Several possible origins for the name Purnia have been proposed. The name may originate from the Sanskrit word Purna–Aranya, which means "complete jungle".[3]Purnia could also be an altered form of the old name Purania, derived from the word purain or Lotus, which is said to have grown on the Kosi and Mahananda rivers.
Purnia is part of the Mithila region.[4] Mithila first gained prominence after being settled by Indo-Aryan peoples who established the Mithila Kingdom (also called Kingdom of the Videhas).[5] During the late Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Videha became one of the major political and cultural centers of South Asia, along with Kuru and Pañcāla. The kings of the Videha Kingdom were called Janakas.[6] The Videha Kingdom was later incorporated into the Vajjika League, which had its capital in the city of Vaishali, which is also in Mithila.[7]
In the 17th century, the rulers of Purnia were involved in wars with the Kings of Limbuwan.
At the beginning of British rule, many people from Europe came to Purnia and settled here. At that time, Purnia was a complete 'Purania', meaning jungle. In the early days of colonization, Europeans settled around the Saura river in the middle of the city, now known as Rambagh area. Later, Europeans started coming west from the Saura river and making their own 'Kothi'. The civil lines existing throughout India, were also in Purnia.
Among the most active European zamindars in Purnia were Alexander John Forbes and Palmer. Alexander John Forbes bought the Sultanpur pargana from Mahajan Babu Pratap Singh of Murshidabad in 1859 and became a Zamindar. Forbes city (Forbesganj) in the Sultanpur pargana was named after him, but Forbes lived in the city of Purnia. Forbes built the race course and various other clubs. Alexander Forbes and his wife Diana died of malaria in 1890. The Forbes family sold the Sultanpur estate to the country's business house J. K. Singhania, because of the ongoing jute cultivation.
Another Englishman who lived in Purnia was Palmer. He bought the zamindari of a king and settled in Purnia. Palmer's only daughter, Mrs. Downing, was his heir. Mrs. Downing had two heirs - her son C. Y. Downing and daughter Mrs. Hays. Today, the grand residence of Hez Saheb is the main building of Purnia College. There is a dyke in Purnia, which protects the city from floods. In Baghmara, one area in the frontier of the city, there is an embankment parallel to the Saura river, which was built by Palmer. This dam was named the Palmer Dam.
Indigo cultivation was first started in Purnia by an Englishman named John Kelly. Later, many Europeans cultivated indigo here vigorously. Shillingford, a hunter, was the foremost among them who built 'Nilha Kothi' in places such as Nilganj, Mahendrapur, and Bhavbada. Neelha farmers, another group of English farmers, heavily contrubuted to Purnia's settlement. Purnia was a very green and open area.[8]
Places of Interest
Purnea is home to several significant religious sites attracting devotees from across the region.[9]
Maa Puran Devi Mandir, Purnea City
Purandevi Mandir – Dedicated to Maa Puran Devi, believed to be one of the Sidh Peethas, drawing large crowds during Durga Puja, situated at Purnea City.
City Kali Mandir, Purnea City
City Kali Bari – A revered Kali temple, situated on the bank of Saura river. Established by the Bengali community, this temple follows traditional Bengali customs and rituals.
Mata Sthan, Adampur Purnea
Mata Sthan – A well-known pilgrimage site dedicated to Goddess Shakti, situated at Adampur.
Panchmukhi Mandir, Forbesganj More, Purnea
Panchmukhi Mandir – A temple devoted to Lord Hanuman, known for its five-faced idol at Forbesganj More NH 231.
Aastha Mandir, Jail Chowk, Purnea
Aastha Mandir – A modern temple serving as a center for religious and community gatherings, devoted to Krishna.
Prahalad Sthambh, Banmankhi, Purnea
Prahalad Sthambh – Associated with the Narasimha-Prahlad legend, symbolizing devotion and righteousness. It is situated at Banmankhi.
Kamakhya Mandir, Majra, Purnea
Kamakhya Mandir – Inspired by Assam’s Kamakhya Temple, known for Tantric rituals, situated at Majra.
Dhima Shiv Temple, Banmankhi, Purnea
Dhima Shiv Temple – A sacred Shiva temple, particularly significant during Mahashivaratri, is situated in Banmankhi.
Purnia and its surrounding lands lie in the sub-montane alluvial tract of the Gangetic Plain. The city however lies on the banks of numerous tributaries of the Koshi River. Two major rivers traverse Purnia city with the Kari Kosi river on the western end and the Saura river on the eastern end. The main city is situated between these two rivers.
Purnia city has an area of 92 square kilometres (36sqmi).
Climate
Purnia is known for its favourable climate; it has earned the name "Mini Darjeeling" for this reason. Purnia has a largely humid climate, with the highest level of rainfall in Bihar state and humidity rising to above 70%. A cold season, from November to February, is followed by a hot season from March to June. The monsoon season begins in early June and lasts until September; 82% of its total annual rainfall falls during the monsoon season.
January, the coldest month, has a mean daily minimum temperature of 5 to 10°C and a mean daily maximum of 20 to 25°C. Wind is typically light in the non-monsoon seasons but during the monsoon, storms and depressions originating in the Bay of Bengal cause heavy rain and strong winds.
Climate data for Purnia (1991–2020, extremes 1901–present)
As of the 2011 census, Purnia Municipal Corporation had a total population of 282,248, of which 148,077 were males and 134,171 were females.[13] It had a sex ratio of 906 females to 1,000 males. The population below 6 years was 43,050. The literacy rate for the 6+ population was 73.02%, compared to the 74.04% national average.[14] Purnia Urban Agglomeration, comprising Purnia Municipal Corporation and Kasba (Nagar Panchayat),[15] had a population of 310,817 in 2011.[16]
Maithili,[17] is native language and Hindi, Urdu and Bengali are the other languages spoken by the people of Purnia. Surjapuri and Santali dialects are also spoken in some parts of the city. English continues to be taught in the English Medium schools.
Economy
In recent years, Purnia is growing as epicenter for service, automobile and many more economic sectors. This results as fast changing in lifestyle and economy of city. Primarily, Gulabbagh, Khuskibagh, Line Bazar, Bhatta Bazar, Madhubani Bazar, City Industrial Estate and Maranga Outgrowth Centre are the prime locations for the economic activities.
Gulabbagh and Khuskibagh
Gulabbagh and Khuskibagh are situated at eastern outskirts of main city, and known for their famous agriculture market (in local language mandi). Many merchants come from Nepal and West Bengal to purchase supplies of raw material and specially Maize. GulabBagh in Purnia houses a major grain storehouse and is Asia's largest maize trading center. This location as well as central and eastern Bihar supply the grain requirements of Bengal, Nepal, and the states of Northeast India. It is also an epic centre of highways in Purnia, as well NH 27, NH 231, NH 131A passes that provides excellent connectivity to all parts of India. Khuskibagh has fruit and vegetable market that is too close to Purnia Junction (station code: PRNA) that provides rail connectivity.
Education
BMT Law College, PurneaBMT Law College, Purnea
Purnia has historically been a center of education in the North Bihar region. The Zila School, founded in 1800 during the period of British rule, is the oldest school in Purnia and one of the largest in the city. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Garhbanaili (located 14km from the main city), is a prestigious government-run school. Vidya Vihar Residential School, a leading boarding school in Bihar, has its campus in Parora, Purnia. G D Goenka Public School, one of India's leading school chains, established its third campus in Bihar in Purnia, following those in Patna and Gaya. Purnia also has a Kendriya Vidyalaya.
Millia Group of Colleges (managed by Millia Education Trust)
Millia Institute of Technology
Millia Polytechnic, Rambagh
Simanchal Institute of Medical Science, Kasba
Shershah Institute of Medical Sciences
Medical College and Hospital by Millia Educational Trust
Additionally, a 3D animation and multimedia institute is located in Madhubani Bazar.
Healthcare
The Indian Red Cross Society operates the second-largest blood bank in Bihar, with a capacity of 1,000 units, following the one in Patna. The Bihar government has recently inaugurated one of three megastock warehouses for medicines at Kasba, which serves 13 districts of North Bihar.
Sports and Recreation
The Indira Gandhi Stadium houses a Sports Authority of India sports hostel for athletes. The DSA and Zila School grounds serve as the city's outdoor stadiums. In January 2025, the Bihar government announced the construction of a modern sports complex at Rangbhumi Maidan in Purnia at a cost of ₹42 crore. The project aims to provide advanced facilities for local athletes, enabling them to perform excellently at the state and national levels.[28]
Purnea Airport, also known as Chunapur Airport (Airforce Station), is located within the cantonment area but is restricted to army usage only. Proposals for the airport to operate scheduled flights are being widely discussed at the level of the state government.
Purnia is served by two railway stations separated by 5km, Purnia Junction (station code: PRNA) and Purnia Court (station code: PRNC). Purnia Junction is closer to the residents of Khuskibagh, Gulabbagh, and Eastern Purnia, while Purnia Court is in the western part of the city and caters to the residents of Madhubani, Janta Chowk, and Central and Western Purnia.
NH-231 at Purnea College of Engineering NH-131A Purnea-Manihari Highway
National Highways namely NH 31, NH 27, NH 231, NH 131A make Purnia accessible to the people from nearby cities & states while state highways connect the other neighbouring cities and villages to the main city area. The newly constructed NH 27 directly connects Purnia to some important towns and cities of North Bihar namely Darbhanga & Muzaffarpur. It takes nearly 5 hours to reach Muzaffarpur through this Expressway. This expressway which also traverses through the newly built Kosi Mahasetu bridge ends at Muzaffarpur to continue further for Patna. It has turned out to be an alternate route for Patna & has helped in decongesting the ever busy and traffic-prone NH31.
The east–west corridor connecting Silchar, Assam to Gujarat passes through Purnia in the form of NH 27. It is a modern four-lane highway constructed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). State Highways 60, 62, 65, 77 & 90 also pass through Purnia.
NH 31 and NH 27 are four-lane expressways and are a strength to the intercity transportation services.
Notable events
Phanishwar Nath Renu's popular story "Maare Gaye Gulfam" which was adapted into a film Teesri Kasam (The Third Vow), by Basu Bhattacharya (produced by the poet-lyricist Shailendra) in 1966 was shot in Purnia, in which old Purnea is pictured, especially 'the Gulabbag Mela'.[citation needed]
Purnia held the record for making and displaying the world's longest tricolour flag, with the length measured at 7,100 metres (7.1km) before it was broken on 12 August 2019 by Raipur, Chattisgadh.[30][31][32]
↑ Jha, Makhan (1997). Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective. pp.27–30. ISBN9788175330344.
↑ Witzel, Michael (1989). Caillat (ed.). Tracing the Vedic dialects in Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes. Paris. pp.13, 17 116–124, 141–143.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Witzel, Michael (1989). "Tracing the Vedic dialects". In Caillat, C. (ed.). Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes. Paris: Fondation Hugot. pp.141–143.
↑ Hemchandra, R. (1972). Political History of Ancient India. Calcutta: University of Calcutta.
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