It is bordered on the
north by the Kingdom of Nepal, on the west by Uttar
Pradesh, south by Jharkhand, and the east by West Bengal.
Bihar lies in the very fertile Gangetic plains, and
is part of the Hindi-speaking heartland of India. Bihar has many local languages, including Hindi,
Bhojpuri, and Magadhi (Magahi). Bhojpuri, Magahi, and
related languages are known as the Bihari languages.
History
Bihar has a very rich history. It was called Magadha
in ancient days. Its capital Patna, known as Pataliputra
during the old days, was the center of the Mauryan empire
which ruled the Indian subcontinent between 325-185
BC. Emperor Ashoka was the most famous ruler of this
dynasty. Bihar remained an important place of power,
culture and education during the next thousand years
before its fall started with the advent of the foreign
rule in India. Bihar saw a brief period of glory for
six years during the rule of Sher Shah Suri, who was
from Sasaram and built the longest road of the Indian
subcontinent, the Grand Trunk Road, which starts from
Calcutta and ends at Peshawar, Pakistan.
A brief timeline
Before 325 BCE _ Nanda clan in Magadha, Lichchavis
in Vaishali
560 BCE - 480 BCE - Buddha
325 BCE - 185 BCE - Maurya Dynasty
250 BCE - 3rd Buddhist Council
185 BCE - 80 BCE - Sunga Dynasty
80 - 240- Regional kings
240 - 600 - Gupta Dynasty
600 - 650 - Harsha Vardhana
750 - 1200 - Pala Dynasty
1200 - Muhammad of Ghori's men destroy the universities
at Nalanda and Vikramashila
1200 - 1250 - Decline of Buddhism
1250 - 1526 - Ruled by Delhi Sultanate (Muslim Turks
- Tughluqs, Sayyids, Lodis)
1526 - 1540 - Babur defeats last Delhi sultan, establishes
Mughal empire
1540 _ 1555 _ Suri dynasty captures empire from Mughals
(including Shershah Suri who built the Grand Trunk Road)
1526 _ 1757 _ Mughal dynasty resumes
1757 - 1857 - British East India Company rule
1857 - Revolt of 1857
1857 - 1947 - British Raj rule
1912 - Province of Bihar and Orissa separated from Bengal
1935 - Bihar and Orissa become separate provinces
1947- Indian Independence; Bihar becomes a state
2000 - Bihar divided into two states - north part remained
Bihar, South became Jharkhand
Religions Originated
Bihar is also a birthplace of many religions, including
Buddhism and Jainism. The Word "Bihar" has
its origin in the word "Vihara" meaning Buddhist
Monasteries. Buddha attained the Enlightenment at Bodh
Gaya, a town located in the modern day district of Gaya.
Buddha started spreading his teaching after attaining
the
Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. Mahavira, the founder of
Jainism, was born in Vaishali, Bihar. Mahatma Gandhi
started the freedom movement in India by his Satyagraha
in the Champaran district of Bihar against the British,
who were forcing the local farmers to plant indigo which
was very harmful to the local soil.
