Capital : Patna

Language : Hindi ( Bihari dialect)

Area : 173877 Sq. km.

Tourist season :Winters and Spring

Population : (2001 Census) Provisional :-. Total. 8,28,78,796.
Literacy Rate : 38.5%

Of all India’s states, Bihar is the one most intimately linked to the Buddha’s life, resulting in a trail of pilgrimages which have come to be known as the Buddhist circuit. The very name Bihar is derived from the world ’vihara’, which means Buddhist monastery. The Buddhist trail begins at the capital city, Patna, where a noteworthy museum contains a collection of Hindu and Buddhist sculptures. To the south of Patna is Nalanda which translates as ’the place that confers the lotus’ (of spiritual knowledge). A monastic university flourished here from the 5th to the 11th century. Rajgir, ‘the royal palace’, was the venue for the first Buddhist Council. The Buddha spent five years at Rajgir after having attained enlightenment, and many of the remains at Rajgir commemorate various incidents. Bodhgaya is the spot where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, with the Mahabodhi Temple marking the precise location.

With river Ganges flowing through this state, it is divided into two stunningly different physical regions - the northern fertile plains and the southern Chotanagpur plateau which accounts for 40% of India's mineral wealth - country's largest producer of coal and world's chief supplier of mica. Bihar has many interesting tour destinations.

Bihar is situated in the eastern part of India with the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal to its north and the states of Orissa, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh flanking its sides. It is today home of more than 90 million Indians. The state is endowed with an enviable mineral resources base, has some of the finest industries, is country's one of the largest producers of fruit and the second largest producer of vegetables. However, this rich state in terms of natural and human resources and the second most populous in the country has been slow to harness its natural and human resources for the development of the state and its people.

This state which gave the nation the first President of the Indian Republic, Dr Rajendra Prasad is taking slow but confident steps to join the mainstream of economic growth and occupy its rightful place in the country's economy in the next millenium.

CULTURE :

Bihari culture is based largely on ancient Aryan Hindu elements. Rural Chota Nagpur has retained much of its aboriginal way of life. Places of religious and cultural interest abound in the plains. Nalanda is the seat of the ancient and celebrated Nalanda Buddhist monastic university. The Chhau dance, a tribute to Bihar's cultural folk traditions follows classical modes as detailed in the ancient treatises. In this, therefore three main elements of the classical dance, namely Raga or melody, Bhava or mood, tala or rhythmic timing are found.

The state has a humid subtropical monsoon climate, with three well-defined seasons: the cool season, from November to February; the hot season, from March to mid-June; and the rainy season, from mid-June through October. Temperatures in December and January fall to 5ºC and below, while those in May rise above 40º C. The state's mean annual rainfall is 1,270 mm. Best time to visit is October to March.