Saharsa is a city and Municipal corporation in the Saharsa District in the eastern part of the state of Bihar, India. It is situated near the eastern banks of the

Kosi River The Kosi or Koshi ( ne, कोशी, , hi, कोसी, ) is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India. It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence o ...

. It serves as the administrative headquarters for Saharsa District and is also the Divisional Headquarter of the Kosi Division. The name ''Saharsa'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''Saharsha'' meaning 'laden with joy'. The city has a significant number of Maithili speakers. Alongside Maithili, Hindi is widely understood and spoken.

History

Saharsa is part of the

Mithila region Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothill ...

, which first gained prominence after settlement by Indo-Aryan tribes that established the

Mithila Kingdom Videha ( Prākrit: ; Pāli: ; Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The population of Videha, the Vaidehas, were initially organised into a monarchy but later ...

(also known as the Kingdom of the Videhas). During the late Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Videhas developed as one of the major political and cultural centres of South Asia, along with ''Kuru'' and ''Pañcāla''. The kings of the Videhas Kingdom were referred to as Janakas. The Videha Kingdom was later incorporated into the Vajjika League, which had its capital in the city Vaishali, which is also located in Mithila.

Economy

Agriculture

Paddy Plantations near Saharsa Town, Koshi Anchal, Bihar

It is a major producer of best quality of

Corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

and

Makhana ''Euryale ferox,'' commonly known as prickly waterlily, makhana or Gorgon plant, is a species of water lily found in southern and eastern Asia, and the only extant member of the genus ''Euryale''. The edible seeds, called fox nuts or ''makhan ...

in India. From Saharsa corn and Makhana are exported abroad countries like

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, France,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, England. Every year 2 lakhs tonnes of corn are exported to different countries and similarly Makhana also. The following crops are grown in the region;

, rice,

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

es, litchi, bamboo, mustard,

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

, wheat and

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

. Apple Ber,

Sagwan Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

or Teak Tectona Grandis trees are now grown on a large scale.

Air Transport

Darbhanga Airport is the nearest operational airport roughly 97 km away via road. Spicejet and Indigo is currently has any flights from Darbhanga to different metropolitan cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad.

Rajbiraj Airport Rajbiraj Airport is a domestic airport located in Rajbiraj serving Saptari District, a district in Madhesh Province in Nepal. After eleven years of complete shut down, the airport resumed its operations on 23 May 2018. The airport is used by ...

is the nearest operational airport roughly 102 km away and can be easily accessed via

Kunauli Kunauli is a town located in the Supaul (old Saharsa) district of Bihar, India on the border of Nepal's Saptari District. Koshi and Kunauli The Western Embankment Bank of Koshi Koshi or Kōshi may refer to: Places *Koshi River, a river in Nep ...

border cross. Shree Airlines operates daily flights between Rajbiraj and Kathmandu.

Geography

Saharsa is located at . It has an average elevation of 41 metres (134 feet). Saharsa and its surrounding areas occupy a flat

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...

forming part of the

Kosi KOSI (101.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Denver, Colorado. KOSI is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International and airs an adult contemporary music format. Its studios and offices are located on East Orchard Road in Greenwo ...

river basin. The city lies in the Kosi alluvial

megafan An alluvial megafan is a large cone or fan-shaped deposit built up by complex deposition patterns of stream flows originating from a single source point known as an apex. Megafans differ from Alluvial fans in their sheer size. Due to their larger s ...

, one of the largest alluvial fans in the world. The land is very fertile but frequent changes in the course of the Kosi, one of the largest tributaries of the Ganges, have led to the problems associated with soil erosion. Flooding is a major reason for the poor connectivity of the area; bridges are often washed away. Major flooding occurs almost annually, causing a significant loss of life and property.

Rivers

The

Koshi River The Kosi or Koshi ( ne, कोशी, , hi, कोसी, ) is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India. It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence ...

and its tributaries flood annually, affecting about 21,000 km2 (8,100 sq mi) of fertile agricultural lands and affecting the rural economy. This is the most devastating river of Bihar, earning it the epithet "Sorrow of Bihar". The Bagmati River regularly breaches its embankments and frequently changes its meandering courses. The annual rate of deposition of alluvium is very high.. The

Gandak River The Gandaki River, also known as the Narayani and the Gandak, is one of the major rivers in Nepal and a left bank tributary of the Ganges in India. Its total catchment area amounts to , most of it in Nepal. In the Nepal Himalayas, it is notabl ...

also flows through the southern part of Saharsa.

Demographics

In 2011, Saharsa had population of 1,897,102, of which male and female were 995,502 and 901,600 respectively. There was change of 25.79 percent in the population compared to population as per 2001. In the previous census of India 2001, Saharsa District recorded increase of 33.03 percent to its population compared to 1991. The initial provisional data suggest a density of 1,125 in 2011 compared to 895 of 2001. Total area under Saharsa district is of about . Average literacy rate of Saharsa in 2011 were 54.57 compared to 39.08 of 2001. Male and female literacy were 65.22 and 42.73 respectively. For 2001 census, the same figures stood at 51.66 and 25.27 in Saharsa District. Total literate in Saharsa District were 829,206 of which male and female were 521,560 and 307,646 respectively. In 2001, Saharsa District had 465,577 in its total region. The sex ratio in Saharsa stood at 906 female per 1000 male compared to 2001 census figure of 910. The average national sex ratio in India is 940 as per latest reports of Census 2011 Directorate.An official Census detail of Saharsa, a district of Bihar has been released by Directorate of Census Operations in Bihar. Enumeration of key persons was also done by census officials in Saharsa District of Bihar.

Communication links

is a railway station under the

East Central Railway The East Central Railway (abbreviated ECR) is one of the 19 Zones and divisions of Indian Railways, railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Hajipur and comprises Sonpur railway division, Sonpur, Samastipur railway division, Samastipur, ...

. Saharsa Junction covers up to , Forbesganj Station and . It is an A category railway station under Samastipur railway division. This railway junction has been certified as ISO:14001:2015 for environmental management. Saharsa Junction is one of the top 50 rail ticket booking station in India and top 3 rail ticket booking station in ECR. In early 2005, a much-awaited

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...

line connected it to Khagaria on the New Delhi- Guwahati main line. Earlier there was only a metre gauge line on the Khagaria – Mansi – Forbesganj section of the East Central Railway. Saharsa is directly connected to , , , , and via Train. Saharsa is well connected to the other parts of Bihar. Center government of India has selected Saharsa as the Highway hub of the state. Recently Central Government has approved 4 National Highway of four lanes and 1 six lane Expressway Saharsa - Purnia 4 lane Highway (NH107) Saharsa - Supaul 4 lane Highway (NH327E) Saharsa - Madhubani 4 lane Highway (NH527E) Gorakhpur - Siliguri 6 lane Expressway NH527E is having the longest River bridge of India. The Length bridge is 10 km. This Highway is also connects Saharsa to Paradip sea Port via Darbhanga, Samastipur, Barh, Hazaribagh, Keonjhar to Paradip sea port. Saharsa does not have an air transport service, though there is an airstrip reserved for government use. Darbhanga Airport is the nearest domestic airport roughly 88 km away by road. The city is also served by India Post. Its Postal Code is: 852201.

Educational Institutes

* Abhyuday International Schoo

* Snehi Sangeetalaya * ANSS High school saharsa (jail colony

*

Lord Buddha Koshi Medical College and Hospital Lord Buddha Koshi Medical College and Hospital is a medical college and hospital located in Saharsa, 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 ...

* Benevolent Global Public School * Buddha Public School * Creative Mind Residential School * CTE Saharsa * Darjeeling Public School * DAV Central School, Saharsa * Delhi Public School * Doon Public School * * East N West Teachers Training College * Eklavya Central School * Evening college * Global English Medium School * Green Field School * Indian High School saharsa * ITI Saharsa * Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya - JNV Saharsa * Jay Pratap Singh Public School * Kendriya Vidiyalaya Saharsa * Kid Care School, Saharsa Bihar * Manohar High School * Master Mind Public School* Govt. Girls High School * Middle School Sulindabad * मिलेनियम किड्स अकादमी स्कूल - शिवपुरी, सहरसा. * MLT College Saharsa * Mukami Mission Academy * R.M.M. Law College * Rachana Public School * Rajendra Mishra College * S M Carmel School * Sarvodaya Public School * Shanti Mission Academy * Shanti Niketan Shikshan Sansthan * S.R.M School * SNSRKS College * St Paul's School * St. Micheal Academy * St.Xavier * Tagore Residential School * Tuition Bureau * Vairagya International Public School * Vimal Bharti School * Zila Girls High School * Green Crescent Children's Academy * +2 Islamia High School * Zila Boys School Saharsa * Excellence Residential Academy * Mandan Bharti Agriculture College, Agwanpur Saharsa

Gallery

File:Broad Gauge Conversion near Rajwanshi Nagar, Saharsa.jpg, Broad Gauge Conversion near Rajwanshi Nagar, Saharsa File:Kosi Bridge at Baluwaha Ghat near Saharsa Town.jpg, Kosi Bridge at Baluwaha Ghat near Saharsa City File:Ugratara Shakti Peeth (Temple) in Mahishi, Near Saharsa Town.jpg, Ugratara Shakti Peeth (Temple) in Mahishi, Near Saharsa City File:Ugratara Devi Shakti Peeth, Mahishi, Near Saharsa Town.jpg, Ugratara Devi Shakti Peeth, Mahishi, Near Saharsa City File:Chandika Sthan Temple near Saharsa Town.jpg, Chandika Sthan Temple near Saharsa City File:Matsyagandha Temple in Saharsa Town.jpg, Matsyagandha Temple in Saharsa City

Notable people

Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal Babu Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal (25 August 1918 – 13 April 1982) was the chief of the Murho Estate and an Indian politician who chaired the Mandal Commission. Mandal came from a rich Yadav landlord family from Madhepura in Northern Bihar. H ...

, former Chief Minister of Bihar * Tarkishore Prasad, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar *

R. K. Singh Raj Kumar Singh (born 20 December 1952) is a former Indian bureaucrat and a current Union Cabinet Minister in the Government of India. He is a Member of the Indian Parliament for Arrah, Bihar, since May 2014. Singh is a 1975 batch Bihar ...

, Union Energy Minister of India *

Baldev Mishra Jyotishacharya Pandit Baldev Mishra was a prolific writer of Maithili literature in the 20th century who wrote extensively on several topics in his mother language Maithili. Besides Maithili, he also wrote few books in Hindi and Sanskrit co ...

writer *

Jamshedpur Gopeshwar Jamshedpur Gopeshwar (21 December 1921 – 23 May 2008), usually known simply as Gopeshwar, was an Indian trade unionist and politician. Gopeshwar was born in Rampur, in the Saharsa district, and studied at Patna University. He supported ...

, politician * Ulka Gupta, actress *

Mehboob Ali Kaiser Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser is an Indian politician and Member of Parliament from Khagaria (Lok Sabha constituency), Khagaria Lok Sabha Constituency. He started his political career from Indian National Congress. He was Member of Legislative As ...

, politician *

Rajkamal Choudhary Rajkamal Choudhary (1929–1967) (also spelled Rajkamal Chaudhary or Rajkamal Chaudhari) was an Indian poet, short story writer, novelist, critic and thinker in Maithili & Hindi languages. He was known as "a bold leader of new poetry" and write ...

writer * Girija Prasad Koirala, former prime minister of Nepal

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Mithila, India Cities and towns in Saharsa district