Bihar: Formation of the state

Bihar came under British control after the Battle of Buxar (1764) and was ruled from Calcutta as part of the Bengal Presidency. It was constituted as a separate province on 22 March 1912, with Patna as its capital. Orissa was separated in 1935, and on 15 November 2000 the southern part of Bihar became the state of Jharkhand.

British Takeover

• The Battle of Buxar was fought on 21 October 1764; after it the British effectively took control of Bihar.
• The East India Company's forces were led by Hector Munro.
• They fought the combined armies of Mir Qasim (Nawab of Bengal till 1764), Shuja-ud-Daula (Nawab of Awadh) and the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II.

Administration under the Company

• For most of British rule Bihar was ruled from Calcutta as part of the Bengal Presidency.
• The Company created the post of Deputy Governor to administer Bihar.
• Raja Ram Narayan and Shitab Roy played significant roles as Deputy Governors after Buxar.
• The Revenue Council of Patna was set up in 1770.
• In 1781 the post of Revenue Chief of Bihar was created to take its place.
• Under British rule Bihar, particularly Patna, became a significant hub for trade and learning.

Separate Province (1912)

• Bihar stayed part of the Bengal Presidency until the provinces of Bihar and Orissa were divided off in 1912.
• After the Delhi Durbar of 1911, attended by King George V, Bihar was constituted as a separate province on 22 March 1912.
• Patna was made the capital of the new province.
• Orissa later became a separate province under the Government of India Act of 1935, and Bihar became an administrative unit of British India.

After Independence

• Dr. Rajendra Prasad served as the first President of India from 26 January 1950 to 13 May 1962.
• Dr. Srikrishna Singh was Bihar's first Chief Minister.
• Under him the foundation for development was laid, including the abolition of zamindari and major infrastructure projects.
• In the state reorganization of 1956, parts of Purulia were transferred to West Bengal.
• In the 1970s, Jayaprakash Narayan led the call for Sampoorna Kranti against the Congress.
• This movement led to the formation of the Janata Party government after the Emergency.

Creation of Jharkhand (2000)

• On 15 November 2000, the southern part of Bihar was separated to form Jharkhand.
• Bihar lost most of its mineral resources and industrial areas as a result.

State Profile Today

• Formation: 22 March 1912; capital: Patna.
• Area: 94,163 km²; population in the state profile: 104,099,452.
• Districts: 38; divisions: 9; sub-divisions: 101; CD blocks: 534.
• Panchayats: 8,053; revenue villages: 45,858.
• Legislature: bicameral; High Court: Patna High Court.
• Official language: Hindi.
• Governor: Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.).
• Chief Minister: Samrat Choudhary; Deputy Chief Ministers: Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav.

Location in Brief

• Bihar lies in the eastern part of India and is entirely land-locked.
• It lies mid-way between West Bengal in the east and Uttar Pradesh in the west.
• The river Ganga divides the Bihar plain into two unequal halves, flowing west to east.