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Bihar General Knowledge: key facts and practice questions

Revise Bihar General Knowledge for BPSC and Bihar Police exams: the facts and distinctions that keep coming up, a one-glance revision list, and 10 practice questions with answers and explanations.

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Key concepts and facts

Ancient history: Magadha first rose under the Haryanka dynasty of Bimbisara and Ajatashatru with its capital at Rajgriha (Rajgir), ringed by five hills. Tradition credits Udayin with shifting the capital to Pataliputra at the meeting of the Ganga and the Son; NCERT places the shift in the fourth century BCE. The Shishunagas, the Nandas (Mahapadma to Dhana Nanda) and then the Mauryas followed; Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan empire around 321 BCE with Chanakya's help, and Megasthenes described Pataliputra as Palibothra. Ashoka's Third Buddhist Council met at Pataliputra, the First at Rajgir under Ajatashatru and the Second at Vaishali under Kalasoka. The Guptas again ruled from Pataliputra, Kumaragupta I founded Nalanda, and Aryabhata wrote the Aryabhatiya at Kusumpura (Patna) in 499 CE. The Palas added Vikramshila (Dharmapala) and Odantapuri (Gopala). Bihar is the land of the Buddha's enlightenment at Bodh Gaya on the Niranjana and of Mahavira's traditional birthplace near Vaishali (the exact site is disputed) and nirvana at Pawapuri.
Medieval and modern history: Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun at Chausa (1539) and lies buried at Sasaram in a lake tomb. Guru Gobind Singh was born at Patna in 1666. After the Battle of Buxar (1764), the Mughal emperor granted the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765. Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur led the 1857 revolt at the age of eighty. Bihar and Orissa became a separate province on 22 March 1912 (Bihar Diwas); Orissa left in 1936 and Jharkhand on 15 November 2000. Gandhi's first Indian satyagraha was at Champaran in 1917 against the tinkathia system, at the invitation of Raj Kumar Shukla. Bihar Vidyapeeth (1921), the Quit India martyrs of the Patna Secretariat (11 August 1942), the first Chief Minister Shri Krishna Singh and Jayaprakash Narayan's Sampoorna Kranti of 1974 complete the modern sequence.
Geography: Bihar is landlocked, bordered by Nepal, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The Ganga enters at Chausa and divides the state into the North Bihar plain of new alluvium and the South Bihar plain. Northern tributaries are the Himalayan rivers Kosi, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kamla and Mahananda; southern tributaries are the Son, Punpun, Falgu and Kiul. The Kosi, which repeatedly shifts its course, is the Sorrow of Bihar; the 2008 flood followed a breach at Kusaha in Nepal. The Kosi barrage at Hanuman Nagar, the Gandak barrage at Valmikinagar and the Son anicut at Dehri-on-Sone are the main irrigation works. The Kaimur plateau in the south-west is a Vindhyan extension; the Someshwar hills of West Champaran hold the highest point. Protected areas include Valmiki Tiger Reserve (so far the only one; Kaimur has in-principle approval as the second), Kaimur (largest sanctuary), Bhimbandh with its hot springs, the Vikramshila dolphin sanctuary near Bhagalpur and Kanwar Lake (Kabartal) in Begusarai, Bihar's first Ramsar site (2020).
Economy: Bihar is agrarian, with rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane and jute, and leads India in litchi (Shahi litchi of Muzaffarpur) and makhana (Mithila). Bhagalpur weaves Tussar silk, Silao makes khaja, Madhubani paints. Industry is thin: the Barauni refinery and thermal plant in Begusarai, the Jamalpur rail workshop (1862) in Munger, the gun factory at Munger and cement from Kaimur limestone. Pyrite at Amjhore in Rohtas is the best-known mineral. Census 2011 recorded about 10.4 crore people, the third largest, with one of the lowest levels of urbanisation (about 11 per cent; only Himachal Pradesh is lower) and the highest density among states.
Polity: The legislature is bicameral, with a 243-member Vidhan Sabha and a 75-member Vidhan Parishad. Bihar sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha and 16 to the Rajya Sabha. The Patna High Court dates from 1916. The Bihar Panchayat Raj Act 2006 made Bihar the first state to reserve half of all panchayat seats for women. Jairamdas Daulatram was the first Governor after Independence.
Culture: The state bird is the house sparrow and the tree the peepal; sources differ on the state animal (gaur or ox) and the flower (marigold or kachnar). Chhath on Kartik Shukla Shashthi, the Sonepur cattle fair on Kartik Purnima, the Pitrapaksha Mela at Gaya, Sama Chakeva in Mithila and Bihula in Anga are the great festivals. Folk forms include Bhikhari Thakur's Bidesia, Jat-Jatin, Jhijhiya and Domkach; crafts include Madhubani painting, Manjusha art of Bhagalpur, Sujni embroidery of Muzaffarpur and Sikki grass work. Maithili joined the Eighth Schedule in 2003; Bhojpuri, Magahi, Angika and Bajjika remain regional. Vidyapati, Dinkar, Renu, Nagarjun and Rahul Sankrityayan are the literary names to know.
Traps: Do not confuse Chausa (1539) with Kannauj (1540), Mahavira's traditional birthplace (Kundagrama near Vaishali; other sites are claimed) with his nirvana (Pawapuri), Nalanda's founder (Kumaragupta I) with Vikramshila's (Dharmapala), the Kosi barrage (Hanuman Nagar) with the Gandak barrage (Valmikinagar), or the two UNESCO dates (Mahabodhi 2002, Nalanda 2016). Remember that Orwell, not Kipling, was born at Motihari, and that Sitabdiara is JP's village while Zeradei is Rajendra Prasad's.

One-glance revision list

Capitals of Magadha in order: Rajgriha (Girivraja) under Bimbisara, then Pataliputra (traditionally from Udayin onwards); Champa was the capital of Anga, not Magadha.
Buddhist Councils mnemonic R-V-P: First at Rajgir (Ajatashatru), Second at Vaishali (Kalasoka), Third at Pataliputra (Ashoka).
Founder pairs: Nalanda = Kumaragupta I (Gupta); Vikramshila = Dharmapala (Pala); Odantapuri = Gopala (Pala; Tibetan traditions differ).
Sher Shah beat Humayun twice: Chausa 1539 (Bihar, Buxar district) and Kannauj/Bilgram 1540 (UP); his tomb stands in a lake at Sasaram.
Three dates of statehood: 22 March 1912 Bihar and Orissa province; 1 April 1936 Orissa separated; 15 November 2000 Jharkhand separated.
Champaran 1917: invited by Raj Kumar Shukla, against the tinkathia system (indigo on 3 of every 20 kathas), ended by the Champaran Agrarian Act 1918.
Barrages: Kosi at Hanuman Nagar/Bhimnagar (1954 agreement), Gandak at Valmikinagar (1959 agreement), Son at Indrapuri with the old anicut at Dehri-on-Sone (1874).
Protected-area firsts: Valmiki (West Champaran) is so far the only tiger reserve (Kaimur has in-principle approval as the second), Kaimur is the largest sanctuary, Vikramshila (Bhagalpur) is India's only dolphin sanctuary, Kanwar Lake (Begusarai) is Bihar's first Ramsar site (2020).
Legislature numbers: Vidhan Sabha 243, Vidhan Parishad 75, Lok Sabha 40, Rajya Sabha 16; Patna High Court 1916.
Sobriquets: Bihar Kesari = Shri Krishna Singh; Bihar Vibhuti = Anugrah Narayan Sinha; Loknayak = JP; Jan Nayak = Karpoori Thakur; Rashtrakavi = Dinkar; Maithil Kokil = Vidyapati; Mountain Man = Dashrath Manjhi.
State symbols: bird house sparrow, tree peepal (sources differ on the animal, gaur or ox, and the flower, marigold or kachnar); the emblem shows a Bodhi tree.
UNESCO in Bihar: Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya (2002) and Nalanda Mahavihara ruins (2016); Barabar caves (Jehanabad) are India's oldest rock-cut caves.

Lessons in depth

10 longer lessons on Bihar General Knowledge, one per sub-topic, each with its key facts and a quick revision.

Practice questions

Try each question before opening the answer.

1. Which city was the earliest capital of the ancient Magadha kingdom under the Haryanka dynasty? (A) Vaishali (B) Rajgriha (Girivraja) (C) Pataliputra (D) Champa

Answer: (B) Rajgriha (Girivraja). Rajgriha (modern Rajgir), ringed by five hills, was the first capital of Magadha under Bimbisara and Ajatashatru; the capital was later shifted to Pataliputra. Champa was the capital of Anga, not Magadha.

2. The Falgu river at Gaya is formed by the confluence of which two streams? (A) Punpun and Son (B) Kiul and Harohar (C) Niranjana (Lilajan) and Mohana (D) Bagmati and Kamla

Answer: (C) Niranjana (Lilajan) and Mohana. The Lilajan (Niranjana) and the Mohana unite near Bodh Gaya to form the Falgu, famous for flowing beneath its sandy bed and for the Pitrapaksha pind-daan at Gaya.

3. The Pitrapaksha Mela, where Hindus offer pind-daan to their ancestors, is held at Gaya on the banks of the (A) Falgu (B) Punpun (C) Son (D) Ganga

Answer: (A) Falgu. Pind-daan is performed on the Falgu river and at the Vishnupad temple in Gaya during the fortnight of Pitrapaksha (Ashwin Krishna Paksha).

4. Before attacking the Vajji confederacy, Ajatashatru is said to have sent a minister to Vaishali to break the unity of the Licchavis. Who was this minister? (A) Chanakya (B) Rakshasa (C) Vassakara (Varshakara) (D) Radhagupta

Answer: (C) Vassakara (Varshakara). Buddhist tradition says Ajatashatru's minister Vassakara first consulted the Buddha about the Vajjis and then sowed discord among them. Rakshasa served the Nandas and Radhagupta was a minister of Ashoka.

5. The first Jain council, held at Pataliputra around 300 BCE, where the Jain canon was arranged into twelve Angas, was led by (A) Bhadrabahu (B) Devarddhi Kshamashramana (C) Mahakassapa (D) Sthulabhadra

Answer: (D) Sthulabhadra. During a long famine Bhadrabahu took a group of monks to the south, and those who stayed in Magadha met at Pataliputra under Sthulabhadra. The later council at Vallabhi was presided over by Devarddhi Kshamashramana.

6. In the early 19th century, after an earlier structure was destroyed by fire, the gurdwara at Takht Sri Patna Sahib was rebuilt under the patronage of which Sikh ruler? (A) Banda Singh Bahadur (B) Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (C) Maharaja Ranjit Singh (D) Raja Man Singh

Answer: (C) Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab paid for rebuilding the gurdwara at Guru Gobind Singh's birthplace; that building was badly damaged in the 1934 Bihar earthquake and the present Takht was built in the 1950s. Banda Singh Bahadur and Jassa Singh Ahluwalia belong to the 18th century, before Ranjit Singh's time.

7. Sadaqat Ashram in Patna, which houses the headquarters of the Bihar Pradesh Congress, was founded in 1921 by (A) Mazharul Haque (B) Sachchidananda Sinha (C) Hasan Imam (D) Ali Imam

Answer: (A) Mazharul Haque. Mazharul Haque founded Sadaqat Ashram in 1921 during the Non-Cooperation Movement, and Bihar Vidyapeeth functioned from its campus. Dr Rajendra Prasad spent his last years and died there in 1963.

8. Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar was born in 1908 at Simaria in which district? (A) Munger (B) Begusarai (C) Lakhisarai (D) Khagaria

Answer: (B) Begusarai. Dinkar was born at Simaria on the bank of the Ganga in Begusarai district; he later served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1952 to 1964.

9. Which river of north Bihar rises in the hills north of Kathmandu and flows past the Pashupatinath temple before entering India? (A) Kamla (B) Bagmati (C) Lakhandei (D) Burhi Gandak

Answer: (B) Bagmati. The Bagmati rises in the Shivapuri hills of the Kathmandu valley, where Pashupatinath stands on its bank, and then flows through Sitamarhi, Sheohar and Muzaffarpur districts; it is one of the flood-prone rivers of north Bihar.

10. In present-day Bihar, mica deposits are found mainly in which group of districts? (A) Saran, Siwan and Gopalganj (B) Nawada, Jamui and Gaya (C) Supaul, Saharsa and Madhepura (D) Vaishali, Samastipur and Darbhanga

Answer: (B) Nawada, Jamui and Gaya. The northern edge of the old mica belt, whose richest part lies in Koderma and Giridih in Jharkhand, extends into Nawada, Jamui and Gaya; the alluvial districts of north Bihar have no such hard-rock minerals.

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