BIHAR
Bihar, formerly known as Magadha, was once the center power of India struggle for Independence. The Name Bihar is derived from the Sanskrit word, 'Vihara' which means monasteries.It is situated in central eastern India It was also an important center of Education, culture and tradition. The Vikramshila and Nalanda Universities, were among the oldest and best centres of education in ancient India. It is a rich and fertile land with a mild climate and is crossed by many major rivers, including the Ganges. Bihar is bounded on the north by Nepal, on the south by Jharkhand, on the east by West Bengal and on the west by Uttar Pradesh.Bihar finds mention in the Vedas, Puranas, Epics etc and was the main scene of activities of the Buddha and the 24 Jain Tirthankaras. Hindi (Official language of State), Urdu- (2nd official language of State government), Maithili, Angika (Southern version of Maithili) , Bhojpuri, Bajjika (spoken around the Hajipur district),Bangla and Magadhi (Magahi) are the major languages spoken in Bihar.
Bihar has produced a number of writers of Hindi, including Raja Radhika Raman Singh, Shiva Pujan Sahay, Divakar Prasad Vidyarthy, Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar', Ram Briksh Benipuri, Phanishwar Nath 'Renu', Gopal Singh "Nepali" and Baba Nagarjun. Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan, the great writer and Buddhist scholar, was born in U.P. but spent his life in the land of Lord Buddha, i.e., Bihar. Hrishikesh Sulabh is the prominent writer of the new generation. He is short story writer, playwright and theatre critic. Arun Kamal and Aalok Dhanwa are the well-known poets. Different regional languages also have produced some prominent poets and authors.
Bihar lies in the very fertile Indo-Gangetic Plain. Culturally, it is a part of the Bhojpuri heartland of India. Bihar is also the birth place of the first president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad and legendary freedom fighters like Babu Kunwar Singh, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, Dr. Sri Krishna Sigh and Maulana Mazharul Haque.
Previously, there were a few half hearted attempts to industrialize the state: an oil refinery in Barauni, a motor scooter plant at Fatuha, and a power plant at Muzaffarpur. However, no sustained effort had been made in this direction, and there was little success in its industrialization. Historically, sugar and vegetable oil were flourishing industries of Bihar. Until the mid fifties, 25% of India's sugar output was from Bihar. Dalmianagar was a large agro - industrial town. However, these were forced to shut down due to faulty central policy which neutralized the strategic advantages of Bihar.
2008: NDA government stablises the economy, $10 Billion of Investment cleared. Huge growth in Small Industries. Power plant to open in southern Bihar. Bihar GSDP is $20 billion, with a growth of 16% GDP in 2006-2007 according to the state economic survey.
Aug-Sep:- Kosi's Tragedy :- Kosi river basin in Bihar is facing tragedy due to ignorance of Government of India and Government of Bihar. It is man made disaster. The barrage on the Kosi river, was built under 1954 Indo-Nepal Treaty. The responsibility for maintenance of the barrage is the Government's of India.
With its historical past, there are many tourist destinations especially pilgrim centres in the state like Patna, Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Vaishali and ruins of the the world famous, ancient university of Nalanda etc. The best time to visit is from October to March.