Bihar

• 25 Mar 2025

Bihar Diwas

Why in News? 

A three-day function was organized from 22 to 24 March 2025 at Gandhi Maidan, Patna on the occasion of Bihar Diwas which is celebrated every year on 22 March.   

Key Points 

• About the function: 
  • The main purpose of celebrating this day is to honor the rich cultural heritage, history and development of Bihar . 
  • This year the 113th foundation day was organised, the theme of which was 'Advanced Bihar, Developed Bihar' . 
  • An exhibition related to the development works was organized by various departments in the function , which included the Education Department, Rural Development, Art, Culture and Youth Department, Disaster Management etc. 
  • The Chief Minister released the booklets 'Disaster Risk Reduction Roadmap of Bihar ' and ' Chief Minister School Safety Program' . 
• History of Bihar Day: 
  • On March 22, 1912, the British formed a new province 'Bihar' separate from Bengal. 
    • The Swadeshi movement against the Bengal Partition implemented in 1905 led to the cancellation of Bengal Partition and the formation of Bihar and Assam. 
    • In 2000, a new state 'Jharkhand' was established, separate from Bihar.
  • In 2011, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar established it as a comprehensive celebration, which includes various programs and events. This day is a public holiday in Bihar.  
  • Apart from India, the day is also celebrated in countries like the United States, Germany, Britain (Scotland), Australia, Canada, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mauritius . 

 Bihar State 

• About:  
  • The origin of the name Bihar is believed to be due to the abundance of Buddhist monasteries ( Viharas ), because this region was the main center of  Buddhism in ancient times. 
  • The capital of the state is Patna , which was also known as Pataliputra, Pushpapur and Kusumpur in ancient times . 
• Geographical location: 
  • Bihar is located between  24°20'10" to 27° 31' 15" north latitude and 83°19'50" to 88° 17' 40" east longitude . 
  • The total area of the state is 94,163 sq km , making it the 13th largest state in the country . 
  • The total geographical area of the state covers 2.86% of India. 
  • The state's north to south length is 345 km and east to west length is 483 km. 
  • The largest district in terms of area is West Champaran and the smallest district is Shivhar .  
• Boundaries: 
  • Bihar shares its border with 3 states (West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand) and Nepal. 
  • 7 districts of Bihar (West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj) border Nepal.  
  • There are 8 districts (Rohtas, Kaimur, Buxar, Bhojpur, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj and West Champaran)  bordering Uttar Pradesh . 
  • 3 districts (Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar) from West Bengal and 8 districts (Bhagalpur, Banka, Jamui, Nawada, Gaya, Aurangabad, Rohtas and Katihar) from Jharkhand are connected. 
  • The northernmost district is West Champaran , the southernmost district is Gaya , the westernmost district is Kaimur and the easternmost district is Kishanganj.