North Bihar

North Bihar is a term used for the region of Bihar, India, which lies north of the Ganga river.

• Naugachia

A sub-division in the Bhagalpur district, Naugachia is renowned for its banana farming and is affectionately termed the "Kelanchal" (Banana Valley) of Bihar.^[1]

• Purnia

Serving as the headquarters of the Purnia division and Purnia district, Purnia is the second-largest city in North Bihar by population. Known as "Mini Darjeeling" for its humid climate, it is also recognized as the "Gateway of North East India" due to its strategic location. National Highway 27 (NH 27) passes through the city, connecting the Northeast to the rest of India. Purnia Junction is a major railway hub, and the Gulabbagh Agriculture Market is Asia's largest maize market.^[2][3]

• Katihar

The headquarters of the Katihar district, Katihar is known for its jute production.^[4]

• Kishanganj

As the headquarters of the Kishanganj district, Kishanganj is the easternmost district of Bihar. A part of this district is known as the "Chicken Neck" region of India.^[5]

• Araria

The headquarters of the Araria district, Araria is connected to other parts of the state by National Highway 27 (Old NH57).^[6]

• Madhepura

Serving as the headquarters of the Madhepura district, Madhepura was carved out from the Saharsa district. It is a flood-prone district in the Kosi division.^[7]

• Supaul

The headquarters and chief town of the Supaul district, Supaul is set to host India's largest road bridge, which will share parts with the Madhubani district. The construction site is 6 to 8 miles away from Supaul. A bridge over the mighty Kosi River was built in 2012 near Nirmali in Supaul. After the inauguration of the Kosi Mega Bridge, the bridge, which was already part of the Eastern-Western Corridor, became operational, completing the 3,507 km-long Porbandar-Silchar highway and providing direct road connectivity to cities like Lucknow and Kanpur.^[8]

• Saharsa

The headquarters of the Saharsa district and the Kosi division, Saharsa is located in the Mithila region, one of the earliest centers of Brahminical civilization in India. It is the birthplace of many legends, including Mandana Misra,^[9] Laxminath Gosain (Babajee), and Ubhay Bharati.^{[10] [11][12]}

• Khagaria

The headquarters of the Khagaria district, Khagaria is situated at the confluence of two major rivers of North Bihar—the Ganges and the Kosi River.^[13]

• Begusarai

An industrial and financial hub, Begusarai serves as the headquarters of the Begusarai district. The towns of Barauni and Begusarai are key industrial centers in Bihar. Barauni is also one of the important railway junctions in the state. The region has been home to notable figures such as Ramdhari Singh Dinkar and Shri Krishna Sinha.^[14][15]

• Samastipur

The headquarters of the Samastipur district, Samastipur is home to the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, India's first-ever Imperial Agriculture Research Institute, located in Pusa.^[16]

• Darbhanga

The headquarters of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga division, Darbhanga is considered the cultural capital of Bihar. It is also referred to as the "Heart of Mithila." The city is home to the Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital and is set to host the second AIIMS hospital in the state.^[17][18]

• Madhubani

The headquarters of the Madhubani district, Madhubani is the heart of the Mithila region. Jainagar in the district connects North Bihar to Janakpur in Nepal’s Mithila region. The district is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, being the birthplace of several famous personalities and philosophers, including Udayana, Vidyapati, Pakshadhara Mishra and Vachaspati Mishra.^[19][20]

• Hajipur

The headquarters of the Vaishali district, Hajipur is located on the northern bank of the Ganges, opposite Patna on the southern bank. It serves as the headquarters of the East Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways.^[21]

• Muzaffarpur

The financial capital of North Bihar, Muzaffarpur is the headquarters of the Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division. The city is a major transportation hub, with key roadways (NH 27, NH 28, NH 57, NH 77, NH 102) and railways (Muzaffarpur-Hajipur, Muzaffarpur-Motihari, Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur-Samastipur) converging here.^[22]

• Sitamarhi

The headquarters of the Sitamarhi district, Sitamarhi holds Vedic significance as Sita is believed to have been unearthed here.^[23]

• Sheohar

The headquarters of the Sheohar district, Sheohar is the smallest district in North Bihar. It was carved out from the Sitamarhi district.^[24]

• Motihari

The headquarters of the East Champaran district, Motihari is historically significant as Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement there. The city is set to host a Central University, which would be the first nationalized university in North Bihar.^[25]

• Bettiah

The headquarters of the West Champaran district, Bettiah is the westernmost district of North Bihar and the northernmost district of Bihar state.^[26]

• Chhapra

The headquarters of the Saran district, Chhapra is an important city in Bihar.^[27]

• Siwan

The headquarters of the Siwan district, Siwan is a significant town in Bihar.^[28]

• Gopalganj

The headquarters of the Gopalganj district, Gopalganj is an important district in Bihar.^[29]

• Bhojpuri is predominantly spoken in West Champaran, East Champaran districts and Saran division.
• Maithili is spoken in Darbhanga division, Kosi division and in some parts of Purnia division.
• Surjapuri is spoken in Kishanganj and in some eastern parts of Purnia district and Katihar.
• Bajjika is Spoken in Muzaffarpur district, Vaishali, Sitamarhi, Samastipur & its Nearby Districts

Agriculture is the main economic activity of the region.

The industries have generated considerable employment and have also been helpful in establishing a number of small industries, including a few cottage industries. The most important item that is manufactured in Muzaffarpur city is the railway wagon. Barauni is the prominent industrial town of North Bihar, and Bihar state, having Barauni Refinery, Barauni Fertilizer, Barauni Carbons, a railway yard, and the Barauni thermal power station. Hajipur is also a new emerging industrial area due to its proximity with Patna leading to the development of an industrial area.

North Bihar was also home to majority of sugar production of Bihar and more than 20 sugar industries are located in Bihar but about a third of it is operational mostly in Champaran belt, Gopalganj, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, etc.^[30]

There are several rivers flowing through this region from north to south and merge in the Ganges river.^[31] These rivers, along with floods, bring fertile soil to the region on a yearly basis. However, sometimes government sponsored floods^[32] causes loss of thousands of lives. Major rivers of North Bihar are Mahananda, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati, Kamala, Balan, Budhi Gandak.^[33]

Since the beginning of human civilization, rivers have been an important part of human life. North Bihar has 7 major rivers and several tributaries to them. North Bihar districts are vulnerable to at least five major flood-causing rivers during the monsoon – Mahananda River, Koshi River, Bagmati River, Burhi Gandak River and Gandak – which originate in Nepal.^[34] All these rivers receive water from the Himalayas, so these rivers always have an adequate water supply. Every year, these rivers bring valuable floods for the people of North Bihar. Flood waters used to enter the agricultural land, leave their quite fertile silt and recede to the river. This pattern of humane flood was beneficial for North Bihar, making the land perfectly fertile. However, there are no more natural floods as of today.

Soon after independence, the Congress Government of Bihar made several attempts to domesticate these rivers. High barriers or Bandhs were made on their both banks. This resulted in inhumane and destructive floods. Bandhs caused deposition of silts in the bottom of rivers, because of which, depth of rivers decreased, and so their water holding capacity also decreased. This is the reason these rivers bring more frequent floods now. With flood water, sand comes in force and gets deposited on the land. This way the land of the region in turning barren. Floods, once a boon for North Bihar, has now become a curse.

The 2008 Kosi flood was one of the most disastrous floods in the history of North Bihar, an impoverished and densely populated region in India. A breach in the Kosi embankment near the Indo-Nepal border (at Kusha in Nepal) occurred on 18 August 2008. The river changed course and inundated areas which were not flooded in decades.^[36] The flood affected over 2.3 million people in North Bihar.^[37]

The flood killed 250 people and forced nearly 3 million people from their homes in North Bihar.^[38] More than 300,000 houses were destroyed and at least 340,000 hectares (840,000 acres) of crops were damaged.^[38] Villagers in North Bihar ate raw rice and flour mixed with polluted water. Hunger and disease were widespread. The Supaul district was the worst-hit; surging waters swamped 1,000 square kilometers (247,000 acres) of farmlands, destroying crops.^[39]

• 
  The Kosi before it flooded in August 2008
• 
  The Kosi during the August 2008 flood

The 2017 North Bihar Floods affected 19 districts of North Bihar causing death of 514 people.^{[40][41][42][43][44]} This flood was result of sudden increase in water discharge through the Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kamla, Kosi and Mahananda Rivers due to heavy rain in the catchment areas of the major rivers of north Bihar in Nepal.^[45] Araria district accounted for 95 deaths alone,^[46] followed by Sitamarhi (34), West Champaran (29), Katihar (26), East Champaran (19) while 22 have died in Madhubani, Supaul (13) and Madhepura (15). 11 deaths were reported in Kishanganj, while Darbhanga accounted for 19 deaths, Purnea (9), Gopalganj (9), Sheohar (4), Muzaffarpur (7), Samastipur (1) and Saharsa (4) registered four deaths each while Khagaria and Saran accounted for 7 deaths each. Nowadays, around 1.71 people on average are affected by floods alone.^{[47][48][49][50]}

• Bihar
• North India

• Tirhut
• North Bihar Archived 11 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine