The Mughals established a prosperous atmosphere in Bihar. With the downfall of the Mughals, the Nawabs from Bengal exercised their rule. The East India Company established its sway over Bihar after the Battle of Buxar in 1764. The different British attitudes and practices towards the people led to migration to lands like Africa, South East Asia etc. Under the British, Bihar was first a part of Bengal Presidency. In 1911 the two states of Orissa and Bihar were separated from Bengal. In 1936,they became separate provinces. A part of Bihar comprising mainly forest tracks of Chhotanagpur plateau and Santhal paragana, the homeland of the tribals became a separate state Jharkhand on November 15th, 2000.

People
In Bihar there has been a good deal of mixture among the various castes. Though Brahmans and Kshatriyas belong to the same racial stock, the Kshatriyas are more mixed because of their marriage with various stocks of people. The lower castes like the Koiri, Kurmi, Kahar and Ahir represent various racial strains. Caste rivalries and prejudices are numerous in Bihar. The narrow-mindedness of the people is one of the chief causes of the unsatisfactory state of Bihar politics. But now though modern life, better education and above all the efforts of its enlightened youth, are gradually doing away with the prejudices.

Brahman, Bhumihar, Rajput, Banias and Kayastha are the dominant castes. Kayasthas and Banias are the two important caste groups in the cities and towns. The Kayasthas are prominent in all modern professional occupations and are generally given the status of elite castes. The Banias predominate in trade and commerce. Bhumihars are regarded as a caste different from the Brahmans who consider the former inferior in the social hierarchy. Members of all these caste groups have occupied prominent positions in the educational and political life of the state.

The other land owning castes are Ahirs (Yadavas), Kurmis and Koiris in the plains of Bihar. The Ahirs or Yadavas are agricultural caste. Cattle-raising is their hereditary occupation most are settled cultivators. Some still roam about selling milk and ghee. Koiris are agriculturists. They are distinguished from Kurmis and other purely cultivating castes by their skill in growing vegetables and other special cash crops. In the neighbourhood of large towns they work as market-gardeners. Many Koiris are rich land owners. Some of them are still prosperous cultivators, holding occupancy rights.

The most notable among the schedule castes are Bhumij, Chamar (Mochi), Dhobi, Dom, Dusadh, Musahar, Nat and Pasi. Their means of livelihood still being hard manual and menial. About 92 percent of the total population of these castes are confined to the village while those in the towns and cities are slum-dwellers who work on pavements. Although education is free for them, the vast majority of them still continue to wallow in illiteracy.

The Musahars are field labours whose wages are paid in cash or in kind according to the traditional custom in the villages. Most of them live apart from the basti. Only a few have attained the dignity of cultivating on their own account. Another caste, Dusadhs are probably of aboriginal descent. A large number of them serves as watchmen or chaukidars, they are also employed as village messengers, grooms, elephant drivers and wood cutters, punkha coolies and porters.

The Dhanuks are servant class found in every place where there are high caste Hindus. The poor among them perform the menial household duties along with their family. Some Dhanuks are also cultivators while the females act as maid servants.

Insane prejudice which was prevalent against the lower castes is gradually disappearing in Bihar. The rich titled classes in the state are regarded as ordinary mortals. In the country districts the influence of Zamindar (land lords) families is considerable. It depends more on their position as landlords than as persons of title. In small towns they have a certain importance on account of their historic descent. In the larger towns the members of the upper classes are of small account unless accompanied by wealth.

The middle classes in Bihar are mostly caste-ridden. They are mostly professionals and doesn't have caste prejudices. They are the ones who almost monopolize the bar, the bench, the medical profession, trade and industry, the civil service and educational appointments. Many important posts in the secretariat are held by men of humble birth. The middle classes merge imperceptibly into the lower middle class and then into the masses.

Fairs and Festivals

Tribal Festivals
Soharai
Sarhul
Karma Festival

Dance Festivals
Rajgir Dance Festival

Travel Tourism
Bihar has areas of great beauty and historic religious links. Bordering Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, the river Ganges flows west to east across it.

Today the Buddha's pmaroonictions continue to come true. The rivers periodically flood, causing disastrous problem for Bihar's dense population, which scratches a bare living from the soil. The Chhotanagpur plateau in the south produces 40% of India's mineral wealth.In addition to the Buddhist sites, there are areas of natural beauty such as Betla in the southwest and Valmiki Nagar in the far north west, adjacent to the Royal ChitwanNational Parkin Nepal.Bodhgaya is an excellent place to visit if you want to study Buddhism, and Rajgir, Sasaram and especially Nalanda are some of the most fascinating places you'll find off the usual tourist trail.

Area: 1,73, 877 sq kms. The Capital of this state is Patna.

Boundaries: To the West of Bihar is Uttar Pradesh, to the East is Bangladesh, to the South is West Bengal and to the North is Nepal.

Places of Tourist Interest :  Buddha Gaya, Raja Griha, Nalanda, Hazaribagh and Vaisali.  

Golghar: This was built for storing food grains. From here we can see Patna town and the holy Ganga River.

Cultural of Bihar

Bihar is one of the major states of the Indian Union. Many ancient civilisations in the world have evolved around magnificent rivers, but very few rivers in the world have moulded the culture, economy and personality of the people evolving on their banks as the great river Ganga. Cutting straight across Bihar from west to east, the bounteous Ganga had rendered the region so fertile and plentiful, that its natural prosperity nurtured a great fountainhead of political and cultural civilisations down the millenia.

Here, kingdom after kingdom rose and fell, leaving their indelible mark on history. Rival kings fought legendary battles, devastating the land and the people. Yet, by some strange alchemy, the same land also saw the birth of some of the most gentle and progressive religious teachers like Buddha, Mahavira and Guru Gobind Singh.

Bihar is bound on the north by Nepal, on the east by West Bengal, on the west by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and on the south by Orissa.

The name 'Bihar' is derived from 'Vihara', meaning monastery. Bihar has been a great religious centre for Hindus, Jains and most importantly, the Buddhists. It was at Bodhgaya in Bihar, that the Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree, and attained enlightenment. A descendant of the same tree, still flourishes in Bodhgaya today. Nalanda, which was a world - renowned Buddhist university in the 5th century AD, is also located in Bihar. Rajgir , a pilgrimage place for Buddhists and Pawapuri, where Lord Mahavira breathed his last, are near Nalanda.

Other places of tourist interest in Bihar include Hazaribagh , a wildlife reserve, famous for its national park; Bhimbandh , famous for hot springs; Maner , a sacred Muslim shrine of Sufi Saint Hazrat Makhdoom Shah; Vikramshila , the ruins of a Buddhist university; Deoghar , famous for a Hindu shrine and Sasaram , the site of the tomb of Afghan emperor Sher Shah Suri .

Bihar boasts of an enviable wealth of rural handicrafts comprising of hand - painted wall hangings, wooden stools, miniatures in paper and leaves, stone pottery, bamboo and leather goods, and applique work. But Bihar's most famous and fascinating indigenous art forms, by far, are its Madhubani paintings . This art is a strict monopoly of the women of Mithila. Done in primary colours of natural origin on paper and cloth, they narrate mythological and religious events.

The principal foodgrains of Bihar are paddy, wheat, maize and pulses. Main cash crops include sugarcane, potato, tobacco, oilseeds, onion, chillies, jute and mesta.

The major industries of the state include steel, iron, heavy vehicles, aluminium, oil refining, railway wagons, copper smelting, cement and communication cables. Bihar is also very rich in minerals. The main minerals found in this state are coal, iron, copper, mica, pyrite, limestone, bauxite, and graphite.

State Resident Commissioner in Delhi
Bihar Bhavan, 5 Kautilya Lane, New Delhi