East Champaran district
District in Bihar, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
East Champaran district, or Purvi Champaran district is an administrative district in the Tirhut division of the state of Bihar in India. The district headquarter is located at Motihari. Prior to 1971, there was a single Champaran District. On 1 December 1971, it was divided into East and West Champaran (Purvi and Paschimi Champaran). In early days the land of East Chamapran was ruled by different kingdoms as Videha, Sunga, Kanvas. It is also believed that Champaran used to be a major part of King Janak's empire. Mahatma Gandhi started his famous Satyagraha movement from here.[citation needed][6]
East Champaran district | |
|---|---|
_at_Champaran_(east)_district_of_Bihar,_India_08.jpg){kind=small} .jpg)   Clockwise from top: Bhimalpur Forest, Kesariya Stupa, Lauriya Araraj pillar of Ashoka, George Orwell's birthplace, and Motihari station in 1906 | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of East Champaran district in Bihar | |
| Coordinates (Motihari): 26°39′00″N 84°55′30″E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Bihar |
| Division | Tirhut |
| Headquarters | Motihari |
| Urban local bodies (ULBs) | 9[1] |
| Government | |
| • District Magistrate | Saurabh Suman Yadav (IAS)[2] |
| • Superintendent of Police (SP) | Swarn Prabhat (IPS)[3] |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | Purvi Champaran, Paschim Champaran, Sheohar |
| • Vidhan Sabha constituencies | Raxaul, Sugauli, Narkatiya, Harsidhi, Govindganj, Kesaria, Kalyanpur, Pipra, Madhuban, Motihari, Chiraia, Dhaka |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,968 km2 (1,532 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 5,099,371 |
| • Density | 1,285/km2 (3,328/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 55.79 per cent (2011) |
| • Sex ratio | 901 |
| Language | |
| • Official | Hindi[4] |
| • Additional official | Urdu[5] |
| • Regional | Bhojpuri |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 845401 (East Champaran) |
| Vehicle registration | BR-05 |
| Major highways |  NH 527C NH 527D |
| Average annual precipitation | 1241 mm |
| Website | eastchamparan |
About district
East Champaran District is functioning from 2 November 1972. The headquarter of the district is at Motihari. It is situated at 26° 16′ to 27° 1′ North latitude and 84° 30′ to 85° 16′ East longitudes. Nepal makes its northern boundary, Sitamarhi and Sheohar eastern while Muzaffarpur South and with part of Gopalganj and West Champaran bounds it in western side.[7]
The district occupies an area of 3,969 km2 (1,532 sq mi) and has a population of 5,099,371 (as of 2011[update]). East Champaran is a part of Tirhut Division.[8] It was earlier part of the Red Corridor.
As of 2011, it is the second most populous district of Bihar (out of 38), after Patna.[9]
East Champaran is the second most crowded district of Bihar. The district gets its name from the union of two words, champa and aranya. Champa alludes to scented blossom trees and Aranya alludes to the home or an encased spot. The name began back in when the district was encircled by a backwoods of magnolia (champa) trees.
Geography
The East Champaran district occupies an area of 3,968 square kilometres (1,532 sq mi),[10] comparatively equivalent to Vanuatu's Espiritu Santo.[11] Gandak, Burhi Gandak and Baghmati are important rivers flowing through this region.
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 1,027,835 | — |
| 1911 | 1,095,530 | +0.64% |
| 1921 | 1,114,162 | +0.17% |
| 1931 | 1,231,756 | +1.01% |
| 1941 | 1,376,352 | +1.12% |
| 1951 | 1,443,961 | +0.48% |
| 1961 | 1,681,089 | +1.53% |
| 1971 | 1,956,084 | +1.53% |
| 1981 | 2,425,501 | +2.17% |
| 1991 | 3,043,061 | +2.29% |
| 2001 | 3,939,773 | +2.62% |
| 2011 | 5,099,371 | +2.61% |
| source:[12] | ||
According to the 2011 census East Champaran district has a population of 5,099,371,[9] roughly equal to the United Arab Emirates[14] or the US state of Colorado.[15] This gives it a ranking of 21st in India (out of a total of 640).[9] The district has a population density of 1,281 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,320/sq mi).[9] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 29.01%.[9] East Champaran has a sex ratio of 901 females for every 1000 males,[9] and a literacy rate of 55.79%. 7.87% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 12.74% and 0.24% of the population respectively.[9]
Languages
According to the 2011 census, 82.67% of the population spoke Bhojpuri, 7.33% Urdu and 7.06% Hindi as their first language. 2.58% of the population spoke 'Others' under Hindi. Bhojpuri is the local language in the district.[16][17]
Urban development
The rapidly developing urban centres of East Champaran district include Raxaul, Mehsi and Motihari, which serves as the district headquarters. These towns have emerged as important centres of trade, transport, education, municipal administration, and regional connectivity in northern Bihar.[18][19]
Motihari is centrally located among these urban centres and functions as the administrative headquarters of the district.[20]
Mehsi is an important industrial and commercial town in East Champaran district, Bihar. The Government of Bihar identifies the Mehsi Shell Button Cluster as one of the district's existing manufacturing clusters. Mehsi is nationally known for its pearl button industry, described by the Government of Bihar as the only industry of its kind in India. Owing to its strategic location near the Muzaffarpur district boundary and its road and rail connectivity, Mehsi functions as an important commercial and service centre for the surrounding areas of East Champaran and adjoining parts of Muzaffarpur district. The town serves nearby settlements such as Madhuban, Chakia, Tetaria, Salemppur, Minapur, Sahebganj, Motipur, Barji, And Parsouninath through its markets, transport links and commercial activities.[21] [22]
Politics
| District | No. | Constituency | Name | Party | Alliance | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Champaran | 10 | Raxaul | Pramod Kumar Sinha | BJP | NDA | |||
| 11 | Sugauli | Rajesh Kumar | LJP(RV) | |||||
| 12 | Narkatiya | Vishal Kumar | JD(U) | |||||
| 13 | Harsidhi (SC) | Krishnanandan Paswan | BJP | |||||
| 14 | Govindganj | Raju Tiwari | LJP(RV) | |||||
| 15 | Kesaria | Shalini Mishra | JD(U) | |||||
| 16 | Kalyanpur | Sachindra Prasad Singh | BJP | |||||
| 17 | Pipra | Shyambabu Prasad Yadav | ||||||
| 18 | Madhuban | Rana Randhir Singh | ||||||
| 19 | Motihari | Pramod Kumar | Minister | |||||
| 20 | Chiraia | Lal Babu Prasad Gupta | ||||||
| 21 | Dhaka | Faisal Rahman | RJD | MGB | ||||
Literature
Ramesh Chandra Jha was the first person to record the literary history of Champaran. His notable works include Champaran Ki Sahitya Sadhana (चम्पारन की साहित्य साधना) (1958), Champaran: Literature & Literary Writers (चम्पारन: साहित्य और साहित्यकार) (1967) and Apne Aur Sapne:A Literary Journey Of Champaran (अपने और सपने: चम्पारन की साहित्य यात्रा) (1988).[23]
Notable places
Bhimalpur Forest
Bhimalpur Forest is an emerging eco-tourism and biodiversity site located in Bhimalpur village in Mehsi, a town in the East Champaran district of Bihar, India.[24] The forest area lies near the Burhi Gandak River and has gained attention for its greenery, afforestation programmes, and proposed biodiversity park development.[25]
The forest has been developed through plantation and environmental conservation initiatives supported by the Government of Bihar and local administrative authorities. Large-scale plantation drives were conducted in the area under afforestation campaigns, including the “Didi Ki Paudhshala” initiative, which contributed to increasing green cover and ecological restoration in the region.[26][27]
Bhimalpur Forest is known for its natural scenery, riverine environment, and biodiversity. Wildlife reported from the surrounding region includes nilgai, peafowl, jackals, and several species of migratory birds.[28] The area is being developed as an eco-tourism destination with proposals for boating facilities, walking tracks, medicinal plant zones, nature trails, and visitor infrastructure.[29]
The forest is situated approximately 7 kilometres from Mehsi town and is considered one of the notable natural attractions of the Mehsi region. Local media reports have described the site as Bihar’s first proposed biodiversity park in a forest area near the Gandak basin.[30]
Someshwar Nath Mandir, Areraj
Someshwar Nath Mahadev Mandir is a well established temple situated in Areraj. The significant divinity of the heavenly temple is of Lord Shiva. Explorers and pilgrims of Lord Shiva go to the holy place from India as well as from Nepal. The merriments on the event of an occasional reasonable known as Shrawani Mela, during July and August. There are numerous different temples nearby around and thus just Areraj is known as the holy place of East Champaran.
Ashokan Pillar
Ashokan Pillar is situated in Lauria Nandangarh, or Lauriya Navandgarh which is a city or town around 14 km from Narkatiaganj and 28 km from Bettiah in West Champaran district of Bihar state in northern India. It is found near the banks of the Budhi Gandak River. Lauriya Nandangarh is a chronicled place which goes under West Champaran district of Bihar.
Kesariya
Kesariya is arranged on the eastern banks of the River Gandak and views the enormous 104-feet-tall stupa, which is viewed as the tallest Buddhist stupa. In like manner, Kesariya orders conspicuous situations in East Champaran the travel industry just as history of Buddhism. The stupa was found in the year 1998.
Gallery
Motihari Railway Station, 1906
Henry Bazaar(1906), Motihari
Birth palace of George Orwell, Motihari
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi paying homage at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, at Motihari.
Stone Pillar Gandhi Museum
Lauriya Ashoka Pillar, Areraj
The Mosque of Naukatola, Raxaul, was approximately built between 1960-1965
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