Nawada district is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. Nawada is its administrative headquarters. The district is the easternmost district of the Magadh division, one of the nine administrative divisions of Bihar. The area of the modern district was historically part of the Magadha, Shunga and Gupta empires. Koderma and Giridih districts of the state of Jharkhand lie on the southern border of the district; it also shares borders with the Gaya, Nalanda, Sheikhpura, and Jamui districts of Bihar.
Nawada, located in southern Bihar, has a history deeply connected to ancient Magadha[2]. Tradition holds that the Magadh Empire was founded here by King Brihadratha[2], and the region was later ruled by major dynasties including the Mauryas, Guptas, and Kanvas[2][3]. Archaeological sites, prehistoric rock art, and ancient ruins indicate human settlement for well over a thousand years[4].
The name “Nawada” comes from the Persian words nau-abad, meaning “new town”. In the colonial era, it was known as Eliot Market (Bazaar). The Khuri River runs through the town, with the older part on the left bank and the modern area, including public offices, on the right bank[2].
During medieval times, Nawada came under the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire, followed by local rulers such as the Rajas of Hisua and the Muslim Mayi clan[5]. Under British rule, it became a subdivision of Gaya district in 1845[2]. During the 1857 Indian Rebellion, public buildings in Nawada were destroyed, though government records were preserved by hiding them in a nearby hill cave[5]. On 26 January 1973, Nawada was officially made a separate district[2].
One of the city’s most important modern landmarks is the Sarvodaya Ashram, inaugurated by India’s first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad and later developed by social reformer Jayaprakash Narayan[2]. It became a hub for socio-political activities in the region.
Nawada is also known for its rich religious and cultural heritage. The Surya Narayana Mandir at Handiya, believed to date back to the Dwaparayuga and founded by King Jarasandha, attracts millions of devotees annually[2]. Tapoban is regarded as the birthplace of Jarasandha, while Sitamarhi is associated with the birth of Lava, son of Goddess Sita. The picturesque Kakolat Falls, mentioned in Hindu Pauranic history as the abode of a king transformed into a python by a sage’s curse, is both a popular pilgrimage site and tourist attraction[6]. Additionally, Nawada’s location offers easy access to nearby historical cities such as Bodhgaya, Pawapuri, Rajgir, and Nalanda.
Geography
Nawada district occupies an area of 2,494 square kilometres (963sqmi),[7] comparatively equivalent to Chile's Navarino Island.[8] Most parts of the district are plain but some areas are hilly. The main rivers are the Sakri, Khuri, Panchane, Bhusri by Kakolat and Tilaiya.[9]
Administrative divisions
Nawada District is divided into two Sub-divisions and then into 14 blocks.[1] These blocks in their respective sub-divisions are as follows:[10]
The main crops harvested in the district are paddy, wheat, pulses, and vegetables. Industrial facilities in the district include bidi factories and silk handlooms.[9] Formerly, sugar cane farming and processing also took place; the district's single sugar mill, located in Warisaliganj, is currently non-functional.[11] Kadirganj, located 6km from Nawada, has a small scale (Handloom Silk) Industry where more than 100 weavers families involved in weaving handloom silk clothes.[12]
Rajauli Hisua and Warsaliganj are emerging as significant market hubs for the hinterland regions bordering Jharkhandstate, and have also produced many professionals including physicians, surgeons, engineers who are working in many parts of India.[12] The Nuclear Power Corporation of India identified Rajauli as the possible site for creating an additional 2,800 MW of nuclear power capacity in the state.[13]
National Highway 20 runs roughly north–south through the western side of district, serving many villages and towns, including the administrative center of Nawada.[16]National Highway 120 follows a 30km route in the far northwestern corner of the district, passing through the town of Hisua.[17] Including state highways and other routes connecting villages, the district has approximately 420km of paved roads.[18] Deluxe buses are available from Nawada to cities like Patna, Bihar Shariff, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Koderma and major cities Patna, Kolkata, Ranchi, Bokaro,Jamshedpur etc.[19]
The district lies in the East Central Railway of Indian Railways; the Gaya–Kiul line crosses the district roughly east–west, and connects with the Bakhtiyarpur–Tilaiya line at Tilaiya Junction. Two express trains and several local trains run on the Gaya-Kiul line via Nawada railway station.[20] Though electrification is complete, doubling of railway line is under process. This would provide alternative route for Kolkata and North-East bound trains and would enhance passenger services and freight trains. Currently a Delhi bound train is already scheduled and running from Godda to New Delhi and vice versa has halt at Nawada railway station.[21]
According to the 2011 census Nawada district has a population of 2,219,146,[24] roughly equal to the nation of Latvia[25] or the US state of New Mexico.[26][why?] This gives it a ranking of 205th in India (out of a total of 640).[24] The district has a population density of 889 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,300/sqmi).[24] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 22.49%.[24] Nawada had a sex ratio of 936 females for every 1000 males,[24] and a literacy rate of 61.63%. 9.71% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 25.47% and 0.09% of the population respectively.[24]
Ganauri Ramkali Teacher's Training College, Nawada
Nawada Vidhi Mahavidyalaya
Ravikant Punam B.Ed college Dosut Warsaliganj, Nawada
Government Engineering college Nawada
Government polytechnic College Khanawa Narhat Nawada
Secondary educational institutes
*
RPS Convent Public School, Nawada
Dayal Public School, Nawada
High School Merhkuri, Nawada
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Rewar, Nawada
High School Aanti, Kadirganj,Nawada
Gyan Bharti Model Residential Complex, Hisua
Modern English School, Nawada
Manas Bharti Educational Complex, Nawada
Jeevan Jyoti Public School, Nawada
Gyan Bharti Public School, Nawada
Jeevan Deep Public School, Nawada
Gyan Bharti Public School, Pakribarawan, Nawada
St. Joseph's School, Nawada
The Diksha School, Nawada
Delhi Public School, Nawada
Momin High School, par Nawada
Gandhi Inter School, Nawada
Bless International School (CBSE 10+2 Arts, Science & Commerce) ,Nawada
Iraqui Urdu Girls School (10+2) , Ansar Nagar, Nawada
Unique Public School,Nawada
Tourism
Nawada district has its own tourism splendour and has the potential to develop as a tourist destination. In the town's immediate surroundings, there are various points of interest. The Kakolat Waterfall (24km from town) , Sankat Mochan Mandir[28] and the Sekho Devra Ashram[29] are among them (Sarvodaya Ashram was established here in Kowakole block by Jaiprakash Narayan and inaugurated by Dr. Rajendra Prasad), Baba Majaar and Hanuman Temple (located on NH 31, a shrine of Hazrat Saiyyad Shah Jalaluddin Bukhari and a Hanuman temple), Jarra Baba (found in Sirdalla), Hanuman Mandir (located in Kendua village), and Maa Bageshwari Mandir (located in Kendua village) (located in Jamuawa, in 3km of Jamui road of Nawada in side of Sakri River).[30]
1 2 Chatterjee (1966). Merchants, Politics, and Society in Early Modern India: Bihar, 1733–1820. BRILL Academic Publishers, 1996. ISBN978-90-04-10303-0.
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