Bhagalpur district

This article is about the district. For its eponymous headquarters, see Bhagalpur.

Bhagalpur district
District of Bihar
An image of the Vikramshila ancient university
Location of Bhagalpur district in Bihar
Coordinates (Bhagalpur): 25°14′40″N 86°58′19″E / 25.24444°N 86.97194°E / 25.24444; 86.97194
Country India
State Bihar
DivisionBhagalpur
Established1765
HeadquartersBhagalpur
Government
 • Lok Sabha constituencies
 • Vidhan Sabha constituencies
Area
 • Total
2,569 km2 (992 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total
3,037,766
 • Density1,182/km2 (3,063/sq mi)
 • Urban
602,532
Demographics
 • Literacy63.14 per cent
 • Sex ratio880/1000
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Major highwaysNH 33, NH 31, NH 80
Average annual precipitation1166 mm
Websitebhagalpur.nic.in

Bhagalpur district (/ˈbɑːɡəlpʊər/) is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar, located in the southeastern region, with its administrative headquarters in the city of Bhagalpur. It is one of the oldest districts of Bihar.[2] It is a part of Bhagalpur Division.

Geography

Bhagalpur district occupies an area of 2,569 square kilometres (992 sq mi).[3][4] Located on the Ganga Plain, district is bounded to the north by Madhepura, Katihar, and Purnia districts, to the east by Jharkhand state, to the west by Khagaria district, and to the south by Banka district. The Ganga River flows through the district and its alluvial soil supports agriculture, with major crops including rice, wheat, corn, barley and sugarcane.[5]

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1901599,746—    
1911609,927+1.7%
1921569,075−6.7%
1931655,803+15.2%
1941749,465+14.3%
1951841,309+12.3%
19611,022,322+21.5%
19711,250,354+22.3%
19811,582,753+26.6%
19911,909,967+20.7%
20012,423,172+26.9%
20113,037,766+25.4%
source:[6]

Religion

By C.D. Block[7][8]

CD block Hinduism Islam Others
Naugachhia 89.75% 10.05% 0.20%
Gopalpur 93.75% 6.25% 0.10%
Ismailpur 96.23% 3.5% 0.43%
Bihpur 81.66% 17.98% 0.35%
Rangrachowk 89.64% 9.91% 0.45%
Jagdishpur 65.29% 33.92% 0.79%
Sanhaula 72.82% 26.6% 0.57%
Sabour 82.33% 17.47% 0.19%
Goradih 79.05% 20.40% 0.55%
Narayanpur 88.16% 11.69% 0.13%
Kahalgaon 89.61% 10.16% 0.33%
Sultanganj 90.17% 9.47% 0.46%
Pirpainti 82.86% 16.55% 0.59%
Kharik 87.26% 12.57% 0.17%
Shahkund 83.24% 16.35% 0.41%
Nathnagar 90.70% 9.17% 0.13%
Religions in Bhagalpur district (2011)[9]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 81.90%
Islam
 
 17.68%
Other or not stated
 
 0.42%

According to the 2011 census Bhagalpur district has a population of 3,037,766.[7] This gives it a ranking of 120th in India (out of a total of 640).[7] The district has a population density of 1,182 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,060/sq mi).[7] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 25.36%.[7] Bhagalpur has a sex ratio of 880 females for every 1000 males,[7] and a literacy rate of 63.14%. 19.83% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 10.49% and 2.21% of the population respectively.[7]

Languages

Languages of Bhagalpur district (2011)[10]
  1. 'Other' Hindi (62.9%)
  2. Hindi (23.4%)
  3. Urdu (10.3%)
  4. Bhojpuri (2.09%)
  5. Bengali (1.28%)

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 23.40% of the population in the district spoke Hindi, 10.29% Urdu and 2.09% Bhojpuri as their first language. 62.94% of the population spoke languages classified as 'Others' under Hindi on the census.[10]

The primary language used in the district is Angika.[11][12][13] Other chief languages include Hindi, Urdu and Bengali language.[14]

Politics

District No. Constituency Name Party Alliance Remarks
Bhagalpur 152 Bihpur Kumar Shailendra BJP NDA
153 Gopalpur Shailesh Kumar Mandal JD(U)
154 Pirpainti (SC) Murari Paswan BJP
155 Kahalgaon Shubhanand Mukesh JD(U)
156 Bhagalpur Rohit Pandey BJP
157 Sultanganj Lalit Narayan Mandal JD(U)
158 Nathnagar Mithun Yadav LJP(RV)

Economy

In 2006 the Indian government named Bhagalpur one of the country's 250 Rank 3 backward districts (out of a total of 640).[15] It is one of the 38 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[15]

A 1320MW Thermal Power Plant is going to establish at Pirapinti with a J.V of NHPC, Bihar State Power Generation Company (BSPGCL) and Nalanda Power Company, a subsidiary of RPG Groups.[16]

According to the Geological Survey of India, the coal reserve of 1366.75 metric ton has been discovered in Srinagar, Laxmipur, Mandar and Pirpainti block of Bhagalpur district. Bharat Coking Coal Limited is to start mining operations as of September 2019.[17][18]

Education

Autonomous institutions

Medical

Engineering College

University

Agriculture college

Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour

General Colleges

Polytechnic College

Schools

Flora and fauna

Flora

The floodplains of the Ganga and Kosi rivers shape much of the vegetation. Trees and plants commonly found include Ficus species, Dalbergia sissoo (Indian Rosewood), Acacia nilotica, palms (date palm), semal (silk cotton tree), mangoes, guava, litchi, citrus etc. Certain flowering plants, smaller shrubs, and species used in local horticulture and agriculture are present: banana, plantains.[19][20] Bhagalpur is famous for the Jardalu (Zardalu) Mango , a GI tagged Variety of Mango known for its unique light yellow skin , special aroma, golden pulp and sweet taste. [21]

Fauna

Birdlife is rich. Bhagalpur has several wetlands (Jagatpur Lake, Sonbarsa Ghatora Lake, Ganga Prasad Lake) which attract both resident and migratory birds. [22][23] During winters, many birds come from Trans-Himalayan, Central Asia, Siberia. The Greater Adjutant (locally called “Garuda”) (Leptoptilos dubius) is found breeding here. There is a rescue & rehab centre for it .[24] Its numbers have gone up over time, from ~78 in mid-2000s to over 500 in later years in this district. Its most active hotspot is Kadwa Diara in Naugachia . [25] In 1990 Bhagalpur district became home to the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, which is 50 km (31.1 mi) in length. It protects the endangered Ganges river dolphin, among other aquatic species (freshwater turtles, etc.)[26]

See also

Ghats in Bhagalpur

References

  1. ^ "District Census Handbook - Bhagalpur" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  2. ^ Government. "About District | Bhagalpur | India". Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  3. ^ Srivastava, Dayawanti, ed. (2010). "States and Union Territories: Bihar: Government". India 2010: A Reference Annual (54th ed.). New Delhi, India: Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India. pp. 1118–1119. ISBN 978-81-230-1617-7.
  4. ^ "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 18 February 1998. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2011. Obira 2,542km2
  5. ^ Cohen, Saul Bernard (2008). The Columbia Gazetteer of the World: A to G. Columbia University Press. p. 412. ISBN 978-0-231-14554-1. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Table – Aaya Decadal Variation in Population Since 1901: Bihar" (PDF). census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "District Census Handbook: Bhagalpur" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  8. ^ "Subdivision & Blocks | Bhagalpur Administration". Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Bihar". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Bihar". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  11. ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  12. ^ "language | Bhagalpur District, Government of Bihar | India". bhagalpur.nic.in. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  13. ^ Masica, Colin P. (9 September 1993). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Cambridge University Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-521-29944-2.
  14. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "Maithili: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  15. ^ a b Ministry of Panchayati Raj (8 September 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  16. ^ PTI (26 February 2014). "NHPC inks pact for 1,320-mw thermal plant in Bihar". www.millenniumpost.in. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  17. ^ "पटना : नौ जिलों में खनिज के संकेत, भागलपुर में शुरू होगी कोयले की खुदाई". Prabhat Khabar. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  18. ^ "BCCL to start mining operations in Bhagalpur district soon, says minister - Times of India". The Times of India. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  19. ^ Varma, Satyendra Kumar (1981). Flora of Bhagalpur: Dicotyledons. Today & Tomorrow's. ISBN 978-1-55528-031-4.
  20. ^ Verma, R. K.; Singh, H. N. P.; Thakur, A. K.; Kohli, S. J. (25 June 2020). "Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Bhagalpur Region". International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology. 8 (2): 216–222. doi:10.3126/ijasbt.v8i2.29577. ISSN 2091-2609.
  21. ^ Kole, Chittaranjan (27 March 2021). The Mango Genome. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-47829-2.
  22. ^ "Bhagalpur's Ghatora Wetland latest hotspot for migratory birds". The Times of India. 12 December 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Jagatpur wetland in Bhagalpur to be developed as a tourist hub, says DDC". The Times of India. 11 January 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  24. ^ "Bhagalpur rehabilitation centre saves 105 greater adjutant stork in 10 years". The Times of India. 14 February 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  25. ^ Large, Katie (12 January 2021). "Bihar farmers save the Greater Adjutant Stork". Dialogue Earth. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  26. ^ Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Bihar". Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
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