Begusarai | |
---|---|
City | |
Nicknames: City of Utsab, Cultural Capital of Mithila, Land of Poetry and Welcome Gate of Mithila | |
Coordinates: 25°25′N86°08′E / 25.42°N 86.13°E | |
Country | India |
State | Bihar |
Region | Mithila |
District | Begusarai |
Government | |
• Type | Municipal Corporation |
• Body | Begusarai Municipal Corporation |
• MLA | Kundan Kumar (BJP) |
• Mayor | Pinki Devi |
Elevation | 41 m (135 ft) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 252,008 [1] |
Language | |
• Official | Hindi [2] |
• Additional official | Urdu [2] |
• Regional | Maithili (recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India) [3] |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN CODE | 851101 [4] |
Telephone code | 06243 |
Vehicle registration | BR-09 |
Sex ratio | 0.91 ♂/♀ |
Lok Sabha constituency | Begusarai |
Vidhan Sabha constituency | Begusarai |
Website | begusarai |
Begusarai is the industrial and financial capital of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district, which is one of the 38 districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The district lies on the northern bank of the river Ganges in the Mithila region of India.
Begusarai was named after Begu, a man who was the devotee of Bari Durga Maharani and was the caretaker of Sarai, the town's old market. [5]
Begusarai is located at 25°25′N86°08′E / 25.42°N 86.13°E . [6] It has an average elevation of 41 metres (134 feet). Begusarai lies in North Bihar and is surrounded by Khagaria in the northeast, Munger in the southeast, Patna in the west, and Samastipur in the northwest. [7]
Begusarai lies in the middle of the mid-Ganga plain and generally has low-lying terrain with a south to south-easterly slope. [8] Begusarai is basically divided into three floodplains: the Ganga floodplain, Burhi Gandak floodplain, Kareha-Bagmati floodplain.
In 1989, Begusarai district became home to the Kanwar jheel, or Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary, with an area of 63 km2 (24.3 sq mi). [9]
As per the 2011 census, Begusarai Municipal Corporation had a total population of 251,136, of whom 133,931 were male and 117,205 were female with a sex ratio of 875. The number of people under five years of age was 37,966. The literacy rate of people seven years and up was 79.35%. [1]
Hinduism is the most followed religion in Begusarai city, with 224,282 followers (89%). Islam is second, with 26,531 Muslims (10.53%). Other religions include 325 Christians (0.13%), 134 Sikhs (0.05%), 31 Jains (0.01%), 29 Buddhists (0.01%), 14 other religions (0.01%), and 662 (0.26%) that did not answer. [10]
Begusarai has traditionally been a communist stronghold and was once referred to as the "Leningrad of Bihar". [11] [12] It is the location of the independence movement veteran, first chief minister, and one of the architects of modern Bihar, Shri Krishna Sinha.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. The main crops of the Begusarai district are oilseeds, anise seeds, tobacco, jutes, potatoes, red chilis, tomatoes, and rape-seeds. In fruits, Begusarai has recently become a major contributor in producing litchi, mango, guava, and banana. Basil leaves [13] and pearl [14] farming are also present in the local area.
Even today, only the Barauni refinery contributes around Rs 500 crore (5,000,000,000) [15] to the state exchequer yearly. Begusarai also has an inactive airport in Begusarai Ulao. [16] Begusarai had the second highest per capita income in the financial year of 2019–2020 in Bihar, after Patna.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(October 2023) |
The culture of Begusarai is the cultural heritage of Mithila. Begusarai is famous for Simaria, a fair of devotional significance every year usually during November in the month of Kartik, according to the Indian Panchang. [17] Men and women in Begusarai dress for the festivals; the costumes of Begusarai stem from the traditional culture of Mithila. Panjabi Kurta and Dhoti have a Mithila Painting bordered Maroon coloured Gamchha, the Symbol of Passion, Love, Bravery, and Courage, are common clothing items for men. Men wear gold ring in their nose, which symbolizes prosperity, happiness, and wealth following Vishnu. They also wear Balla on their wrist. In ancient times, there was no colour option in Mithila, so the Maithil women wore white or yellow sari with a red border. Today, they wear Laal-Paara (the traditional red-boarded white or yellow sari) [18] on some special occasions, as well as Shakha-Pola, [19] with lahthi in their hand. In Mithila culture, this represents new beginnings, passion and prosperity.Red also represents the Hindu goddess Durga, a symbol of new beginnings and feminine power. During Chhaith, the women of Begusarai wear pure cotton dhoti without stitching which reflects the pure, traditional culture of Mithila. Usually crafted from pure cotton for daily use and from pure silk for more glamorous occasions, traditional attire for women of Begusarai includes Jamdani, Banorisi, and Bhagalpuri, among others. Many festivals are celebrated throughout the year in Begusarai, including Chhaith and Durga Puja.
Dhuno-Naach is the Cultural Dance of Begusarai, Mithila. Dhuno-Naach is performed in Begusarai, Samastipur, Khagaria, Katihar, and Naugachhia during Durga Puja and Kalipuja with Shankha-Dhaak Sounds and Jhijhiya is performed in Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani and their neighbour districts. [20]
In Mithila, painting is a form of wall art and is practiced widely in Begusarai. The artform originated among the villages in Begusarai, Darbhanga, Naugachhia, and Madhubani, while more contemporary paintings known as Begusarai Art, Maduhubani art, Darbhanga Art, and Naugachhia Art are on paper and canvas. [21]
Here is a list of the main festivals of Begusarai:
Goramansingh also known as Gauramansingh is a small village in the Darbhanga district of Bihar, India. It is located approximately 62 kilometers east of Darbhanga and 12 kilometers east from its subdivisional headquarters of Biraul on the bank of the Kamala River in Bihar.
Maithils, also known as Maithili people, are an Indo-Aryan cultural and ethno-linguistic group from the Indian subcontinent, who speak the Maithili language as their native language. They inhabit the Mithila region, which comprises Northern and Eastern Bihar and Northeastern Jharkhand in India & in Nepal constituting Madhesh Province in addition to some terai districts of Bagmati and Koshi Provinces.
Morsand is a village in Sitamarhi district, Bihar state, India. It is situated 18 km. to the southeast of the town of Sitamarhi on the banks of the river - Lakhandei, and is connected to the district headquarters via National Highway 77 Sitamarhi- Hajipur. The nearest railway stations are Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur, and the nearest airport is in Patna. Now a new railway station is established in the village itself with the name "Runni Saidpur", which will be providing rail connectivity from this village to the rest of India.
Matihani is a village situated near the Ganges River, in the Begusarai district, Bihar state, India.
Benipatti is a town and headquarter of sub-division Benipatti in the Madhubani district of the Mithila region in Bihar, India. The native language of Benipatti is Maithili, while the official languages are Hindi and Urdu. In the early times, Benipatti was a centre of traditional learnings in the Mithila region.
Mithila, also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal, is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothills of the Himalayas in the north. It comprises certain parts of Bihar and Jharkhand of India and adjoining districts of the Koshi Province, Bagmati Pradesh and Madhesh Province of Nepal. The native language in Mithila is Maithili, and its speakers are referred to as Maithils.
Mithila culture or Maithil culture refers to the culture which originated in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. Mithila comprises Tirhut, Darbhanga, Kosi, Purnia, Munger, Bhagalpur and Santhal Pargana divisions of India and adjoining provinces of Province No. 1, Bagmati Pradesh, and Madhesh Province of Nepal.
Jajuara, also written Jajuar and Yajuar, is the largest village in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar in India, and the second-largest village in Bihar.
Bihari culture refers to the culture of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari culture includes Angika culture, Mithila culture, Bhojpuri Culture and the culture of Magadha.
Bharaul is a small village situated in Bachhwara tehsil and located in Begusarai district of Bihar. It is one of 91 villages in Bachhwara Block along with villages like Rudauli and Arwa. Bharaul and Aagapur Kothi are on river-side of the Balan River opposite of each other. The nearest railway station from Bharaul is Bachhwara Junction which is 5.5 km away from the village. The main language of Bharaul is Maithili. Hindi is also spoken by most of the settlers. Bharaul village has a higher literacy rate compared to Bihar. In 2011, the literacy rate of Bharaul village was 63.64% compared to 61.80% of Bihar. In Bharaul, male literacy stood at 70.37% while female literacy rate was 56.45%.
Bangaon is an ancient northern Indian village situated in the Saharsa district of Bihar. Some historians believe that 'Apannigam' referred in Buddhistic literature is Bangaon. Bangaon is part of Kahra Block of the district. Some of the neighbouring places include Bariahi, Bangaon, Chainpur, Mahishi and Bihar (north). Bangaon is divided into three panchayats namely Bangaon North, Bangaon South and Bangaon East.
Chainpur is one of the largest villages of Saharsa District in the Indian state of Bihar in North-East India, and is in the Kosi Division. In the revenue documents, it is mentioned as 'Chainpur Uttar Khand'. Chainpur has a number of tolas and occasionally called Pubari, Pachhwari, Uttarwari and Dakshinwari tola.
Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra, and again in the month of Ashvin (September–October). It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Hindu Indian cultural sphere. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratris. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri. There are 2 Gupta Navaratris or "Secret Navaratris" as well, one starting on the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of the Magha Month and another starting in the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of Ashadha Month.
Navami is the Sanskrit word for "ninth", and is the ninth day in the lunar fortnight (Paksha) of the Hindu calendar. Each month has two Navami days, being the ninth day of the "bright" (Shukla) and of the "dark" (Krishna) fortnights respectively. Navami occurs on the ninth and the twenty-fourth day of each month.
Tirhuta Panchang is a calendar followed by the Maithili community of India and Nepal. This calendar is one of the many Hindu calendars. It is a tropical solar Hindu calendar in which the year begins on the first day of Baishakh month i.e. Mesh Sankranti. Every year, this day falls on 13/14 April of the Gregorian Calendar
Angika is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken in some parts of the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand, as well as in parts of Nepal.
Here is a list of glossary of culture of India in alphabetical order:
Manik Chowk is a village in the Indian state of Bihar.
Khajuraha is an ancient northern Indian village situated in Saharsa district of Bihar. It is one of the largest panchayats of the state, both by area and population. The origin of the name Khajuraha is unknown. Khajuraha is part of Sonbarsa Raj block of Saharsa district. Some of the neighbouring places include Chandiasthan Gazipaita, Biratpur, Lagma, and Golma. Saint Pritamnath (Babajee) lived in this village.
Basuki Bihari is a big village in the Madhubani district in State of Bihar, India. According to India Population Census 2011 the population of the village is 14385. The majority of people of this village speak in Maithili language. The total area of the village is 13.62 km2. The village is divided into two Gram Panchayat Basuki Bihari North and Basuki Bihari South. The head of the Gram Panchayat is called as Mukhiya. Mukhiya is elected by adult people of the village. The election of Mukhiya is held by the Election Commission of Bihar state. This village is known for social cultural activities like Durga Puja, Chhath, Kali Puja and Sarswati Puja. The village is connected by State Highway No 75 from Darbhanga to Madhwapur. This village is only two kilometres far from the Indo-Nepal Border at Madhwapur in Madhubani district.