurangzeb. He made Prince Azimushan as the as the Mughal rule weakened. Alivardi Khan suppressed the
administrator of Bihar and Farrukhsiyar as the Nawab of revolts and invasions in the battle of Patna and Ranisarai.
Bengal. After Azimushan, Mughal control weakened in Bihar. After the death of Alivardi Khan, Sirajuddaulah became
In 1713 Farrukhsiyar was the first Mughal who was the Nawab of Bihar and Bengal. The Nawabs of Bengal also
crowned in Patna. He became the first Mughal ruler to be allowed trade to flourish in this region. Some of the greatest
sworn in Patna. melas of the Indian sub-continent, viz. Sonepur Mela, which
There were four subedars appointed in Bihar during the
is the biggest cattle fair in India, was allowed to continue and
rule of Farrukhsiyar i.e. even flourish, inviting traders from far and near.
The mid seventeenth century saw the arrival of the
1. Kairat Khan, 2. Mir Jumla,
Marathas with Peshwa Balaji Bajirao’s invasion in 1743 AD in
3. Buland Khan and 4. Khan Jaman.
Munger and Bhagalpur.
Fakr-ud-daula was appointed Governor of Bihar. He was
The important centres of Persian education in Bihar were
the last Mughal Governor of Bihar at the time of Mughal king
Muhammad Shah (1719-1748 and dismissed in 1733 by the Patna, Bihar Sharif and Bhagalpur.
Nawab of Bengal. } Sufism in Bihar
During the period of the Subedar of Bihar, Fakra-uddaula The Wajudia School in Bihar belonged to Sufism in Bihar.
‘Court of Justice’ was built at Patna. Sufism had reached Bihar and its neighbouring regions even
before the Turkish conquest. Earlier, Sufism belonged to the
} Economic, Religious and Social Condition of Bihar
Chisti and Suhrawardi order of Sufism.
during Medieval Period
The notable centres of activity of Chisti Sufism were Bihar
During the Medieval period the economic, social and religious
Sharif and Saran. One of the greatest Sufis of the Shuttasia
aspects of people in Bihar underwent many changes. These
order was Abul Faiz Qazin Ola of Bania Basarh near Vaishali.
are as follows:
Sufism became very popular in Bihar.
1. Religious Condition: Hinduism was the main religion.
Different sects of Sufism are popular in Bihar. They are:
Vishnupad temple in Gaya was an important religious place.
It was built in 1783 AD by Ahilya Bai Holkar. 1. Imam Taj Fakeeh 2. Chisti, Kadri
3. Suharwardi 4. Firdausi
2. Economic Condition: Cultivation of rice, cotton, wheat,
The most prominent Sufi Saint was Naqshbandi Makhdoom
pulses, tobacco and opium was major sources of livelihood.
This period saw the rise of silk, sugar, leather and cloth Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri.
industry in small scales. Who was born at Maner village in Patna in July, 1264 AD.
At the age of 12, he left Maner to gain knowledge in Arabic,
3. Social Condition: The condition of common people,
Persian logic, philosophy and religion.
compared to the nobility and the middle class was miserable.
He was given the title of Firdausi by Sheikh Najeebuddin
One of the demoralising institutions of the society was
slavery and it was in existence those times. Firdausi. He wrote Maktubat-i-Sadi, Maktubati-Bist -O- Hasht
and Fawaed-i-Rukni. His tomb lies at Badi Dargah in Bihar
4. Shaivites, a sect of Hindu religion, gained greater
Sharif, Nalanda.
popularity. Mithilas were worshippers of Shakti (power).
} Sikhism in Bihar
} Important Timeline In the later of the Medieval period, Sikhism also spread to
Year Events Bihar.
1197 AD Nalanda and Vikramshila Universities destroyed In 1509 Guru Nanak Dev also visited Patna and stayed at
by Bakhtiyar Khilji Bhagat Jaitmal’s house near Gaighat, Patna and later Guru
Tegh Bahadur along with his family came in 1666 AD.
1296 AD Bihar became part of Khilji dynasty
In 1666 AD the 10th and the last Guru of Sikhism, Guru
1324 AD Invasion of Bihar by Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq Gobind Singh was born at Patna Sahib, Patna.
1526 AD Bihar became part of Delhi Sultanate When his father Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded for not
accepting to convert to Islam, he was made as Sikh Guru at
1527 AD Battle of Ghaghra between Babur and Sultan
the age of 9.
Mohammad of Noohani dynasty
He was a spiritual leader, a poet and a warrior. He prepared
1534 AD Battle of Surajgarh between Sher Shah Suri and the Sikh warrior called Khalsa to fight against the Mughal army.
Mahmud Shah
He is also credited for finalising the Kartarpur Pothi into
1539 AD Battle of Chausa between Sher Shah Suri and the Guru Granth Sahib.
Humayun Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as Patna Saheb is
1556 AD Mughal Dynasty restored in Bihar one of the Five Takhts of Sikhism.
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 37
Other famous places are Gurdwara Ghai Ghat, Gurdwara } Battle of Buxar (1764)
Gobind Ghat, Gurdwara Guru Ka Bagh, Gurdwara Bal Leela, Battle of Buxar (22nd October 1764) was the divisive victory
Gurdwara Handi Sahib, etc. of British East India Company that defines British as a ruler.
Many Sikhs have come to Patna and most of them are It was fought between British Forces under Hector Munro,
Nanak Panthi, after the Partition. and a combined army of Mughals under Shah Alam II, Mir
} Monuments Qasim (Nawab of Awadh), and Shuja-ud-doula (Nawab of
It gives us deep information about the social, religious, Bengal).
economic conditions of the state under the particular ruler. After the Battle, the British signed Two separate Treaties
Buchanan prepared a report on the historical monuments were signed at Allahabad
and inscriptions of Bihar in the early 19th century. First with the Mughals on 12th August 1765 and the Second
In the 1950s, Dr. R. Patil of ASI (Archaeological Survey of with the Nawab of Awadh on 16th August 1765.
India) made a list of important monuments and places of For the exercise of Diwani functions, the company
Bihar and in 1960 Z. A. Desai made the list. appointed two deputy diwans.
All this information is used by archaeologists to properly
Mohammad Reza Khan for Bengal and Raja Sitab Roy
understand the Medieval history of Bihar. for Bihar.
70 monuments of national importance have been
The British East India Company created the office of
recognised by ASI in Bihar. Deputy-Governor.
z Some Famous Monuments Sites in Bihar The ‘Revenue Council of Patna’ was constituted in 1770
Monuments Place District which was replaced by a position named ‘Revenue Chief of
Bihar’ in 1781.
Queen’s Palace, Tomb of Ibrahim Bihar Sharif Nalanda
} Bihar and Bengal Famine 1770 and 1783
Bayu
In 1783 when a devastating famine stuck again, the then
Rohtasgarh Fort Rohtasgarh Rohtas Governor-General Warren Hastings ordered for the massive
Tomb of Sher Shah Suri Sasaram Rohtas dome-shaped granary of Golghar. It was built by Captain
Three Rock Inscription Sasaram Rohtas John Garstin in 1786.
Tomb of Bakhtiyar Khan Malik Sarai Kaimur } Permanent Settlement or Zamindari System
Tomb of Hasan Shah Suri Sasaram Rohtas It was introduced in Bengal, Orissa, and districts of
Benaras and northern districts of Madras by Lord Cornwallis.
Tomb of Shah Makhadum, Daulat Maner Patna
Its architect was John Shore.
Maneri and Ibrahim Khan
It declared Zamindars as owners of the land.
Zamindars could keep 1/11th of the revenue collected and
5. Modern History of Bihar give 10/11th to the British.
} Revolt of 1857 in Bihar
1. The arrival of Europeans
Governor General - Lord Canning
} Portuguese
Revolt was started in Deoghar district (now in Jharkhand)
Portuguese were the first European to enter Bihar. at the headquarters of the 32nd Infantry Regiment on 12th June
They mainly traded in spices for textile, especially cotton 1857. Two British officers Lt. Norman Leslie and Sergeant Dr.
producing region. Grant were killed in this revolt. But the revolt was crushed
Hooghly was the first place in the region where the by McDonald.
Portuguese established their factory in 1579-80. The first incident of the revolt in Bihar can be traced to
When Emperor Akbar gave permission to a Portuguese “Rohini village” in Deoghar where on June 12, 1857 at the
captain Pedro Tavares. headquarters of 32nd Infantry Regiment.
In 1599, the Portuguese traders built a convent and a It was crushed by Macdonald. On 3rd July 1857, the revolt
church in Bandel which was the first Christian church in started in Patna under bookseller Pir Ali.
Bengal known as ‘Bandel Church’ today. The revolt at Danapur Cantt. marked the widespread
} English (British) beginning of the revolt in Bihar on 25th July 1857 but the
English (British) was the second European who built their Maharajas of Darbhanga, Dumrao, and Hatwa and their
factory in Patna at Alamganj in 1620 for saltpetre but it fellow landlords helped the British with man-power and
was got closed in 1621. Again in 1651, the British East India money in crushing the revolt.
Company revived the factory which is now turned into Babu Kunwar Singh was the leader of revolutionaries in
government printing press at Gulzar Bagh. Bihar during the revolt of 1857. Kunwar Singh was born
} Dutch in November, 1782 to Raja Shahabzada Singh and Rani
Pancharatan Devi in Jagdishpur of the Shahbad district
Interested in cotton textiles, saltpetre and food grains.
[Presently Bhojpur district of Bihar]. He belonged to the
Dutch East India Company also established their factory Ujjainiya Rajput clan.
at Patna in 1632 which is now the place is known for Patna
At the age of 80, he actively led the “First War of
Collectorate.
Independence” in 1857 in Bihar.
} Danes He actively led a band of armed forces of 4000 soldiers and
Established the factory at Nepali Kothi in Patna. recorded victories in many battles. He successfully occupied
In 1774, Danes East India Company established their Arrah in July 1857 and later with the help of Nana Saheb
factory at Nepali Kothi in Patna. defeated British forces at Azamgarh (UP).
Soon the revolt spread to Muzaffarpur, Danapur marking } Champaran Satyagraha
spread of revolt in Bihar. The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was Mahatma Gandhi’s
Areas like Munger remain unaffected by the revolt. first Satyagraha (first Civil Disobedience Movement).
} British Raj in Bihar Rajkumar Shukla and Raam Lal Shah invited M. K.
Bihar under the British especially Patna retain its lost glory Gandhi to look after the system of Tinkathiya which forced
and emerged as an important strategic center for learning the peasants to grow indigo on 3/20th of the total land.
and trade during British rule. Several other leaders like - Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Brajkishore
After 1905, there were several changes in the British Prasad, Acharya J. B. Kriplani, Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha,
administrative setup: Mahadeo Desai, Narhari Parikh, C. F. Andrews, H. S. Pollock,
○ Bihar remained a part of the Bengal Presidency of British Raj Kishore Prasad, Ram Navami Prasad, Shambhu Sharan
India until 1912 when Delhi became the capital in 1911, and Dharnidhar Prasad also participated.
(resulted due to Delhi Darbar of 1911 which was attained by Movement forced the British Government to form a
King George V). Province of Bihar and Orissa was carved committee i.e. Champaran Committee to make inquiry
out from Bengal making Patna its capital. On 22nd March against the atrocities. M. K. Gandhi was the member of the
1912 Bihar was constituted. committee and he convinced the authority pay the peasants
○ There was a number of educational institutions built by the 25% compensation.
British in Patna such as Patna College, Patna Science College, } Non-Cooperation Movement
Bihar College of Engineering, Prince of Wales Medical College, It was started by M. K. Gandhi in the backdrop of the
and the Patna Veterinary College. Jalliawalan Bag Massacre, Khilafat Movement, and the
○ GOI of India Act 1935 divided Bihar into two separate Rowlatt Act. J. P. Narayan left Patna College before his
provinces of Bihar and Orissa in 1936. examination to participate in the movement.
} Wahabi Movement In August 1920, the Bihar Congress meets under the
Bihar was one of the active participants in the revolts and presidentship of Dr. Rajendra Prasad and passed the non-
movement of freedom struggle against British atrocities. cooperation resolution which was introduced by Dharnidhar
The movement was inspired by the Abdul Wahab of Saudi Prasad and Shah Mohammad Zubair. And Mazhar-ul-Haq.
Arabia and Shah Waliullah of Delhi. M. K. Gandhi inaugurated ‘Bihar Vidhyapeeth’ in February
Haji Shariyatlluah was its main leader and Patna was the 1922.
center from 1828 to 1868. Mazhar-ul-Haqstarted the newspaper i.e. Motherland in
} Revolutionary Movement September 1921 to disseminate the Hindu-Muslim Unity and
A branch of Anushilan Samiti was established in Patna Gandhian Ideology.
by Sachindranath Sanyal in 1913 and Bankimchandra Prince of Wales (British) visited Bihar which was opposed
Mitra of BN College was given responsibilities to lead by the Congress.
the organization.And formed Hindu Boys Association for } Swarajist Movement
teaching Vivekananda’s ideas. The Swaraj Party was established by C. R. Das and Motilal
Benaras Conspiracy Case 1915 - Sachindranath Sanyal and Nehru in 1923.
Bankimchandra Mitra. One who supports the entry of the legislative council
Patna Yuvak Sangh formed in 1927. called Pro-changers - C. R. Das, Motilal Nehru, Vitthalbhai
Bihar Yuvak Sangh 1928 in Motihari - Gyan Shah Patel, and Ajmal Khan.
Patliputta Yuvak Sangh 1929 - formed in Patna by Others who opposed this and supported the Gandhian path
Rambriksha Benipuri and Ambika Kant Singh. called No-changers - Vallabhbhai Patel, C Rajagopalachari
Monthly Magazine YUVAK was started in Patna. and M. A. Ansari.
Female revolutionaries - Kusum Kumari Devi and Gauri Shri Krishna Singh established a branch of “Swaraj Dal” in
Das. Bihar in February, 1923.
Limitations - Religious overemphasis kept Muslims Shri Narayan Prasad was its first president and Abdul Bari
aloof, limited upper-caste involvement and lack of mass was its secretary.
involvement made it a subject of govt. suppression. The party participated in the assembly elections held in
} Home Rule League in Bihar November, 1923 and won 8 seats in the assembly and 10
Established in Bankipore (Patna) on 16th December 1916. seats in the council.
President - Mazhar-ul-Haque } Simon Commission
Vice-Presidents - Sarfaraz Hussain Khan and Purnendu For boycotting Simon Commission, the All Party Meeting
Narain Sinha. was organized in the leadership of Anurah Narayan Sinha.
Secretaries - Chandravanshi Sahay and Baijnath Narain Singh. Commission reached Patna on 12th December 1928.
Some Important Leaders of Home Rule Movement in Bihar: } Boycott Movement
○ Muzhar-ul-Haque It was a movement of boycotting of foreign goods and the
○ Hasan Imam adoption of Indian-goods.
○ Purnendu Narayan Sinha In Bihar Congress committee started a campaign of
○ Sarfraz Hussain Khan popularising Khadi through Magic lantern to reach villages
○ Sachchidanand Sinha and carried signature campaign.
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 39
} Purn Swaraj (Complete Independence Resolution) In 1936, when All India Kisan Sabha was formed at
On 20th January 1930, Bihar Congress Working Committee Lucknow, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was it’s President
endorsed the plan of complete Independence of Congress and N. G. Ranga was made secretary.
through the unfurling of Flag. Pandit YamunaKarjee and Rahul Sankrityayan who was
} Civil Disobedience Movement followers of Swami Shahjanand Saraswati started the Hindi
z Salt Satyagraha in Bihar weekly “HUNKAR” in 1940 which became the mouthpiece of
the agrarian and peasant movement in Bihar.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad drafted the Salt Satyagraha and
chosen 6th April 1930 as the date of the movement. z Peasant Movement
Pt. Jawaharlal visited Bihar for the success of the Organisation Places Founder/People
Satyagaraha. He travelled Bihar from 31st March to 3rd April, Associated
1930. Kisan Sabha Madhubani (Spread Swami Vidyanand
In Patna, the salt satyagraha was inaugurated on 16th April, to Shahbad, Patna,
1930, when the volunteers proceeded to Nakhas Pind, near Saran, Muzzafarpur)
Mangal Talab in Patna city, which had been selected as the
Kisan Sabha Hilsa Jagnath Pathak
spot for the violation of salt laws by manufacturing salt.
(27th October, 1920 (President-Shah
In 1930, as a response to the national call for civil
Gafoor)
disobedience, the people of Bihpur [Bhagalpur] began a
Satyagraha which included the manufacture of salt and Kisan Sabha Munger (1922-23) Md. Zubair and Shri
picketing of liquor and drug shops. (Formal) Krishna Singh
In the Munger district, Shri Krishna Singh the then Bihar 1929 Swami Sahjanan
secretary of the Provincial Congress committee and Nand Provincial Saraswati
Kumar Sinha led the congress activities. Kisan Sabha
The inmates of the Chapra jail refused to use foreign All India 1936 President Shajanand
clothes and went for naked hartal till swadeshi clothes were Kisan Sabha Saraswati. Secretary-
provided. N. G. Ranga
The Congress was declared an illegal organization on June
} Bihar Socialist Party
30, 1930.
Bihar Socialist Party formed by Ganga Sharan Sinha,
Swadeshi League was set up at Patna. Movement got
Rambriksha Benipuri and Ramanand Mishra in 1931
great participation of women from every section of society.
Bihar Congress Socialist Party was formed in 1934 when
Sachidanad Sinha, Hasan Imam, and Sir Ali Imam were
Jaiprakash Narayan convened meeting at Anjuman Islamia
prominent leaders.
Hall in Patna. Archarya Narendra Dev was the first president
Bihpur Satyagrah was started at the same time.
and Jai Prakash Narayan was made General-Secretary.
Chandarvati Devi and Ramsunder Singh was another
leader of the movement who took active participation. Party/Organisation Founder/Menber Year
Champaran, Bhojpur, Purnia, Saran, and Muzaffarpur was Bihar Socialist Party Ganga Sharan Sinha, 1931
an important district where the movement got flourished. Ramprasad Benipuri,
Gorkha Police were employed for the brutal suppression of and Ramanand Mishra
the movement.
Bihar Congress J. P. Narayan 1934
z Salt Movement in Bihar Socialist Party (at
Location Leader Anjuman Islamic
Hall, Patna)
Champaran Bipin Bihari Verma
Congress Socialist President - Acharya 1934
Bareja Girish Tiwari
Party Narendra Dev General
Goria Kothi Chandrika Singh Secretary - J. P. Narayan
Hajipur Bharat Mishra } First Congress Government in Bihar
Patna Ambika Kant Singh The Government of India Act, 1935 came with constitutional
Munger Shri Krishna Singh remedies and provincial autonomy in the state as well as
dual administration in centre that resulted many constructive
Lakhisarai Nand Kumar Singh work.
Darbhanga Satyanarayan Singh Congress fights election with 107 members from which 98
were winners. Congress got the majority in both Legislative
} Kisan Sabha and Bihar Assembly and Legislative Council but refused to form the
Kisan Sabha was organised in 1922 by Mohammad Zubair government. Hence, Mohammad Yunus who was the leader
and Sri Krishna Singh in Munger. of independent candidates formed the government. Thus,
In 1929, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati formed the “Bihar Mohammad Yunus was the first Prime Minister of Bihar. The
Provincial Kisan Sabha” to mobilize peasant’s grievances elected Government of Bihar formed by Shri Krishna Singh
against Zamindars atrocities of occupancy rights. resigned in, 1938 for the “release of political prisoners”.
Zamindars in retaliation formed “United Political Party” in After 3 months later on 20 July 1937, the elected Government
order to suppress peasants. of Bihar formed by Shri Krishna Singh resigned in February,
Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha was formed in 1929. 1938 for the “release of political prisoners”.
The Ministry in Bihar strong resented to a circular issued Anurag Narayan Singh, Maulana Mazhar-Ul-Haq, Loknayak
by Mr. Brett, the Chief Secretary, and he had to withdraw it. Jaiparakash Narayan, Bhadra Yajee, Pandit Yamuna Karjee,
When the Governor refused to release the political Dr. Maghfoor Ahmed Ajazi.
prisoners, the Ministry resigned. Upendra Narayan Jha “Azad” and Prafulla Chaki were also
However, the ministry resumed office, only after an active revolutionary of Bihar.
agreement was reached on this matter in February, 1938. Sheel Bhadra Yajee joined Subhash Chandra Bose to found
Ramdayalu Singh as first Speaker of Legislative Council. All India Forward Bloc.
Abdul Bari as first deputy Speaker of Legislative Council. z Prominent Woman leaders of Bihar
The other ministers were Anugraha Narayan Sinha, Syed
Mahmud and Jaglal Choudhary. Rajbanshi Devi Prabhawati Devi
Baldev Sahay was appointed the Advocate General. Janakdulari Thakurani Bhagwati Devi
} Quit India Movement Apala Bharti Saraswati Devi
Congress Committee in Bihar under the leadership of
Sadhna Devi Radhika Devi
Dr. Rajendra Prasad drafted the line of action towards the
movement on 31st July, 1942. Shailbala Rai
Several outrages were going on like unfurled of national } Labour Movement
Flag but the British came with herculean attempt to crush
the movement. W. C. Archer who was the District Magistrate Method/ Places Dates
ordered firing at several places. Organisation
z Leader arrested during August Revolution Strikes Rohtas 1937-38
Name Prison (Dalmiyanagar), Gaya
Cotton Mill, Tatanagar
Rajendra Prasad Bankipur
Foundry Company,
Shri Krishna Singh Bankipur Japan Cement Works
Anugrah Narayan Sinha Bankipur
Bihar Trade Giridih 10th June 1944
Jaiprakash Narayan Hazaribagh Union Congress
Yogendra shukla Buxar
Labour Conference Patna 17th to 20th
Seven Martyrs of Patna Secretariat Shooting on 11 August 1942 by CPI June 1947
Martyr Student Residence
} Tribal Revolt in Bihar
Ramanand Singh Dhanarua (Patna) Revolts were mainly against British annexation of land or
Ramgovind Singh Punpun (Patna) their revenue policy or occupation by outsiders or for forest
Umakant Prasad Sinha Narendrapur (Saran) rights. They were localized, unorganized and very violent.
Santhal Pargana was created by the British to pacify the
Rajendra Singh Banwari Chak (Saran)
Santhal uprising. Kanhu was arrested in 1856.
Satish Chandra Jha Khadhara (Banka) Munda Revolt - Forest Regulation Act 1865 empowered the
Jagatpati Kumar Kharati (Aurangabad) British govt. to declare any forest land as Government Forest
Devi Pad Choudhary Silhat (Jamalpur) and make rules for it. Under Birsa Munda, it was a socio-re-
ligious movement (Ulgulan) with agrarian and political con-
} Freedom Fighters of Bihar tent. Birsa was captured on 3rd March 1900.
State had given famous leaders like Swami Shahjanand Tana Bhagat Movement - mainly a religious movement
Saraswati, Sahaheed Baikuntha Shukla, Biahr Bibhuti with the adoption of Hindu practices.
z List of Tribal Revolt in Bihar
Name of Revolts Description of Revolt
Ho and Munda Date: 1820, 1827, 1899, People associated with Nature and Objective: Against Britishers new
Uprisings 1900, 1860-1920 revolt: Raja Parhat land revenue policy
Kol Uprisings Date: 1831-32 People associated: Budhu Nature and Objective: Against expansion of
Bhagat, Vinda Rai, and British rule on Kol land and transfer of their land
Surga Munda to outsiders like Sikh and Muslim farmers.
Bhumij Revolt Date: 1832-1833 People associated: Ganga Nature and Objective: Against land revenue
Narayan policy of Britishers.
Santhal Uprising Date: 1855-56 People associated: Sidhu, Nature and Objective: Against the exploitative
Kanhu, Bhairo and Chand Zamindars and moneylenders.
Sapha Hor Revolt Date: 1870 People associated: Baba Nature and Objective: Against restriction on
Bhagirath Manjhi, Lal religious sentiment
Hembram and Paica Murmu
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Special 41
Munda Revolt Date: 1899-1900 People associated: Birsa Nature and Objective: Against alienation of
Munda tribal land due to forest Regulation Act of 1865
Tana Bhagat Date: 1914 People associated: Oraon Nature and Objective: Against moneylenders
Movement started the movement and and contractors.
Jatra Bhagat was the main
leader
} Modern Education in Bihar He was President of Constituent Assembly in 1946 and also
became elected president of constituent Assembly in 1950.
Establishment Year Name of Institution
Jagjivan Ram
1863 Patna College, Patna
He was a leader of Dalit Community and founding member
1883 T. N. B. College, Bhagalpur of the All India Depressed Classes League.
1889 B. N. College , Patna He was youngest minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s interim
government and became the youngest cabinet of India as
1898 R. D. & D. J. College, Munger Labour Minister.
1899 Bhumihar Brahman College, Muzaffar- He was also member a member of Constituent Assembly
pur (Now L. S. College) where he ensured that social justice was enshrined in the
constitution.
1909 Patna Law College, Patna
He was defence minister during the Indo-Pak war of 1971.
1917 Patna University Shri Krishna Singh
1917 Post Graduate department in the Arts He was the first Chief Minister of Bihar.
faculty of Patna College
Known as Shri Babu and Bihar Kesari.
1919 Post Graduate department in the Along with the nationalist Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr.
physics and chemistry department of Anugra Narayan Singh and Shri Babu is regarded among
Patna College the Architectures of Modern Bihar.
1925 Patna Medical College and Hospital He led the Dalit entry into Baidyanath Dham temple,
1926 Government Ayurvedic School in Deoghar.
Patna. (In 1947, it was given the status He was the first Chief Minister to abolished Zamindari
of a College) System.
1926 Indian School of Mining, Dhanbad Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha
1927 Science College, Patna He was the sfirst Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and also
1924 Bihar College of Engineering, Patna holds the Finance Ministry of the Indian State of Bihar.
He was called as “Bihar Vibhuti’’.
1927 Bihar Veterinary College, Patna
1938 Rajendra College, Chhapra Jayprakash Narayan
1938 Chandradhari Mithila College, Dar- He was popularly referred to as JP or Lok Nayak.
bhanga He was remembered for spearheading the opposition to
Indira Gandhi during the 1970s era for whose overthrow this
called as ‘total revolution’.
6. Important Personalities of Bihar Biography was written by an eminent writer of Hindi
literature, Rambriksha Benipuri.
Kunwar Singh
Chhapra-Delhi-Chhapra Weekly Express was renamed as
He was from Ujjaini house of Jagdispur who was at the age ‘Loknayak Express’ in his honour.
of 80 revolted against British India Company during India’s
He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratana.
First War of Independence in 1857.
He was also a receiver of Magyasaysay award for public
He actively led a select band of armed forces against the
British troops through guerrilla warfare. service in 1965.
To honour his contribution to India’s Freedom Struggle, Yadunandan Sharma
Government of Bihar issued a memorial stamp and established He was an Indian peasant leader from Bihar who started
Veer Kunwar Singh University, Arrah in Bhojpur district in movement for the rights of tillers against zamindars and
1992. British known as Reora Satyagraha.
Rajendra Prasad Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
He was first President of the Republic of India and also was He was an intellectual, prolific writer, social reformer and
the first President to have been in the office twice. revolutionary.
He was key leader from Bihar during Salt Satyagraha of Formed the All India Kisan Sabha and established Ashram
1930 and the Quit India Movement of 1942. at Bihta near Patna.
He became president of Indian National Congress during
Bombay Session of 1934. Baikuntha Shukla
He served as minister of food and agriculture in the central He was member of revolutionary organisations like the
Government after the 1946 elections. Hindustan Seva Dal and HSRA.
He was hanged for murdering Phanindra Nath Gosh who } Karma
had approver which led to the hanging of Bhagat Singh, The traditional Karma Dance gets its name from the Karma
Sukhdev and Rajguru. tree which stands for fortune and good luck. The dance
Satyendra Narayan Singh begins with the planting of the tree, followed by circular
He was former Chief Minister of Bihar and leading man of formations around it.
JP’s Complete Revolution Movement during the emergency. In this group dance, there are usually as many men as
Karyanand Sharma women dancers.
He was peasant leader and was born in Munger district The dancers form a two-tiered formation and the
in 1901. movements are usually backward and forward, towards and
He was key member of Non-Cooperation Movement and away from each other.
Kisan Movement. The dancers swing to the rhythm of the drum and the
Basawon Singh clapping of the women folk.
Later, breaking the formation, the dancers thread in and
He was founding member of the Congress Socialist Party
in Bihar along with Yogendra Shukla. out and the body movements involve bending of the torso
and the knees. The dancers put their arms around the waists
He was an activist in the Indian Independence Movement
of their neighbours and form semicircular rows.
and campaigner for the rights of the underprivileged,
Each row of dancers sings and dances alternately to the
industrial labourers and agricultural workers.
accompaniment of the Mandur and Timki.
Yogendra Shukla Drums beat fast and loud and the dance ends on a happy
He was one of the founding members of the Hindustan note.
Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) and also founding The choreography is imaginative and the themes of the
members of Congress Socialist party from Bihar. songs are contemporary and relevant.
He was one of the leaders of the revolutionary movement } Kajari
who was the prison in Kalapani Kajari is a song of rainy season.
Sheel Bhadra Yajee The popular melodious tune of Kajari songs produce
He was activist and peasant leader from Bihar who was a sweet sensation in body and it is heard from the very
associated with the Congress Socialist Party and Kisan beginning of the Shravan month with the rhythmatic note
Movement. of rain.
In 1939, he joined Subash Chandra Bose to found the All The eves of village begin dancing like peacock with the
India Forward Bloc. song of “Bhijat awe Dhaniya Ho Rama.
He authored several books such as- A Glimpse of the } Jhumar
Indian Labour Movement, Forward Bloc and its Stand, Is Jhumar is a traditional folk dance of Bihar, which is
Socialism a Necessity to India, True Face of Monopolistic performed by the rural women.
American Democracy.
There is no fixed season for this beautiful dance form, it is
Bidhan Chandra Roy a dance, which is performed at all times.
He was active member of Brahma Samaj. Spring descends on earth with its beauty and spreads joy
He was second Chief Minister of West Bengal and was and happiness all around.
considered as the great architect of West Bengal who founded } Magahi Jhumar
the five eminent cities Durgapur, Kalyani, Bidhanagar, The Magahi Jhumar dance is usually presented in the form
Ashokenagar and Habra. of a duet, where male and female dancers play the role of
He constituted a trust for his properties at Patna for social husband and wife.
service and made eminent nationalist Ganga Sharan Singh They dance in unison, expressing their desires and
(Sinha) the trustee. aspirations.
He was awarded Bharat Ratna on 4th February, 1961. The wife asks her husband for good clothes and beautiful
ornaments.
7. Art and Culture of Bihar The husband promises to give her everything she desires.
This vibrant folk dance in performed to the accompaniment
Important Folk Dances of Bihar of melodious music.
} Jat Jatin } Jharni
The Jharni Dance is a ritualistic dance performed by the
Jat-Jatin is the most popular folk dance of North Bihar,
Julaha community during Muharram.
especially in Mithila and Koshi region.
The dancers use bamboo sticks split at one end.
It is performed by a pair of man and woman.
They stand in a circular formation, and move around, each
Jat-Jatin is a folk dance of the same emigrant husband
dancer striking the stick of his partner.
accompanied by his spouse.
The sound produced provides the beat for the dance.
Apart from poverty and sorrow, this dance reflects a
rainbow of the sweet and tender quarrel as well as some } Jhijhia
complaints between husband and wife. Jhijhiya is a cultural dance from the Mithila region of the
The folk mocks to comfort the hurdles of life with a smile. Indian subcontinent.
The headlines of the lyrics is “Tikwa-jab-jab Maugailion re Jhijhiya is mostly performed at time of Dusshera, in
jatwa – Tikwa kahe na lawle re”. dedication to Durga Bhairavi, the goddess of victory.
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 43
While performing jhijhiya, women put lanterns made of Famous Fairs and Festivals In Bihar
clay on their head and they balance it while they dance. It
1. Chhath Puja 2. Makar-Sankranti
is believed that when women perform this dance, negativity
3. Buddha Jayanti 4. Sonepur Cattle Fair
cannot touch them and their loved ones.
5. Sama-Chakeva 6. Bihula
} Jhumeri
7. Madhushravani 8. Pitrapaksha Mela
Jhumeri is a folk dance from Mithilanchal.
9. Malmas Mela
After the month of Ashwin comes Kartik with its clear
skies. On the full moon night of Kartik the young maidens of } Chhath Puja
the village sing and dance to celebrate the turn of the season. Chhath Puja is the famous and main festival of Bihar. Bihar is
The words of the Jhumeri song Kartik maas na akashey an ancient land having deep roots in religion. Folks in Bihar,
badari and the graceful movements of the dance cast a spell being spiritually inclined, celebrate many festivals to worship
on the audience. God. Chhath Puja is the only Vedic festival that is dedicated
} Sohar Khelwana to the Sun God. The festival is celebrated twice a year, in
Sohar Khelwana is a dance performed by women to Chaitra Maas (March) and in Kartik Maas (November). It is 4
celebrate the birth of a child. days of festivity where people fast and offer prayers during
the sunset gathering near the river banks. They also sing folk
In India, the arrival of a newborn is celebrated with
songs and dance in praise of Surya Dev and Chhatti Maiyya.
traditional rituals.
The child receives blessings from family members,
} Makar-Sankranti
neighbours and well-wishers. Makar Sankranti is the harvest festival of Bihar. Similar to
Through the Sohar songs, the women compare the new
Pongal in South India and Lohri in North India, Makar-
born to Lord Rama and Lord Krishna, popular Hindu Gods Sankranti, known as Tila Sankrant in Bihar incorporates
who are the embodiments of virtue. The eunuchs are an religious as well as mythological significance. Every year in
integral part of the celebration of childbirth and take part in January, Makar Sankranti Mela is held at Rajgir. In the Banka
this dance. district celebrates the festival by organizing a massive fair at
Mandar Hills. With its origin in Mahabharata, it is believed
} Holi Dance/Dhamar Jogira that the conch shell -the shank of Lord Krishna has been
Spring arrives, resplendent in the colours of ‘abir’ as the found on the hills.
magic of Holi sweeps across the land. } Buddha Jayanti
Commemorative of the victory of good over evil, the
Bihar being the place where Gautam Buddha attained
Festival of Colours is celebrated with unabated enthusiasm
enlightenment, Buddha Jayanti is, therefore, the revered
by the young and old alike.
festival in Bihar. It is celebrated in Bodh Gaya and Rajgir
Come Holi and the hues of the rainbow deck the air in fine
on a full moon day (Purnima) in May. Buddha Poornima is
mists, the streets in telltale smears and our hearts with the the most sacred day for Buddhists which is why an outsized
joyful hope that peace and happiness shall reign. number of individuals belonging to the Buddhist community
The Holi dance is a vibrant dance form of Bihar. The pay a visit to the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya.
accompanying songs are sung in the Dhamar style. } Sonepur Cattle Fair
} Krishi Nritya It is Asia’s largest cattle fair that is celebrated in Sonepur and
The rains have quenched the earth’s thirst. has its roots in ancient mythology and folklore. It is believed
The sight of their fields rich with the golden crop fills the that Chandragupta Maurya used to buy elephants and horses
farmers’ hearts with joy. across the river Ganges and since then the fair is being held
They express their happiness through dances, which are once a year in November.
rhythmic and enjoyable. } Sama-Chakeva
} Chaita Celebrated in November, the ten-day festival Sama-Chakeva
Chaita songs, as the name suggests, are sung in the month has a special significance in Mithila. It marks the bond
of Chaitra, when flowers appear in the mustard plants. Men between brothers and sisters and it begins soon after the
sing these romantic songs. arrival of colorful migratory birds that are regionally named
Sama And Chakeva. It tells the story of Sama who is believed
} Nachni
to be the daughter of Lord Krishna.
The Nachni dances with her Rashik or male partner, to the
singing and clapping of male accompanists. } Bihula
Nachni dances are presented at various festivals and Also known as Bishari Puja, Bihula is an extrusive festival that
special occasions. is celebrated in the Bhagalpur district and the eastern part
The Nachni is not only the dancer, but also the singer.
of Bihar. Falling on the fifth day of Shravan Maas (August),
Bihula is a festival that proclaims the regional Manjusha Art.
The accompanying musical instruments include the
Nagara, Shenai and Harmonium. } Madhushravani
Harbinger of the monsoon season, Madhushravani is
} Natua celebrated all over Mithilanchal in August (Sawan) by
The Natua dance begins with an item called the Natua worshipping the Snake God Vishahara and the family
Kachal. Goddess Gosaun. Kheer and traditional Ghorjaur along
In this duet performance, the accompanying musical with fried vegetables, mangoes, and jackfruit are offered as
instruments include the Nagara, Dhol and Shenai. prasad. During the festival, married women in the Mithila
The costumes worn by the dancers are indigenous and region fast for the long life of their husbands, mango groves,
attractive. and courtyards in Mithila are filled with beautiful brides.
} Pitrapaksha Mela Population Density
The holy city Gaya in Bihar is where the famous Pitrapaksha
Population Density 382 per Sq. Km
Mela is held. Rituals like taking a dip in river, worshipping
ancestors, etc are performed in order to bring salvation to the Highest Population Density Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala
souls of the loved ones who left for heavenly abode. Observed State
during the month of September - October, Pitrapaksha Mela Lowest Population Density Arunachal, Mizoram
is held every year for 16 days when a large number of people State
from different regions visit Gaya to offer prayers with utmost
devotion. It is believed that Lord Buddha was the first person Highest Population Density UT Delhi, Chandigarh
who performed the ritual of Pind Daan here and since then Least Population Density UT Andaman Nicobar
the tradition is being followed by many Hindus.
Highest Population Density North-East Delhi
} Malmas Mela
District
Organized at Rajgir, Malmas Mela is one of the most significant
and grand fairs in India that is attended by a large number Least Population Density Dibang (Arunachal
of devotees. It is a belief that during the sacred month of District Pradesh)
Malmas, also known as Adhimas, the 33 crores Hindu Gods Sex Ratio
and Goddesses make their dwelling in Rajgir, and therefore
this period is marked with prayers and offerings for the entire Sex Ratio 940
month. A grand fair is organized during this period and lakhs
Rural Sex Ratio 949
of devotees mark this auspicious month by paying homage to
the holy land of Rajgir and taking bath in a hot water spring Urban Sex Ratio 929
to wash off their sins. Highest Sex Ratio State Kerala (1084), Tamil Nadu
Census of India
Population Lowest Sex Ratio State Haryana (879)
Highest Sex Ratio UT Pudducherry
Total Population 1,21,08,54,977
Lowest Sex Ratio UT Daman & Diu
Overall rank in the world Second
Child Sex Ratio 919
% of World Population 17.5%
Highest Child Sex Ratio State Andhra Pradesh
% of Male Population in India 51.47%
Lowest Child Sex Ratio State Haryana
% of Female Population in India 48.53%
Highest Child Sex Ratio UT Andaman and Nicobar
% of Rural Population 68.9%
Lowest Child Sex Ratio UT Delhi
% of Urban Population 31.1%
Literacy Rate
% of SC Population 16.6%
% of ST Population 8.6% Total Literacy Rate 74.04
Top Highly Populated States U.P, Maharashtra, Bihar Male Literacy Rate 82.14
Least Populated States Sikkim, Mizoram Female Literacy Rate 65.46
Most Populated UT Delhi, Pudducherry Highest Literacy Rate- State Kerala (94%), Mizoram
Least Populated UT Lakshadweep Lowest Literacy Rate- State Bihar (63.82%)

Highest Populated District Thane (Maharashtra) Highest Literacy Rate- UT Lakshadweep (92.28%)
Least Populated District Dibang Valley Lowest Literacy Rate- UT Dadara and Nagar Haveli
(Arunachal Pradesh) Highest Male Literacy Kerala
Population Growth Highest Female Literacy Kerala
Decadal Growth (2001-2011) 17.7% Lowest Male Literacy Bihar
Annual Growth Rate 1.64% Lowest Female Literacy Bihar
Highest Population Growth Meghalaya, Arunachal Highest Increment in Bihar

rate State Pradesh Literacy Rate
Least Population Growth Nagaland, Kerala Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes
rate- State
Demography SC ST
Negative Population Growth Nagaland (-0.6%)
rate- State Overall Population 20.137 crore 10.43 crore
Highest Population Growth Kurungkume (Arunachal Decadal Growth 20.8% 20.8%

(District) Pradesh) Sex Ratio 945 990
Least Population Growth Longleng (Nagaland) Highest Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh,
(District) Population- State Bengal, Bihar Maharashtra
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 45
Least Population Mizoram, Mizoram, Christians 0.12 974 71.1

State Nagaland Nagaland Sikhs 0.02 879 79.8
Highest % of Punjab Mizoram Buddhists 0.02 841 59
Population State
Jains 0.01 904 93.3
Least % of Mizoram Uttar Pradesh
Others 0.01 940 32
Population State
Caste Census Bihar Population, 2011
Five Districts with Highest Population: Patna,
Population Order Hindu > Muslim > Christian EastChampran, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Gaya.
> Sikh > Buddhist > Jain Five Districts with Lowest Population: Sheikhpura,
Highest Decadal Growth Buddhist Sheohar, Arwal, Lakhisarai, Jehanabad.
Lowest Decadal Growth Sikh } Bihar Population Growth 2011
Highest Buddhist Maharashtra Five Districts with Highest Population Growth Rate:
Population State Madhepura, Kishanganj, Araria, Khagaria, East Champaran.
Five Districts with Lowest Population Growth Rate:
Highest Christian Nagaland
Gopalganj, Darbhanga, Munger, Rohtas, Sheikhpura.
Population State
} Bihar Literacy Rate, 2011
Highest Sex Ratio Christian
Five Districts with Highest Male Literacy: Rohtas, Bhojpur,
Lowest Sex Ratio Sikh Buxar, Siwan, Aurangabad.
Highest Literacy Rate Jain Five Districts with Lowest Literacy: Purnea, Sitamarhi,
Lowest Literacy Rate Muslim Katihar, Madhepura, Saharsa.
Five Districts with Lowest Male Literacy: Purnea, Katihar,
Definition
Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Madhepura.
The first complete Census of India was held in the Year
Five Districts with Highest Female Literacy: Rohtas,
1881, under the governor general Lord Rippon. Currently,
Munger, Patna, Aurangabad, Siwan.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, is the incharge of population
Five Distrcits with Lowest Female Literacy: Saharsa,
administration. The Slogan of the 15th Census, 2011 was ‘Our
Census- Our Future’. Madhepura, Purnea, Sitamarhi, Araria.
} Bihar Population Density, 2011
Description 2011 Five Districts with Highest Population Density: Sheohar,
Total Population 104,099,452 Patna, Darbhanga, Vaishali, Begusarai.
Five Districts with Lowest Population Density: Kaimur,
Male Population 54,278,157 Jamui, Banka, West Champaran, Rohtas.
Female Population 49,821,295 } Important Facts About Bihar Population, 2011
Population Growth 25.42% Area Population No. of
Percentage of Total Population 8.60% Density District
Sex Ratio 918 Maximum Population density More than 13
Child Sex Ratio 935 area 1250
Population density per sq km 1,106 (1st in India) High Population density areas 1050 to 8
1250
Area (sq km) 94,163
Medium Population density areas 850 to 1050 10
Total Child Population (0-6 Age) 19,133,964
Low Population density areas 650 to 850 5
Male Child Population (0-6 Age) 9,887,239
Female Chile Population (0-6 Age) 9,246,725 Least Population density areas Less than 2
650
Overall Literacy 61.8% (Lowest in India)
} Bihar Sex Ratio, 2011
Male Literacy 71.2%
Five Districts with Highest Sex Ratio: Gopalganj, Siwan,
Female Literacy 51.5% Kishanganj, Nawada.
Total Literate 52,504,553 Five Districts with Highest Sex Ratio (0-6 Age Group):
Male Literate 31,608,023 Kishanganj, Katihar, Gaya, Araria, Jamui.
Five Districts with Lowest Sex Ratio (0-6 Age Group):
Female Literate 20,896,530
Vaishali, Patna, Muzaffarpur, Bhojpur, Begusarai.
Bihar Religion Based Demography, 2011 Five Districts with Lowest Sex Ratio: Munger, Bhagalpur,
Religion Population (%) Sex Ratio Literacy (%) Khagaria, Sheohar, Begusarai/Vaishali.
} Bihar Urban Population, 2011
Hindus 82.69 915 47.9
Five Districts with Lowest Urban Population: Sheohar,
Muslims 16.87 943 42 Arwal, Kaimur, Khagaria, Madhepura.
Five Districts with Highest Population: Patna, Bhagalpur, Five Districts With Lowest Schedule Caste in Pop-
Gaya, Begusarai, Muzaffarpur. ulation: Kishanganj, Katihar, Bhagalpur, Siwan,
Five Districts with Highest Urban Population in %: Patna, Sitamarhi.
Munger, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Sheikhpura. } Bihar Schedule Tribe Population, 2011
Five Districts with Lowest Urban Population in %: Five Districts with Highest Schedule Tribe Population:
Samastipur, Banka, Madhubani, Kaimur, Sheohar. West Champaran, Katihar, Purnea, Banka, Siwan.
} Bihar Schedule Caste Population, 2011 Five Districts with Lowest Schedule Tribe Population
Five Districts with Highest Schedule Caste in Percent: in percent: Khagaria, Samastipur, Aurangabad, Sheohar,
Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad, Kaimur, Vaishali. Begusarai.
Five Districts with Lowest Schedule Caste in Percent: Five Districts with Highest Schedule Tribe Population in
Kishanganj, Katihar, Bhagalpur, Siwan, Sitamarhi. percent: West Champaran, Katihar, Jamui, Banka, Purnea.
Five Districts With Highest Schedule Caste in population: Five Districts with Lowest Schedule Tribe Population:
Gaya, Patna, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali. Sheohar, Arwal, Sheikhpura, Khagaria.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1 The earliest evidence of man in India is found in: 10 Which one of the following statements regarding
(a) Nilgiri Hills (b) Shiwalik Hills Ashokan stone pillars is incorrect?
(c) Nallamala Hills (d) Narmada Valley (a) These are highly polished.
2 The earliest evidence of agriculture in Indian sub- (b) These are monolithic.
continent comes from: (c) The shaft of pillars is tapering in shape.
(a) Koldihwa (b) Lahuradeva (c) Mehrgarh (d) Tokwa (d) These are parts of architectural structures.
3 Which one of the following places is famous for pre- 11 Which one of the following ports handled the North
historic paintings? Indian trade during the Gupta period?
(a) Ajanta (b) Bhimbetka (c) Bagh (d) Amravati (a) Tamralipti (b) Bhadoch (c) Kalyan (d) Cambay
4 Match List-I with List-II: 12 The Founder of Advait Philosophy is:
(a) Sankaracharya (b) Ramanujacharya
List-I (Ancient site) List-II (Archaeological finding) (c) Madhvacharya (d) Mahatma Buddha
(A) Lothal 1. Ploughed field 13 Among the following rulers who had defeated
(B) Kalibangan 2. Dockyard Harshavardhana?
(a) Kirtivarman II (b) Vikramaditya II
(C) Dholavira 3. Terracotta replica of a Plough (c) Pulkeshin I (d) Pulakeshin II
(D) Banawali 4. An inscription comprising Consider the following statements:
14
ten large-sized signs of the 1. The Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien attended the fourth
Harappan script Great Buddhist Council held by Kanishka.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below. 2. The Chinese pilgrim Hiuen-Tsang met Harsha and
A B C D found him to be antagonistic to Buddhism.
(a) 1 2 3 4 Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(b) 2 1 4 3 (a) 1 Only (b) 2 Only
(c) 1 2 4 3 (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) 2 1 3 4 15 Match List- I with List- II and select the correct answer
5 Which of the following is a Samhita of Shukla using the code given below the lists:
Yajurveda?
(a) Vajasanami (b) Maitrayani (c) Taittiriya (d) Kathak List-I List-II
6 Which one of the following describes best the concept (A) Treaty of Allahabad 1. 1782
of Nirvana in Buddhism? (B) Treaty of Manglore 2. 1784
(a) The extinction of the flame of desire.
(C) Treaty of Salbai 3. 1769
(b) The complete annihilation of self.
(c) A state of bliss and rest. (D) Treaty of Madras 4. 1765
(d) A mental stage beyond all comprehension. Codes:
7 The doctrine of Apurva is related to A B C D
(a) Charvaka (b) Jaina (c) Buddha (d) Mimamsa (a) 4 2 3 1
(b) 2 4 3 1
8 Which one of the following was not a capital of
Magadhan Empire? (c) 4 2 1 3
(a) Girivraja (b) Rajgriha (c) Pataliputra (d) Kaushambi (d) 2 4 1 3
9 Which of the following can be compared to ‘Prince’ of 16 Select the correct chronological order of the given
Machiavelli? events from the codes given below:
(a) Kalidasa’s ‘Malvikagnimitram’ 1. Clive’s re-arrival in India.
(b) Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra’ 2. Treaty of Allahabad.
(c) Vatsyayana’s ‘Kamasutra’ 3. Battle of Buxar.
(d) Thiruvalluvar’s ‘Thirukkural’ 4. Warren Hastings became India’s Governor.
OSWAAL BPSC
Bihar Prelims
Special 47
Codes: 25 Newton’s first law of motion is known as:
A B C D (a) Gravity
(a) 3 2 1 4 (b) Law of Inertia
(b) 3 1 2 4 (c) Law of conservation of momentum
(c) 1 2 3 4 (d) Vertical motion
(d) 2 1 4 3 26 Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer
17 The policy of ‘Security cell’ is related with: from the code given below the lists:
(a) Warren Hastings (b) Lord Dalhousie List-I (Substance) List-II (Use)
(c) Henry Lawrence (d) Lord Hastings
(A) Blue Vitriol 1. Artificial rain
18 Which Governor - General was prosecuted for
impeachment? (B) Eosin 2. Fungicide
(a) Warren Hastings (b) Lord Clive (C) Silver iodide 3. Red ink
(c) Lord Cornwallis (d) Lord Wellesley (D) Zinc phosphide 4. Rodenticide
19 Who was the founder of the Servants of India society? Code:
(a) M. G. Ranade (b) Anant Patwardhan A B C D
(c) G. K. Gokhale (d) B. G. Tilak (a) 2 3 4 1
(b) 2 1 3 4
20 Who said that “If God were to tolerate untouchability, (c) 2 3 1 4
I would not recognize him as God at all”? (d) 2 4 1 3
(a) B. R. Ambedkar (b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
27 Which one of the following diseases is caused by Fungi?
(c) Lala Lajpat Rai (d) Mahatma Gandhi
(a) Allergy (b) Colour blindness
21 The first “Lokayukta” was established in which of the (c) AIDS (d) Baldness
following states?
28 Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly
(a) Odisha (b) Kerala (c) Maharashtra (d) Punjab
matched?
22 The first Speaker of Bihar Legislative Assembly after (a) Thiamine - Beriberi (b) Ascorbic acid - Scurvy
independence was: (c) Vitamin A - Colour blindness
(a) Bindeshwari Prasad Verma (b) Maulana Abul Kalam (d) Vitamin K - Blood clotting
(c) Jayprakash Narayan (d) Babu Jagjivan Ram 29 Which one of the following is used in food
23 What is the motto of Bihar Police? preservation?
(a) Sarvada Gagne Charet (b) Balidan Param Dharma (a) Sodium Carbonate (b) Acetylene
(c) Satyamev Jayate (d) A Voyage of Excellence (c) Benzoic Acid (d) Sodium Chloride
24 Which one of the following is the unit of measure of 30 Which of the following is a waterborne disease?
the thickness of the ozone layer of the atmosphere? (a) Smallpox (b) Malaria
(a) Knot (b) Dobson (c) Poise (d) Maxwell (c) Cholera (d) Tuberculosis
ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATION

1 Option (d) is correct. Dholavira An inscription comprising ten large-
Explanation: In India, the first evidence of man was sized signs of the Harappan script
found in western Narmada region of Madhya Pradesh.
Banawali Terracotta replica of a Plough
It was discovered in 1982.
2 Option (b) is correct. 5 Option (a) is correct.
Explanation: The earliest evidence of agriculture Explanation: There are two branches of Yajurveda-
in Indian sub-continent has been reported from Shukla Yajurveda and Krishna Yajurveda. Vajasnami
the Lahuradeva site from Uttar Pradesh. The State is the Samhita of Shukla Yajurveda. Shukla Yajurveda
Archaeological Department said the findings indicate is available only in the poetic form whereas Krishna
Yajurveda contains both poetic as well as prose form.
that ancient humans residing in this region bid adieu to
nomadic life and took to farming and domestication of 6 Option (a) is correct.
animals during the New Stone Age. Explanation: According to Buddhism, desire is the cause
of all the pain. The State of Nirvana in Buddhism is
3 Option (b) is correct.
considered as a state in which the person is free from
Explanation: The best example of prehistoric paintings desire, pain, pleasure, etc. The literal meaning of the
is the rock-shelters and caves of Bhimbetka, located in word Nirvana is ‘blown out’ and it can be seen as the
Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. state of extinction of the flame of desire.
4 Option (b) is correct. 7 Option (d) is correct.
Explanation: Explanation: The word ‘Apurva’ is a technical term
related to the Purva Mimamsa system of Philosophy.
List-I List-II
8 Option (d) is correct.
Lothal Dockyard Explanation: Girivraja or Rajgriha and Pataliputra were
Kalibangan Ploughed field the capital of the Magadha Empire respectively in ancient
times whereas Kaushambi was ruled by Vatsa state.
9 Option (b) is correct. 19 Option (c) is correct.
Explanation: Arthashastra is the unique book of Explanation: Servants of India Society was founded by
political science which is often compared with “Prince” of Gopal Krishna Gokhale in 1905.
Machiavelli, the great Italian thinker. 20 Option (b) is correct.
10 Option (d) is correct. Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak said in thundering
Explanation: Ashokan stone pillars are not part of words: “If God were to tolerate untouchability, I would
architectural structures, but these are distinct sculptures. not recognize him as God at all”.
11 Option (a) is correct. 21 Option (c) is correct.
Explanation: The Tamralipti port in Bengal was a Explanation: The institution of “Lokayukata” was estab-
important port during the Gupta period from where trade lished first in Maharashtra in 1971. It came into existence
was conducted with south-east Asia, China, Lanka, Java, from 25th October, 1972.
Sumatra as well as northern India. Western coast had an 22 Option (a) is correct.
important port of Bhrigu Kachchha (Bharuch) from where Explanation: Bindeshwari Prasad Verma also known as
Gupta rulers used to trade with western countries. Binda Babu, was a politician from Bihar state of India
12 Option (a) is correct. who led Bihar Legislative Assembly as a first Speaker in
Explanation: The principal exponent of the Advaita independent India from 1946 to 1962.
Vedanta interpretation was Adi Shankara in the 8th century, 23 Option (d) is correct.
13 Option (d) is correct. Explanation: “A voyage of excellence” is motto of Bihar
Explanation: Emperor Harsha’s southward march Police.
was stopped on the Narmada river by Pulakeshin II, a 24 Option (b) is correct.
Chalukyan ruler who defeated Harsha. This incident is Explanation: Ozone layer thickness is expressed in terms
mentioned in Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin II and of Dobson unit, which measure what its physical thickness
description of Hiuen Tsang. would be if compressed in the Earth’s atmosphere. One
14 Option (d) is correct. Dobson unit (DU) is defined to be 0.01 mm thickness at
STP (Standard Temperature and Pressure)
Explanation: The Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien came to India
during the reign of Chandragupta-II and travelled to 25 Option (b) is correct.
various places of India between 399-414 AD. Harsha had Explanation: Newton’s first law of motion is also known
already leaned towards Buddhism before meeting Hiuen- as ‘Law of Inertia’ .It states that, if an object is at rest or
Tsang. After meeting Huien-Tsang, Harsha granted royal moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain
patronage to “Mahayana”, a branch of Buddhism and at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed
became Buddhist. unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
15 Option (c) is correct. 26 Option (c) is correct.
Explanation: The correct match of List- I with List II is Explanation: The correctly matched lists are as follows:
as follows:
List-I (Substance) List-II (Use)
Treaty Year
(A) Blue Vitriol 1. Fungicide
Treaty of Allahabad 1765
(B) Eosin 2. Red ink
Treaty of Manglore 1784
(C) Silver iodide 3. Artificial rain
Treaty of Salbai 1782
(D) Zinc phosphide 4. Rodenticide
Treaty of Madras 1769
27 Option (d) is correct.
16 Option (b) is correct. Explanation: Baldness is a fungal disease.
Explanation:
28 Option (c) is correct.
The sequence of events:
Explanation: Lack of vitamin A causes night blindness
Battle of Buxar - 22 October, 1764
not colour blindness. Colour blindness is a genetic disease
Clive’s re-arrival in India - 3 May, 1765 which is inherited in an X-linked recessive pattern.
Treaty of Allahabad - August, 1765 29 Option (c) is correct.
Warren Hastings became India’s Governor - 1774 Explanation: Benzoic acid is the colourless crystalline solid
17 Option (a) is correct. and simple aromatic carboxylic acid. Its salts (Example,
Explanation: The policy of ‘Security Cell” is related to sodium benzoate) are used as food preservative.
Warren Hastings and Wellesley. 30 Option (c) is correct.
18 Option (a) is correct. Explanation: Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness
Explanation: Warren Hastings was prosecuted from caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium
1788 to 1795 for impeachment for unjust and arbitrary Vibrio cholerae. A person can get cholera by drinking
functions, but British parliament dropped all the charges water or eating food contaminated with the cholera
against him after considering his service. bacterium.

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Bihar Special

1. General Introduction about Bihar

Note: This map is not to scale and is for reference only.

Note: This map is not to scale and is for reference only.

Divisions Districts (38)

 Valmiki National Park was established in 1989 and covered

} Climate in Bihar  There are three distinct seasons in Bihar (Summer

Note: This map is not to scale and is for reference only.

} Chandragupta I up after his mother’s death.

 The last ruler of the Pala empire was Rampala.

} Sena Dynasty and destroyed a lot of Buddhist monasteries including Nalanda

 Shamsuddin Firozshah declared himself ruler of Bengal } Bhojpur’s Ujjaini Dynasty

 Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq had defeated him. He also defeated

 He made Bihar Sharif as his capital. Sulaiman Karrani

Least Populated States Sikkim, Mizoram Female Literacy Rate 65.46

Least Populated UT Lakshadweep Lowest Literacy Rate- State Bihar (63.82%)

Annual Growth Rate 1.64% Lowest Female Literacy Bihar

Highest Population Growth Meghalaya, Arunachal Highest Increment in Bihar

Highest Population Growth Kurungkume (Arunachal Decadal Growth 20.8% 20.8%

Least Population Mizoram, Mizoram, Christians 0.12 974 71.1

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATION

You might also like

Valmiki National Park was established in 1989 and covered

} Climate in Bihar There are three distinct seasons in Bihar (Summer

The last ruler of the Pala empire was Rampala.

Shamsuddin Firozshah declared himself ruler of Bengal } Bhojpur’s Ujjaini Dynasty

Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq had defeated him. He also defeated

He made Bihar Sharif as his capital. Sulaiman Karrani