Bihar has been a place of destination even for foreign travellers too, like Albaruni, Megasthenese, Phaiyan to Xuanjang due to its wide spread pristine beauty, greeneries, glorious past, vibrant culture, lip smacking cuisines and the generosity of the people. This book is an effort of the writer to explore the age old pride, untapped stories and unfortunately unsung Vihara of tourism i.e. Bihar. Bihar is a place where Maharshi Kautilya took birth, Buddhism germinated and Jainism flourished and enlightened the whole world. During 5th to 12th century A.D India was leading world in imparting knowledge through world fame Universities like Nalanda and Vikramshila.
This book is a conglomeration of its true picture of its Historical, Geographical, Economical and Industrial glimpses. At the same time its Agricultural status, Economical view, Art and Cultural panorama have been well documented in a systemic manner, for any candidate who is going to appear in any competitive exam especially in BPSC and UPSC.

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CONTENTS

Preface — Pgs. v

Foreword — Pgs. vii

Acknowledgements — Pgs. ix

1. Origin of the Word Bihar — Pgs. 1

2. Bihar at a Glance (Undivided and Present) — Pgs. 3

3. Various Districts, Divisions, and Headquarters of Bihar — Pgs. 8

4. Districtwise Data on Selected Indicators — Pgs. 9

5. History of Bihar—Present and Future — Pgs. 15

6. Geography and Climate of Bihar — Pgs. 30

7. Rivers of Bihar — Pgs. 33

8. Demographics of Bihar — Pgs. 36

9. Economy of Bihar — Pgs. 41

10. Education in Bihar — Pgs. 43

11. Agricultural Scenario of Bihar — Pgs. 54

12. Horticultural Scenario of Bihar — Pgs. 95

13. Industrial Glimpses of Bihar — Pgs. 123

14. Art and Cultural Panorama of Bihar — Pgs. 130

15. Fairs and Festivals of Bihar — Pgs. 141

16. Hindi Language and Writers — Pgs. 148

17. Cuisines of Bihar — Pgs. 152

18. Sites to Visit in Bihar — Pgs. 154

19. Higher Officials of Bihar Before and AfterIndependence — Pgs. 176

20. Eminent Personalities of Bihar and Their Nicknames — Pgs. 181

21. First Indian Personalities Who Belong to Bihar in —India — Pgs. 186

22. Famous Historical Personalities of Bihar — Pgs. 188

23. Multiple Choice Questions for Various Exams — Pgs. 194

References — Pgs. 203

An Indian from core of her heart and she loves her motherland but as usual one has to take birth at one place in any district of a state, so by family heredity she took birth in Samastipur district of Bihar state.
Apart from being an educationist she had been catalyzing her knowledge by going through various kinds of books(on different subjects) and writing on vivid types of topics viz she had gone to University of Ghent, Belgium by getting awarded with Belgian Govt. Scholarship on a topic of ‘Assessment and Management of Environmental Pollution’.Although she is working as an senior Associate Professor in Extension Education and as deputy director Extension & training, her quest for learning, researching, analyzing and disseminating the knowledge has taken the shape of this book. The information and experiences what she has gained through her wide travelling, reading & love towards her motherland has come up in the form of ‘Encyclopedia of Bihar’.