The best-known ancient name of Bihar is Magadha, the kingdom of south Bihar whose capital, Pataliputra (modern Patna), ruled most of India under the Mauryas. North Bihar was Videha or Mithila, the area around Vaishali was the Vajji (Vrijji) republic, and east Bihar was Anga. The name “Bihar” itself comes from vihara, a Buddhist monastery.
The modern state was created on 22 March 1912, when the province of Bihar and Orissa was separated from Bengal; the date is celebrated every year as Bihar Diwas. This page puts the facts BPSC asks about most in one place: the ancient names, how the state took shape, who ruled it, its firsts and symbols, and the key numbers, with a 25-question quiz at the end.
Bihar at a glance
| Capital | Patna (capital of the province since 1912) |
|---|---|
| Formed | 22 March 1912, as the province of Bihar and Orissa (the order took effect on 1 April 1912) |
| Present boundaries | Since 15 November 2000, when Jharkhand was carved out |
| Area | 94,163 sq km, 12th among India’s 28 states |
| Population (Census 2011) | 10,40,99,452, third after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra |
| Density, sex ratio, literacy (2011) | 1,106 per sq km (highest of any state); 918 women per 1,000 men; 61.80 per cent |
| Administration | 9 divisions, 38 districts, 101 subdivisions, 534 blocks |
| Legislature and Parliament | Vidhan Sabha 243 seats, Vidhan Parishad 75; Lok Sabha 40, Rajya Sabha 16 |
| High Court | Patna High Court, which began work on 1 March 1916 |
| Official languages | Hindi; Urdu is the second official language |
| Neighbours | Nepal to the north, West Bengal to the east, Jharkhand to the south, Uttar Pradesh to the west |
Ancient names of Bihar
Bihar had no single name in ancient times. Different regions of the present state carried the names of the kingdoms and peoples who lived there. Three of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (Magadha, Anga and Vajji) lay in Bihar.
| Ancient name | Region of present-day Bihar | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|
| Magadha | South of the Ganga: the Patna, Gaya and Nalanda area | The kingdom that grew into India’s first great empire; first capital Rajagriha (Rajgir), later Pataliputra |
| Videha / Mithila | North Bihar between the Gandak and the Kosi rivers (Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and nearby districts), with the Nepal Tarai | Late Vedic kingdom of the Janaka kings; Sita’s homeland in the Ramayana |
| Vajji (Vrijji) / Vaishali | North-west Bihar around Vaishali, north of Patna | A confederacy of clans led by the Licchavis, often called one of the first republics in history; birthplace of Mahavira |
| Anga | East Bihar: the Bhagalpur and Munger area | Capital Champa near Bhagalpur; annexed to Magadha by Bimbisara |
| Kikata | Often identified with Magadha or the Gaya area | A people named in the Rigveda; the identification is disputed by scholars |
Old names of Patna
| Name | When and why |
|---|---|
| Pataligrama | The village where Ajatashatru built a fort near the Ganga in the 5th century BCE |
| Pataliputra | The city that grew from it; Ajatashatru’s son Udayin made it the capital of Magadha |
| Kusumpur, Pushpapur | Sanskrit names meaning “city of flowers” |
| Palibothra | The name used by the Greek envoy Megasthenes |
| Azimabad | Given by the Mughal prince Azim-us-Shan, governor from about 1703 |
| Patna | The modern name; Sher Shah Suri refounded the city in 1541 and moved the provincial headquarters here from Bihar Sharif |
For the sixteen kingdoms and their capitals, see the 16 Mahajanapadas, with the Vajji republic, Magadha and Anga.
How Bihar got its name
“Bihar” comes from the Sanskrit and Pali word vihara, a Buddhist monastery. The region had so many monasteries that the word stuck to a town and then to the whole province:
- The town of Bihar. The great monastery-university of Odantapuri, founded by the Pala king Gopala in the 8th century, stood at the town now called Bihar Sharif in Nalanda district.
- The Turkish conquest. Around 1193 to 1200 (sources differ on the year), Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji captured the fortified monastery. The Persian chronicler Minhaj-i-Siraj wrote in the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri that the fortress turned out to be a college, which the local people called a bihar.
- From town to province. Bihar Sharif became the seat of the Muslim governors, and under Turkish and Sultanate rule the town’s name spread to the province it governed. Sher Shah Suri moved the headquarters to Patna in 1541; the province kept the name Bihar.
How modern Bihar was formed
For almost 150 years after the East India Company took the Diwani in 1765, Bihar was part of the Bengal Presidency, governed from Calcutta. A campaign by Bihar’s educated class, through newspapers such as The Bihar Times and provincial conferences from 1908, won it a separate province.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 12 December 1911 | At the Delhi Durbar, King George V announces a separate province of Bihar and Orissa, with Patna as its headquarters |
| 22 March 1912 | The province of Bihar and Orissa is created (the order takes effect on 1 April 1912); Sir Charles Stuart Bayley is the first Lieutenant-Governor |
| 20 January 1913 | First sitting of the Legislative Council (43 members) at Bankipore, Patna |
| 1 March 1916 | Patna High Court begins work |
| 1 April 1936 | Orissa becomes a separate province under the Government of India Act, 1935; Bihar gets a two-house legislature |
| 1937 | First elected ministries: Mohammad Yunus (April to July), then Shri Krishna Sinha from 20 July |
| 15 August 1947 | Jairamdas Daulatram becomes the first Governor of Bihar after independence |
| 15 November 2000 | Jharkhand is carved out of south Bihar under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 |
| 22 March 2010 | The state celebrates Bihar Diwas for the first time, under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar; 2026 was the 114th Bihar Diwas |
Who is the founder of Bihar?
Bihar has no single founder. The campaign that created the province in 1912 was led by Dr Sachchidananda Sinha, a barrister from Arrah who backed The Bihar Times from 1894, with Mahesh Narayan, the paper’s editor, and Syed Ali Imam, who presided over the first Bihar Provincial Conference in 1908. Sinha is remembered as the architect of modern Bihar for this work; he later became the interim President of the Constituent Assembly in December 1946. Shri Krishna Sinha, the first Chief Minister, is also called an architect of modern Bihar, for the state’s development after independence.
In the ancient sense, the legendary Brihadratha is named as the first known ruler of Magadha, Bimbisara founded its first historical dynasty, the Haryanka, and Udayin made Pataliputra its capital.
Who ruled Bihar: from Magadha to the British
All dates are approximate, and ancient dates differ by a few years between sources. For the founders, capitals and religious patronage of the ancient dynasties in detail, see dynasties and kings of ancient Bihar.
| Period | Dynasty or power | Key rulers | Seat of power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legendary | Brihadratha | Brihadratha, Jarasandha | Girivraja (Rajgir) |
| c. 544–413 BCE | Haryanka | Bimbisara (founder), Ajatashatru, Udayin | Rajagriha, then Pataliputra |
| c. 413–345 BCE | Shishunaga | Shishunaga, Kalashoka | Rajgir and Vaishali, then Pataliputra |
| c. 345–322 BCE | Nanda | Mahapadma Nanda, Dhana Nanda | Pataliputra |
| c. 321–185 BCE | Maurya | Chandragupta, Bindusara, Ashoka | Pataliputra |
| c. 185–73 BCE | Shunga | Pushyamitra, Agnimitra | Pataliputra and Vidisha |
| c. 73–28 BCE | Kanva | Vasudeva Kanva | Pataliputra |
| c. 320–550 CE | Gupta | Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, Chandragupta II, Kumaragupta I | Pataliputra |
| c. 750–1200 CE | Pala | Gopala, Dharmapala, Devapala, Ramapala | Several capitals, including Munger |
| 1097–1324 | Karnat dynasty of Mithila | Nanyadeva (founder), Harisimhadeva | Simraungadh; Darbhanga |
| c. 1200 onward | Turkish and Sultanate governors | Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji (conquest) | Bihar Sharif |
| c. 1325–1526 | Oiniwar dynasty of Mithila | Kameshwar Thakur (founder), Shiva Simha (patron of Vidyapati) | Mithila |
| 1540–1556 | Sur dynasty | Sher Shah Suri, born and buried at Sasaram | Sasaram, then Delhi |
| c. 1575–1733 | Mughal subah of Bihar | Mughal governors, including Prince Azim-us-Shan | Patna (Azimabad) |
| 1733–1764 | Nawabs of Bengal | Ruled through deputy governors at Patna | Murshidabad; Patna |
| 1764–1947 | East India Company, then the British Crown | Battle of Buxar (22 October 1764); Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (12 August 1765) | Calcutta until 1912, then Patna |
Firsts of Bihar
| First | Name |
|---|---|
| First Lieutenant-Governor of Bihar and Orissa (1912) | Sir Charles Stuart Bayley |
| First Governor of Bihar and Orissa (1920–21) | Lord S. P. Sinha, the first Indian to govern a province |
| First Governor of Bihar after independence (1947) | Jairamdas Daulatram |
| First Premier (1937) | Mohammad Yunus, who led a short interim ministry |
| First Chief Minister | Shri Krishna Sinha (“Sri Babu”, “Bihar Kesari”), head of government 1946–1961 and Premier in 1937–39 |
| First Deputy Chief Minister | Anugrah Narayan Sinha (“Bihar Vibhuti”), 1946–1957 |
| First woman Chief Minister | Rabri Devi, sworn in on 25 July 1997 |
| First Speaker of the Assembly (1937) | Ram Dayalu Singh |
| First Chief Justice of Patna High Court | Sir Edward Maynard Des Champs Chamier |
| First President of India, from Bihar | Dr Rajendra Prasad, born at Ziradei (Siwan) in 1884; President 1950–1962 |
Bihar’s firsts for India
- Vaishali, seat of the Vajji confederacy, is described as possibly the first republic known in history.
- Nalanda Mahavihara is the most ancient university of the Indian subcontinent; it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016.
- Three of the four great Buddhist councils met in Bihar: at Rajgir, Vaishali and Pataliputra (the third under Ashoka). See Buddhism and Jainism in Bihar.
- The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2002); the first temple there was built by Ashoka.
- The Maurya Empire, ruled from Pataliputra, was the first empire to unite most of the subcontinent.
- Champaran (1917) was Gandhi’s first satyagraha in India.
State symbols of Bihar
No Bihar government page lists the state symbols, and BPSC guides disagree on two of them. The table follows the Wildlife Institute of India’s 2017 compilation of state symbols, the most authoritative list available, and notes the other answers you will meet.
| Symbol | Bihar | Note |
|---|---|---|
| State animal | Gaur (Indian bison) | Some guides give the bull |
| State bird | House sparrow (gauraiya) | Announced in January 2013 |
| State tree | Peepal | – |
| State flower | Marigold (genda) | Some guides give kachnar |
| State fish | Mangur (walking catfish) | Listed by coaching sources; not found on a government list |
| Emblem | A Bodhi tree between two swastikas, on a base with “Bihar” written in Urdu | – |
| State song | “Mere Bharat Ke Kanth Haar”, written by Satya Narayan | Adopted in March 2012, the centenary year |
| State prayer | “Mere Raftar Pe Sooraj Ki Kirnen”, written by M. R. Chishti | Adopted in March 2012 |
Divisions of Bihar
The 38 districts are grouped into 9 divisions:
| Division | Headquarters |
|---|---|
| Patna | Patna |
| Magadh | Gaya |
| Tirhut | Muzaffarpur |
| Saran | Chhapra |
| Darbhanga | Darbhanga |
| Kosi | Saharsa |
| Purnia | Purnia |
| Bhagalpur | Bhagalpur |
| Munger | Munger |
Bihar at a glance quiz: 25 MCQs
Test yourself on this page. The quiz is scored the way BPSC scores the OMR sheet. For more practice, try the Bihar special mock test (100 Bihar GK questions) and the Bihar history previous-year questions.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient name of Bihar?
Bihar had several ancient names for its different regions. South Bihar was Magadha, with its capitals at Rajagriha and Pataliputra; north Bihar was Videha or Mithila; the Vaishali area was the Vajji (Vrijji) republic; and east Bihar was Anga. Magadha is the name most often given as the ancient name of Bihar.
Who is the founder of Bihar?
Bihar has no single founder. Dr Sachchidananda Sinha, with Mahesh Narayan and Syed Ali Imam, led the campaign that created the province of Bihar and Orissa in 1912, and Sinha is remembered as the architect of modern Bihar. Shri Krishna Sinha, the first Chief Minister, is credited with building the state after independence.
When is Bihar Diwas celebrated?
Bihar Diwas is celebrated on 22 March, the date in 1912 when the province of Bihar and Orissa was created. The state first celebrated it in 2010, and 22 March is a state holiday.
When was Jharkhand separated from Bihar?
Jharkhand was carved out of south Bihar on 15 November 2000, under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000.
Related pages
- Bihar in the Freedom Movement: organisations, leaders and key dates, 1857 to 1947
- BPSC previous year question papers, 56th to 71st, with answer keys
- BPSC exam pattern and syllabus 2026
- Vajjika League: capital, eight clans, government and fall to Magadha
- Dynasties and kings of ancient Bihar: founders and capitals
- 16 Mahajanapadas and their capitals
- Buddhism and Jainism in Bihar
- Veer Kunwar Singh and the Revolt of 1857 in Bihar
- Bihar in the Quit India Movement, 1942
- Bihar special mock test: 100 Bihar GK questions
Sources
Checked 26 October 2026. Where sources disagree on a date, the page gives the range or the official figure.
- Government of Bihar: About Bihar
- Government of Bihar: state profile
- Government of Bihar: Census 2011 population
- Bihar Vidhan Sabha: history
- Raj Bhavan Bihar: former Governors
- Patna High Court: history
- Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000
- All India Radio: 114th Bihar Diwas (2026)
- Britannica: Bihar, history
- Britannica: Odantapuri
- Britannica: Patna
- UNESCO: Nalanda Mahavihara
- UNESCO: Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya
- Wildlife Institute of India: state animals, birds, trees and flowers (2017)
- The Tribune: Bihar state song and prayer (23 March 2012)
Harsha