History of Bihar

Ancient

Bihar has a very rich history. It was called Magadha in ancient times. Its capital Patna, then known as Pataliputra, was the center of the Mauryan empire, which dominated the Indian subcontinent between 325 BC-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 one thousand years. Nalanda and Vikramshila Universities were the world class learning centres.

Religions Originated

Bihar is also the birthplace of many religions, including Buddhism and Jainism. Buddha attained Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, a town located in the modern day district of Gaya. Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, was born in Vaishali. The word “Bihar” has its origin in the Sanskrit word Vihara meaning Buddhist Monasteries. At one time these “viharas” were strewn all over the landscape of Bihar, around villages and cities.

Medieval

With the advent of foreign aggression and the eventual foreign subjugation of India, the position of Bihar also was adversely affected. Muhammad Bin Bakhtiar Khilji, a General of Muhammad Ghori captured Bihar in 12th century. 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 in Pakistan. During 1557-1576, Akbar, the Mughal emperor, annexed Bihar and Bengal to his empire and made Bihar a part of Bengal. With the decline of Mughals, Bihar passed under the control of the Nawabs of Bengal.

Modern

After the Battle of Buxar (1765), the British East India Company obtained the diwani rights (rights to administer and collect revenue, or tax administration / collection) for Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. From this point onwards, Bihar remained a part the Bengal Presidency of the British Raj until 1912, when Bihar was carved out as a separate province. In 1935, certain portions of Bihar were reorganised into the separate province of Orissa. Again, in 2000, 18 administrative districts of Bihar were separated to form the state of Jharkhand.

Babu Kunwar Singh of Sasaram and his army, as well as countless other persons from Bihar, contributed to the India’s First War of Independence (1857), also called the Sepoy Mutiny by some historians.

After his return from South Africa, 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. This movement by Mahatma Gandhi received the spontaneous support of a cross section of people, including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who ultimately became the first President of India.

Timelines

500 BCE – Foundation of world’s first republic in Vaishali.
560-480 BCE: Anga, Buddha
Before 325 BCE: Anga, Nanda clan in Magadha, Licchavis in Vaishali
325-185 BCE: Maurya Dynasty
250 BCE: 3rd Buddhist Council
185 BCE-80 CE: Sunga Dynasty
80 – 240: Regional kings
240 – 600: Gupta Dynasty
600 – 650: Harsha Vardhana
750 – 1200: Pala Dynasty
1200: Muhammad of Ghori’s army, destroys the universities at Nalanda and Vikramshila
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 remains “Bihar”, southern becomes Jharkhand