The Basics
Bihar at a Glance
Bihar sits on the Ganga plain in eastern India, without a coast of its own. It is one of the oldest centres of Indian civilisation, and today one of the country's youngest and most densely populated states.
- Patna Capital & largest city — the ancient Pataliputra on the Ganga
- 22 March 1912 Separated from Bengal as Bihar & Orissa — celebrated as Bihar Day; present borders date from the 2000 Jharkhand split
- 94,163 km² Area (Census 2011) — among India's larger states
- Landlocked No coastline — bordered by Nepal to the north and three Indian states
- 38 Districts · 9 divisions — see the interactive map above
- Hindi Official language (Urdu is the second); Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magahi & Angika widely spoken
- 243 seats Legislative Assembly — Bihar is bicameral, with a 75-seat Legislative Council; 40 Lok Sabha seats
- Borders Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand & West Bengal; Nepal along the northern frontier
- 4 regions Mithila, Magadh, Bhojpur & Anga; the Ganga and its tributaries — Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati & Sone
- State symbols Animal: gaur · Bird: house sparrow · Tree: peepal · Flower: marigold · Fish: walking catfish
People
Population & Society
The 2011 Census is still the last full count, and the next one is yet to be held, so today's totals are only projections. Unless marked otherwise, the figures below are from Census 2011.
- 10.41 cr Population, 2011 (104,099,452) — India's 3rd most populous state; ~13 crore today (projected)
- 25.4% Decadal growth, 2001–2011 — well above the national average
- 1,106 /km² Population density, 2011 — the highest of any Indian state
- 918 Sex ratio — females per 1,000 males, 2011
- 61.8% Literacy rate, 2011 — below the national average
- 11.3% Urbanisation — among India's lowest
- Patna The state's only million-plus city — a ~20 lakh urban agglomeration (2011)
- Migration One of India's largest sources of inter-state workers, mainly to Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab & Gujarat
Economy
A ₹13-Lakh-Crore Economy
Bihar's economy is among the fastest-growing in India, even though it starts from a low base and still has the country's lowest income per head. Services do most of the work, while agriculture supports the bulk of the workforce.
- ₹13.1 L cr GSDP 2026-27 (projected, current prices); ₹11.4 L cr in 2025-26 (RE)
- ~15% Nominal GSDP growth, 2026-27 over 2025-26 (RE) — among India's fastest-growing
- Lowest in India Per-capita income — roughly a third of the national average (2024-25)
- ~34% Outstanding debt as % of GSDP (2026-27, projected)
What the economy is made of — share of GSVA (2023-24)
- ~59% Services — trade, transport, construction & public services
- ~21% Industry — food processing, refining, cement & manufacturing
- ~20% Agriculture & allied — the base of rural livelihoods
Minerals & resources
- Pyrite Bihar holds ~94% of India's pyrite reserves — at Amjhor, Rohtas
- Gold Jamui holds large gold-ore reserves — reportedly among India's biggest — though mining is yet to begin
- Limestone Quarried in the Rohtas–Kaimur belt for cement; also bauxite, mica, quartz & granite
- Fast growth, low base: Bihar's economy has grown faster than the national average for several years, yet its income per head remains India's lowest — the central story of a young state catching up.
- Figures here are the latest Bihar Budget estimates (2026-27 projected, 2025-26 revised). The India GDP page compares all states at FY2024-25, so its Bihar figure is for that earlier year.
Agriculture
Agriculture & Farming
Farming is the mainstay of Bihar, thanks to the rich soil of the Gangetic plain. The state grows most of India's makhana, the famous Shahi litchi of Muzaffarpur, and a deep belt of rice, maize and vegetables.
- Makhana Bihar grows the bulk of India's makhana (fox nut) — its No.1 producer; GI-tagged "Mithila Makhana", grown across Darbhanga, Madhubani & Purnia
- Shahi Litchi Muzaffarpur's GI-tagged litchi — India's largest litchi crop; the first GI litchi exported to the UK (2021)
- Rice & maize Rice is the principal foodgrain (over a third of the sown area); Bihar is also a leading rabi-maize state
- Vegetables Among India's top vegetable producers — potato, brinjal, okra & cauliflower
- Sudha · COMFED Bihar's Anand-pattern dairy cooperative — around 30 lakh litres of milk a day
- More GI produce Jardalu mango & Katarni rice (Bhagalpur) and Magahi paan (Nawada)
- Sone Canal One of India's oldest canal systems (1870s), watering the fields of south Bihar
- Honey Among India's leading honey producers — much of it gathered from the litchi orchards of north Bihar
Administrative
The 38 Districts
Bihar is divided into 38 districts across 9 divisions. Pick a district below and it will light up on the map above; individual district pages are on the way.
The map and this list share the same data. Clicking a district highlights it on the interactive map in the hero; soon each will open its own page.
What Makes Bihar Unique
Strengths, Industry & Heritage
A few of the things Bihar is best known for, from the place of the Buddha's enlightenment and one of the ancient world's great universities to a refinery that anchors eastern India's fuel supply.
Industry & trade
- Barauni IndianOil's refinery at Begusarai (~6 MMTPA, expanding to 9) — a petroleum anchor for eastern India
- Makhana A fast-growing agro-industry, now backed by a national Makhana Board (2025)
- Sugar belt North Bihar's traditional cane-and-sugar country — West Champaran, Gopalganj & Sitamarhi
- Leather Tanning & leather clusters at Muzaffarpur and East Champaran
Heritage, nature & culture
- Bodh Gaya The Mahabodhi Temple (UNESCO, 2002) — where the Buddha attained enlightenment
- Nalanda Ruins of the ancient Mahavihara (UNESCO, 2016) — a great early university
- Vikramshila Ruins of another renowned early-medieval Buddhist university, near Bhagalpur
- Valmiki Bihar's only tiger reserve, in West Champaran on the Nepal border
- Kabartal Bihar's first Ramsar wetland (2020) — a vast oxbow lake in Begusarai
- Barabar Caves India's oldest surviving rock-cut caves — carved in the Mauryan age, near Jehanabad
Culture & Traditions
Festivals, Food & Crafts
Bihar's culture runs deep: the great riverbank festival of Chhath, the bright lines of Madhubani painting, and a hearty, mostly home-style cuisine built around sattu and litti chokha.
- Chhath Puja Bihar's signature festival — a four-day rite to the Sun god, offered at sunrise and sunset on riverbanks
- Madhubani The vivid Mithila folk painting — Bihar's first GI-tagged craft
- Manjusha & Sujani Anga's GI-tagged "snake painting" (2021) and the narrative quilt embroidery of Muzaffarpur
- Bhagalpuri silk The famed "Tussar" silk weave of Bhagalpur (GI)
- Litti chokha The iconic dish — sattu-stuffed wheat balls roasted over coals, with mashed chokha
- Maithili The only Bihar language in the Constitution's Eighth Schedule; alongside Bhojpuri, Magahi & Angika
Places to Visit
Faith, Heritage & Getaways
Bihar holds some of the most sacred ground in the world, revered by Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs and Hindus alike, and dotted with ancient capitals, river shrines and World Heritage Sites.
- Bodh Gaya The holiest Buddhist site — the Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi Tree (UNESCO)
- Nalanda The ancient university's ruins (UNESCO); a modern Nalanda University reopened nearby in 2024
- Rajgir An ancient Magadhan capital — Vulture Peak, hot springs and the Vishwa Shanti Stupa
- Vaishali One of the world's earliest republics, and the birthplace of Mahavira
- Patna Sahib Takht Sri Patna Sahib — birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, one of Sikhism's five Takhts
- Sasaram The grand tomb of Sher Shah Suri, set on a lake — a masterpiece of Indo-Islamic design
- Sitamarhi Revered in tradition as the birthplace of Sita (Punaura Dham)
- Mahavir Mandir Among India's most-visited Hanuman temples, in the heart of Patna
- Gaya The Vishnupad Temple on the Falgu, and the Pitripaksh Mela — among Hinduism's most important rites for the ancestors (pind daan)
- Kesaria Stupa A towering Buddhist stupa in East Champaran — among the tallest in the world
- Golghar Patna's beehive-shaped granary of 1786 — climb its spiral stairs for a view over the Ganga
- Patna Museum The 1917 state museum — the old "Jadu Ghar", rich in Mauryan art and sculpture
Modern Bihar
Institutions, Infrastructure & Renewal
Alongside its ancient legacy, Bihar is building for the present: premier institutions, its first metro, a revived Nalanda, and new bridges across the Ganga.
- IIT & AIIMS IIT Patna (2008) and AIIMS Patna (2012) — with NIT Patna, whose engineering roots reach back to 1886
- Nalanda University The ancient seat of learning revived as a modern international university — new campus inaugurated 2024
- Patna Metro Bihar's first metro — a ~32.5 km, two-line network; its priority section opened in 2025
- MG Setu The 5.75 km Mahatma Gandhi Setu over the Ganga — India's longest river bridge from 1982 to 2017; rebuilt with a steel deck (2022)
- Bihar Museum Patna's landmark museum (2017) — home of the Mauryan-era Didarganj Yakshi
- Barauni Refinery A major refining & petrochemical complex anchoring eastern India's energy supply
Rail, Road & Air
Trains, Roads, Bridges & Airports
Sitting on the Grand Trunk Road and astride the Ganga, Bihar has long been a crossroads of north India. Today that shows in its historic railway workshops, new expressways and three working airports.
- Patna Metro Under construction across two corridors; the priority section opened in October 2025
- Railways Major junctions at Patna, Barauni, Samastipur & Muzaffarpur; the Jamalpur Railway Workshop (1862) is among India's oldest
- Vande Bharat Semi-high-speed trains link Patna to Howrah, Ranchi & Lucknow
- Ganga bridges The Mahatma Gandhi Setu (Patna–Hajipur) and Vikramshila Setu (Bhagalpur) carry road traffic across the river
- Amas–Darbhanga A ~230 km access-controlled expressway under construction, linking south Bihar to Mithila
- National Highways NH-19 (the Grand Trunk Road via Sasaram), with NH-31, NH-27 & NH-22 among the main routes
- Airports Patna (Jay Prakash Narayan International), Gaya (on the Buddhist circuit), Darbhanga and Purnia
- Waterway The Ganga across Bihar is part of National Waterway 1 — India's principal inland-water route (Prayagraj–Haldia)
People & Ideas
A Land of National Icons
For more than two thousand years, Bihar has helped shape India, from the statecraft of Pataliputra to the science of the ancient world and the freedom struggle of the last century.
- Dr Rajendra Prasad India's first President, born at Ziradei in Siwan
- Jayaprakash Narayan "Lok Nayak" — who led the 1974 movement for "Total Revolution"
- Chanakya The statesman of Pataliputra behind the Mauryan empire and the Arthashastra tradition
- Aryabhata The great astronomer-mathematician, who worked at Kusumapura near Patna
- Guru Gobind Singh The tenth Sikh Guru, born in Patna in 1666
- Sher Shah Suri Founder of the Sur Empire and builder of the Grand Trunk Road — from Sasaram
- Bismillah Khan The shehnai maestro and Bharat Ratna, born in Dumraon, Bihar
- More Sri Krishna Sinha (Bihar's first Chief Minister), the Maithili poet Vidyapati, and writer Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' — among many with Bihar roots
Through the Ages
A Short History of Bihar
A few of the milestones that shaped Bihar, from the first great empires of the Ganga plain to the state we know today.
| When | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1st millennium BCE | Magadha rises as a great kingdom of the Ganga plain — capital at Rajagriha (Rajgir), later Pataliputra |
| c. 321 BCE | Chandragupta Maurya, guided by Chanakya, founds the Maurya empire at Pataliputra |
| c. 268–232 BCE | Ashoka rules the Mauryan empire at its height from Pataliputra |
| c. 320 CE | The Gupta golden age begins, with its capital at Pataliputra |
| c. 427 CE | Nalanda Mahavihara founded under Kumaragupta I — a centre of learning for the ancient world |
| c. 1193 CE | Nalanda is sacked, beginning its long decline |
| 1540 | Sher Shah Suri, from Sasaram, founds the Sur Empire and rebuilds the Grand Trunk Road |
| 1666 | Guru Gobind Singh born in Patna |
| 22 March 1912 | Bihar & Orissa separated from the Bengal Presidency — observed as Bihar Day |
| 1917 | Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha — his first satyagraha in India — challenges the indigo-planter system in north Bihar |
| 1936 | Bihar becomes a separate province |
| 1974 | Jayaprakash Narayan leads the Bihar Movement for "Total Revolution" |
| 2000 | Jharkhand is carved out of southern Bihar |
| 2024 | The new Nalanda University campus is inaugurated near Rajgir |