Bhagalpur district

Geography

Bhagalpur district occupies an area of 2569 km2. 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.

National protected area

• Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary

Demographics

Religion

By C.D. Block

According to the 2011 census Bhagalpur district has a population of 3,037,766. This gives it a ranking of 120th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 1182 PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 25.36%. Bhagalpur has a sex ratio of 880 females for every 1000 males, 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.

Languages

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.

The primary language used in the district is Angika. Other chief languages include Hindi, Urdu and Bengali language.

Politics

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Economy

In 2006 the Indian government named Bhagalpur one of the country's 250 Rank 3 backward districts (out of a total of 640).

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.

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.

Education

Autonomous institutions

• Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bhagalpur

Medical

• Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Bhagalpur

Engineering College

• Bhagalpur College of Engineering
• Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bhagalpur

University

• Bihar Agricultural University
• Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University

Agriculture college

Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour

General Colleges

• T.N.B. College, Bhagalpur
• Marwari College, Bhagalpur
• Sunderwati Mahila College, Bhagalpur
• Murarka College, Sultanganj
• Jay Prakash College, Narayanpur

Polytechnic College

• Government Polytechnic, Bhagalpur

Schools

• Mount Assisi School
• St. Joseph's School
• Mount Carmel School

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. 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.

Fauna

Birdlife is rich. Bhagalpur has several wetlands (Jagatpur Lake, Sonbarsa Ghatora Lake, Ganga Prasad Lake) which attract both resident and migratory birds. 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 . 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 . In 1990 Bhagalpur district became home to the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, which is 50 km in length. It protects the endangered Ganges river dolphin, among other aquatic species (freshwater turtles, etc.)

References

References

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7. "Subdivision & Blocks {{!}} Bhagalpur Administration".
8. (2011). "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Bihar". [[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]].
9. (2011). "District Census Handbook: Bhagalpur". [[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]].
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11. "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India". [[Ministry of Minority Affairs]].
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15. Ministry of Panchayati Raj. (8 September 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme". National Institute of Rural Development.
16. PTI. (26 February 2014). "NHPC inks pact for 1,320-mw thermal plant in Bihar".
17. "पटना : नौ जिलों में खनिज के संकेत, भागलपुर में शुरू होगी कोयले की खुदाई". Prabhat Khabar.
18. (26 September 2019). "BCCL to start mining operations in Bhagalpur district soon, says minister - Times of India". The Times of India.
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20. Verma, R. K.. (2020-06-25). "Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Bhagalpur Region". International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology.
21. Kole, Chittaranjan. (2021-03-27). "The Mango Genome". Springer Nature.
22. (2024-12-12). "Bhagalpur’s Ghatora Wetland latest hotspot for migratory birds". The Times of India.
23. (2025-01-11). "Jagatpur wetland in Bhagalpur to be developed as a tourist hub, says DDC". The Times of India.
24. (2025-02-14). "Bhagalpur rehabilitation centre saves 105 greater adjutant stork in 10 years". The Times of India.
25. Large, Katie. (2021-01-12). "Bihar farmers save the Greater Adjutant Stork".
26. Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Bihar".