Nalanda district is one of the thirty-eight

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

of the state of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

in India. Bihar Sharif is the administrative headquarters of this district. The districts contain the ancient

Nalanda Nalanda (, ) was a renowned ''mahavihara'' (Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.UNESCO World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

site. Nalanda is located in the Magadh region of southern Bihar.

History

Nalanda became a fully-fledged district when it was split from Gaya on 9 November 1972.

Geography

Nalanda district occupies an area of . The Phalgu, Mohane, Jirayan, and Kumbhari rivers flow through it. The district is a part of

Patna Division Patna Division is one of the nine administrative units of Bihar, a state in the east of India. Patna is the headquarters of the division. Established in 1829, it is one of the oldest divisions of the state. History of administrative districts ...

. Majority of the land in the district is fertile land of Indo Gangetic plane. In the extreme South, there lies the hills of Rajgir. There is also one small hillock in the district headquarters of Bihar Sharif.

Flora and fauna

In 1978 Nalanda district became home to the Pant Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajgir which has an area of .

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Nalanda district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 2,877,653, roughly equal to the nation of

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...

or the US state of

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

. This gives it a ranking of 134th in India (out of a total of 640), and 18th in state. The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 21.18%. Nalanda has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species dev ...

of 921

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 66.41%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 21.12% and 0.05% of the population respectively. At the time of the

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Informatio ...

, 56.27% of the population in the district spoke

Magahi The Magahi language (), also known as Magadhi (), is a language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India, and in the Terai of Nepal. Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name deriv ...

, 37.28%

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

and 5.69%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Bihar Sharif, Rajgir, and

Hilsa The ilish (''Tenualosa ilisha'') ( bn, ইলিশ, translit=iliś; also known as the ilishi, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food ...

), and 20

community development block In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of Tehsil, administratively earmarked for planning and development. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several techn ...

s ( Giriyak, Rahui,

Noorsarai Noorsarai is a small town in Nalanda district of Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh t ...

Harnaut Harnaut "हरनौत" is a city in the Nalanda District of Bihar, India, and the entrance city of Nalanda. The Hindu, Buddhist and Jain pilgrim centres of Nalanda, Pawapuri, Rajgir, Bodh Gaya and Vaishali are all near Harnaut. The incumben ...

Chandi Chandi ( sa, चण्डी, ) or Chandika () is a Hindu deity. Chandika is another form of Mahadevi, similar to Durga. Chandika is a powerful form of Mahadevi who manifested to destroy evil. She is also known as ''Kaushiki'', '' Katyayan ...

, Islampur, Rajgir,

Asthawan Asthawan is one of the 20 blocks located in Nalanda district in rural Bihar. According to the administration register, the block code of Asthawan is 373. History In December 2020 Asthawan approved as Nagar Panchayat by Bihar Government Population ...

Sarmera Sarmera is a town and a block in Nalanda district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is located 110 km east of Patna and is on the National Highway NH33 (linking Arwal to Mokameh and passes through Bihar Sharif) and State Highway SH78 (Bihta ...

, Biharsharif,

Ekangarsarai Ekangarsarai is a census town and corresponding community development block in Nalanda district of Bihar state, India. As of 2011, its population was 6,672. Geography It is located at at an elevation of 55 m above MSL. This small city is ve ...

, Bena, Nagarnausa, Karai Parsurai,

Silao Silao (), officially Silao de la Victoria, is a city in the west-central part of the state of Guanajuato in Mexico. It is the seat of the municipality with the same name. As of the 2005 census, the city had a population of 147,123, making it th ...

, Parwalpur, Katrisarai, Bind, and Tharthari).

Status

Nalanda district is fast developing and the ruins of the ancient Nalanda University or UNESCO Nalanda Archaeological Site attracts tourists from all over the world driving the local economy.

Economy

Agriculture is the backbone of the economy, with the majority of the population engaged in agriculture. Rice, wheat, maize, pulses, potato, fruits, and vegetables are the main crops. A newly setup

Ordnance Factory Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), consisting of the Indian Ordnance Factories, now known as Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services) was an organisation, under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) of Ministry of Defence (MoD), Gover ...

, one of the 41 Indian Ordnance Factories has been set up by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

to manufacture artillery shells at Nalanda by the then Defence Minister Shri George Fernandes. Then there is the railway coach maintenance plant at Harnaut Block of Nalanda. Tourism is well developed, with lakhs of people flocking at ruins of Nalanda University, Rajgir and Pawapuri. Rajgir was the first capital of Magadh Empire. Buddha had spent years at this place. Surrounded by five hills, it has got scenic views. Pawapuri, the Nirwana place of Mahavir, is holy place for the Jains. In 2006 the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj looks into all matters relating to the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The ministry is headed by a ...

named Nalanda one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 36 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Notable people

* Kalim Ajiz, a Padma Shri recipient and Urdu writer * Satyadev Narayan Arya, politician and Governor of Haryana *

Abdul Qavi Desnavi Abdul Qavi Desnavi (1 November 1930 – 7 July 2011) was an Indian Urdu language writer, critic, bibliographer and linguist. He wrote many books on Urdu literature. His works included about Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Mirza Ghalib and Allama Mu ...

, Urdu language writer, critic, Bibliographer, and linguist. * Nawal Kishore Dhawal, a writer, poet, editor, and critic * Ganesh Dutt, administrator and educationalist *

Manazir Ahsan Gilani Manazir Ahsan Gilani (1 October 1892 – 5 June 1956) was an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar and former Dean of The Faculty of Theology in Osmania University. He wrote ''Tadwin-e-Hadith'', ''Muqaddama Tadwin-e-Fiqh'' and ''Sawanih Qasmi''. Muhammad ...

, a writer and Islamic scholar * Jabir Husain, politician * Abhay Kumar, a poet-diplomat *

Aditya Kumar Aditya Kumar is an Indian actor who acted in film '' Gangs of Wasseypur II''. Early life Aditya Kumar was born in Bihar Sharif, Nalanda district, Bihar, India.Kaushalendra Kumar, MP of Nalanda *

Nitish Kumar Nitish Kumar (born 1 March 1951) is an Indian politician, who is serving as Chief Minister of Bihar since 22 February 2015, having previous held the office from 2005 to 2014 and for a short period in 2000. The leader of the Janata Dal (Unit ...

, Chief Minister of Bihar and former MP from Nalanda *

Vikas Kumar Vikas Kumar (born 18 May 1977) is an Indian actor, producer and dialogue coach. He is known mainly for his performances as senior inspector Rajat in ''CID'', Abhay in ''Hamid'', Major Prem in '' Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran'', YRF TV's ''Khote ...

, actor * Sulaiman Nadvi, Islamic scholar, writer and Pakistani historian * Mrityunjay Prabhakar, theatre director and dramatist *

L. S. N. Prasad Lala Suraj Nandan Prasad (1914–2009) was an Indian pediatrician and a former professor of pediatrics of the Patna Medical College and Hospital whose efforts were reported behind the establishment of the department of pediatrics and the develo ...

, Indian paediatrician and Padma Shri recipient * Siddheshwar Prasad, former MP and served as Governor of Tripura * Pramod Ranjan, journalist *

Abul Muhasin Muhammad Sajjad Abul Muhasin Muhammad Sajjad (1880 – 23 November 1940) was an Indian Islamic scholar who was one of the most influential ulemas of the 20th century. Sajjad was a founder of Anjuman-Ulama-i-Bihar, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, and Imarat-i-Sharia. A l ...

, Islamic scholar, political activist and politician *

Syed Mohammed Saeed Raza Syed Mohammed Saeed Raza (1890 – 1963) was a Muslim professor and scholar. Early life and family Raza was born in Desna, Bihar, a village . He belonged to a family of scholars and well-educated landowners. His father, Hakim Syed Liaqat Hussi ...

, a Muslim scholar and professor * Brahmadeo Narayan Singh, singer *

Ramchandra Prasad Singh Ram Chandra Prasad Singh (born 6 July 1958) is an Indian politician and former national president of Janata Dal (United). He is also a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Bihar from 2010 to 2022. He was a Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer ...

, Member of Rajya Sabha and former IAS officer * Veer Pratap Singh, Cricketer * Tarkeshwari Sinha, politician * Hari Uppal, founder of Bhartiya Nritya Kala Mandir and a Padma Shri recipient * Vijay Kumar Yadav, Ex- MP from Nalanda

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 25, 12, 00, N, 85, 31, 12, E, region:IN-BR_type:adm2nd_source:kolossus-nowiki, display=title Patna division Districts of Bihar