The creator of this presentation doesn't own the copyrights of the images used. In case you have created any image(s) featured in this presentation, please get in touch with and I will be happy to attribute your work. Thanks!

1. Welcome to Bihar…
MAHABODHI TEMPLE, BODHGAYA

2. I’m Bihar
2
I’m the history of India, I gave the world its
first Republic; I nourished Buddha to
enlightenment; I gave world its best
ancient university; My son Chanakya was
the father of Economics; Mahavir came
out of my womb to found Jainism; My
son Valmiki wrote Ramayan; the greatest
Epic Rishi Shushrut, the father of
surgery, lived on my soil; My son
Vatsayana wrote Kamasutra, the treatise
of love; My son Ashoka was the greatest
ruler of India; I gave birth to Aryabhatt,
the great ancient mathematician; My son
Dinkar is the national poet of India; I
gave India its first president; I’m the land
of festivals, I’m brotherhood, I’m
humility, I’m the past, I’m the future, I’m
opportunity, I’m revolution, I’m culture,
I’m heritage, I’m intellect, I’m farmer,
I’m power, I’m literature, I’m poetry, I’m
love, I’m heart, I’m soul, I’m global, I’m
inspiration, I’m freedom, I’m force, I’m
destiny, I’m Bihar, ...Come with your
dream I will make it a reality
Bihar Day - 22 March

3. History/a glorious past - inspires the coming
generations . But, it also sends a strong
message that “Anything which goes up,
Comes Down”. That’s the law of the nature.
3
Same is the case with Bihar.
Modern day India has conveniently forgotten that Bihar has a historical significance
in world history since ancient period.

4. Geography
4
 Upper northeast corner of India
and in the southern foothills of
the Himalaya Mountain Range,
touching Nepal
 One of the most notable features
of Bihar is its location in the
Indo-Gangetic Plain.
 This plain is very fertile, making
it ideal for an agrarian society.
Bihar Day - 22 March

5. Bihar- Ancient India
5
 Magadha Kingdom (capital –
Rajagriha or Rajgir) …..
Jarasandh
 Bihar – the name is derived
from “Vihara” – a land of
monasteries
 Ancient Bihar – Magadha
(capital- Pataliputra), was the
center of power, learning, and
culture in India for 1000 years
 Land of Mauryan empire (321-
185 BC; India’s first empire) ,
Buddhism & Jainism –
religion & revolution
Bihar Day - 22 March

6. Bihar- Ancient India
6
 First known republics in the
world, Licchavi, existed in the
region
 Lord Mahavira - born at
Vaishali - attained nirvana at
Pawapuri, near Rajgir (599–527
BCE)
 Enlightenment – Prince
Siddhartha Gautama becomes
Buddha – under Bodhi (pipal)
tree, in Bodh Gaya
Bihar Day - 22 March

7. Magadha Empire
7
 Haryanka dynasty (684–
413 BC) - Bimbisara
- Ajatashatru
 Nanda Dynasty (424-321
BC)
- Mahapadma Nanda
- Dhana Nanda
- Alexander invasion
 Maurya Empire (321-185
BC)
- Chanakya (Kautilya
/Vishnugupta) &
Chandragupta Maurya
- Ashoka the great (234-
198 BC)
The Nanda Empire at its greatest extent under
Bihar Day - 22 March Dhana Nanda circa 323 BC.

8. Recorded History
8
“As for the Macedonians, however, their struggle with Porus
blunted their courage and stayed their further advance into
India. For having had all they could do to repulse an enemy who
mustered only twenty thousand infantry and two thousand
horse, they violently opposed Alexander when he insisted on
crossing the river Ganges also, the width of which, as they
learned, was thirty-two furlongs, its depth a hundred fathoms,
while its banks on the further side were covered with multitudes
of men-at-arms and horsemen and elephants. For they were told
that the kings of the Ganderites and Praesii were awaiting them
with eighty thousand horsemen, two hundred thousand footmen,
eight thousand chariots, and six thousand fighting elephants.”
– Greek sources
Bihar Day - 22 March

9. Maurya Empire
9
Chandragupta extended the borders of the Maurya
The Maurya Empire when it was first founded by Empire towards Seleucid Persia after defeating
Chandragupta Maurya circa 320 BCE, after conquering Seleucus circa 305 BCE.
the Nanda Empire when he was only about 20 years old.

10. Golden age of India
10
 Gupta Empire (320-550 CE)
- Chandragupta I,
Samudragupta, and
Chandragupta II, Kalidasa,
Aryabhata, Varahamihira,
Vishnu Sharma and
Vatsyayana
 The time of the Gupta Empire
was an "Indian Golden Age" in
Indian science, technology,
engineering, art, dialectic,
literature, logic, mathematics,
astronomy, religion and
philosophy
The Ajanta paintings were made
during the Gupta period

11. Chandashoka -> Devānāmpriya -> Ashoka the great
11
 His empire stretched from
present-day
Pakistan, Afghanistan and
eastern parts of Iran in the
west, to the present-day
Bangladesh and the Indian state
of Assam in the east, and as far
south as northern Kerala and
Andhra Pradesh
 Embraced Buddhism after
witnessing the mass deaths of
the Kalinga war
 Played a critical role in
establishing Buddhism as a
world religion
Ashoka’s Empire
Bihar Day - 22 March

12. Ashoka the Great
12
“In the history of the world there
have been thousands of kings
and emperors who called
themselves 'their highnesses,'
'their majesties,' and 'their
exalted majesties' and so on.
They shone for a brief
moment, and as quickly
disappeared. But Ashoka
shines and shines brightly like
a bright star, even unto this
day.”
--- H.G. Wells
Picture by Benjamin Simpson, 1860
Bihar Day - 22 March

13. Medieval period
13
 Bihar saw period of glory for about six years during the
rule of Sher Shah Suri (an Afgan), who hailed from
Sasaram.
 Built the longest road of the Indian subcontinent, the
Grand Trunk Road, which starts from Calcutta and ends
at Peshawar, Pakistan.
 The economic reforms carried out by Sher Shah, like the
introduction of Rupee and Custom Duties, is still used in
the Republic of India.
 The 10th and the last Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh
was born at Patna Sahib, Patna in 1666
Bihar Day - 22 March

14. Pre and Post Independence
14
 Babu Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur as well as countless other persons
from Bihar, contributed to the India's First War of Independence/
Sepoy Mutiny (1857).
 It was from Bihar that Mahatma Gandhi launched his pioneering civil-
disobedience movement, Champaran Satyagraha.
 Jayaprakash Narayan (JP or Loknayak) – Indian independence activist
and political leader, remembered especially for successfully leading the
opposition to Emergency (Indira Gandhi) in the 1970s and for giving a
call for peaceful Total Revolution.
Janta Dal – under JP’s guidance – became the first non-Congress
party to form a government at the centre.
Which area in Bangalore is named after him? Any guesses????
Bihar Day - 22 March

15. Polity
15
 Currently 2 main political formations
-- NDA
 Janata Dal (U) and Bharatiya Janata Party
-- Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
 Indian National Congress
Bihar Day - 22 March

16. Polity (cont’d)
16
 1990-1997 – Lalu Prasad Yadav
- Good start (lots of promises)
- Corruption charges forced his resignation but anointed
his wife CM (Puppet CM)
- 1997-2005 (Rabri Devi)
further deterioration of administration
- Voted out of power in 2005
The state of Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in the year 2000
 2005- till now – Nitish Kumar
- Hope, law & order improvement
- Good work: agriculture, education, industry, corruption
control, infrastructure
- On right track (so far) …..
Bihar Day - 22 March

17. Paintings of Mithila
17
 Madhubani painting is a style of Indian painting practiced in the
Mithila region of Bihar.
 Tradition states that this style of painting originated at the time of the
Ramayana, when King Janak commissioned artists to do paintings at
the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, to Lord Ram
Bihar Day - 22 March

18. Paintings of Mithila
18
Bihar Day - 22 March

19. Main Festivals
19
 Chhath
- Worship of Sun God
 Teej
- Worship of Goddess Parvati
 Shravani mela
(Baidyanathdham)
- Worship of Shiva
- Pilgrims, known as
Kanwarias, wear saffron colored
clothes - collect water from a
sacred Ghat at Sultanganj - walk
the 108 km stretch barefooted to
the town of Deoghar to bathe a
sacred Shiva Linga
Bihar Day - 22 March

20. Sonepur cattle fair
20
 The Sonepur cattle fair -
the largest cattle fair in
Asia - is a month long
event starting
approximately half a
month after Deepawali.
 It is held on the banks of
the Gandak River in the
town of Sonepur
Bihar Day - 22 March

21. Famous Personalities
21
 Ancient India: Valmiki, Aryabhatta, ChandraGupta Maurya, Asoka the
great, Chanakya, Panini, Vatsyayana
 Religion: Sita (Hinduism), Mahavira (Jainism), Gautam Buddha
(Buddhism), Guru Gobind Singh ji
 Poets/writers: Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Vidyapati, Ram Sharan (R. S.)
Sharma, Nagarjuna (Vaidya Nath Mishra), Ramavriksha Benipuri, George
Orwell
 Freedom Fighters/Politicians: Dr Rajendra Prasad, Jayaprakash Narayan
(JP), Jagjivan Ram, Karpoori Thakur, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, Yogendra
Shukla, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Baikuntha Shukla, Veer Kunwar
Singh, Yashwant Sinha, Lalu, Nitish Kumar
Bihar Day - 22 March

22. Bihar Day - 22 March 22

23. Bihar Day - 22 March 23

24. Famous tourist destinations
24
Gaya
 Gaya: ancient Hindu city
 Pitra Tarpan mela – The ritual
of offering oblations of water to
our ancestors is referred to as
Pitra Tarpan
 Gaya derives its name from the
mythological demon Gayasur
Bihar Day - 22 March

25. Famous tourist destinations
25
Bodhgaya
 Near the holy city of Gaya, the
Buddha attained
enlightenment.
 The tree that had sheltered him
came to be known as the Bodhi
tree and the place Bodhgaya.
 Today Bodhgaya, an important
place of pilgrimage, has a
number of monasteries, some
of them established by
Buddhists of Japan, Thailand,
Myanmar, Sri Lanka etc.
Bihar Day - 22 March

26. Bodhgaya
26
Bhutanese influenced Buddha image, Bhutanese Temple
This Bodhi tree is a direct descendant of the original Bodhi tree

27. Famous tourist destinations
27
Nalanda
 A great centre of Buddhist learning, Nalanda came into prominence around
the 5th century BC and was a flourishing university town with over ten
thousand scholars and an extensive library
 Dharma Gunj (Mountain of Truth) or Dharmagañja (Treasury of Truth) -
library of Nalanda
 Was sacked by Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193; thousands of monks were burned alive
and the library continued to burn for several months
 Singapore, China, India, Japan, and other nations, announced a proposed
plan to restore and revive the ancient site as Nalanda International
University
Bihar Day - 22 March

28. Famous tourist destinations
28
 Patna: once called Patliputra the capital of Bihar, is among the world's
oldest capital cities with unbroken history of many centuries as
imperial metropolis of the Mauryas and Guptas imperial dynasties
 Vaishali: Vaishali was one of the earliest republics in the world (6th
century BC). It was here that Buddha preached his last sermon.
Vaishali, birthplace of Lord Mahavira is also Sacred to Jains.
 Rajgir: Rajgir, 19 kms from Nalanda, was the ancient capital of
Magadha Empire. Lord Buddha often visited the monastery here to
meditate and to preach. Rajgir is also a place sacred to the Jains, Since
Lord Mahavira spent many years here.
 Pawapuri: In Pawapuri, or Apapuri, 38 kilometres from Rajgir and 90,
all sins end for a devout Jain. Lord Mahavira, the final tirthankar and
founder of Jainism, breathed his last at this place.
Bihar Day - 22 March

29. City of Patna
29
Patna Museum
Har Mandir Takht – One Of The Four Sacred Shrines Of The Sikhs
Mahatma Gandhi Setu
– One of the longest river bridges
in the world
Golghar

30. Famous tourist destinations
30
Bihar Day - 22 March

31. Cinema – Bhojpuri film industry
31
 Bihar has a vibrant cinema audience for Bhojpuri language
 Ganga Jamuna (1961) – first Bhojpuri movie
 Many stars of mainstream Bollywood cinema, including Amitabh
Bachchan, have worked in Bhojpuri films
 Some all-time favorites: Lagi nahin chute ram; Nadiya Ke Paar; Ganga
Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo; Mai
 Few must watch Bollywood movies: Nadiya ke par, Shool, Ramji
Landonwaley, Apharan, Gangajal
 Aarakshan (by Prakash Jha) – coming soon….
Bihar Day - 22 March

32. Education
32
 Historically, Bihar has been a major centre of learning, home to the
ancient universities of Nalanda (established in 450 CE) and
Vikramshila (established in 783 AD).
 After independence Bihar lost the pace in terms of establishing a centre
of education. Modern Bihar has inadequate educational infrastructure
creating a huge mismatch between demand and supply
 Revival: Science College, BIT Mesra, IIT, NIT, NIFT Patna, National
Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER); Indira
Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences; Chanakya National Law
University a law university and Chandragupt Institute of Management
a management institute was established in later half of 2008.
 The All India Institute of MedicalSciences (AIIMS) in Patna may
become functional by April 2012
Bihar Day - 22 March

33. Bihar: A land of Immense
Opportunities for Agro and Food
Processing

34. Potential for Agro and Food Processing
Paddy: 50 lacs MT produced in an area of 40 lacs
Ha
Maize: 20 lacs MT produced in an area of 7 lacs
Ha
Vegetables: Third largest producer, approx 130
Lacs MT
Fruits: Seventh Largest produces, approx 30 lacs
MT
Unique products: Litchi and Makhana

35. Opportunities for rice-based
industries
35
 Modern Rice Mills
 Some famous fine varieties: Katarani, Sona Chood
 Thriving milling industry in Rohtas, Buxar, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Bhojpur
 Bihar is one of the largest markets for milled rice
 Current milling capacity in the state not enough to meet the demand
 Husk Based Power Plants
 Large quantity of Paddy production
 Productivity of Bhabhua one of the highest in India – 3.11t/ha

36. Fruits & Vegetable Based Processing
36
 Litchi Processing
 Bihar produces 75% of the litchi in the country
 Highly perishable fruit, processing center should be close to
production
 Shahi litchi flavour is absent outside the Muzaffarpur litchi cluster
 Only 5000 MT of processing capacity in Bihar, not even 5 % of
estimated production
 Litchi producing area well connected by road and rail
 Other Fruits and Vegetable Processing
 Banana ripening and processing: About 10 lacs MT production in
Vaishali and Bhagalpur region
 Makhana: 20, 000 MT of production in districts like Darbhanga,
Madhubani, Purnea and Katihar

37. Jute Processing
37
 State is a major jute producing region
 Accounts for 13 % of jute production, second after WB
 Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar, Supaul and Madhepura
major jute producing districts
 A comprehensive business plan needed for balanced growth of the
sector
 Processing is identified as a weakness, less than 5 % processed in
State
 State Offers immense opportunities for setting up of facilities
Value added products, diversified jute products etc.
 One Jute park under PPP mode coming up in Purnea with an
estimated investment of Rs.125 crores

38. Sugar Sector Prospects
38
 Traditionally State has been an important sugar producing region
 State Government trying to revive 19 closed sugar mills
 Reliance and HPCL among Bidders awarded mills for revival in the
first phase
 Fresh bids being invited for other mills
 Ethanol production to be focus of new investment plans

39. Future…
39
 Nothing is constant in this world, be that high or low, Sun always rises
after sunset and a every night is the indication of a coming day. Does
that mean that dark, cloudy and gloomy days of Bihar will also be over?
The answer is yes-yes because it has all the means available at its end to
become a developed and industrialized state, be that of natural
resources, labor resources or intellectual manpower. It is just a matter
of time.
 In order to transform Bihar there has to be an over all participation.
Centre has to take the responsibility of granting the required fund for
the development and they have to set up a monitoring committee to see
that the policy, programmes, projects reaches its destination.
Bihar Day - 22 March

40. Future..
40
 State government must continue with the good work and approach.
They need to understand that development can also be used as a
political capital to generate votes and win election.
 People in turn have to realize that the world is changing fast, if they
wont respond to change and don’t discard the age old dogma of
casteism (responsibility lies with the youths) they will be left far behind
in isolation because castiest feelings will always act as major block in
development of the state.
Bihar Day - 22 March

41. Don't listen to what Suman says. Go see.
41
The Diamond throne (Vajrasana)– Bodhgaya
Bihar Day - 22 March