Kosi-Seemanchal
Region of Bihar, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kosi-Seemanchal is in the Northeastern part of Bihar. It is a subregion within the larger cultural region of Mithila[1].It consists of Kosi and Purnia divisions.[citation needed] It has seven districts — Araria, Madhepura, Saharsa, Supaul, Purnea, Kishanganj and Katihar. Supaul, Saharsa and Madhepura in Kosi Region and Purnia, Katihar, Araria and Kishanganj in seemanchal region.[2]
| Rank | City/Town | District | Population (2011) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purnia (UA) | Purnia | 312,669 | Urban Agglomeration |
| 2 | Katihar (UA) | Katihar | 240,838 | Urban Agglomeration |
| 3 | Saharsa | Saharsa | 156,540 | Municipality |
| 4 | Kishanganj | Kishanganj | 105,782 | Nagar Parishad |
Kosi-Seemanchal | |
|---|---|
Subregion | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Bihar |
| Region | Mithila |
| Largest city | Purnia |
| Divisions | Kosi and Purnia |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| • Additional official | Urdu |
| • Regional | Maithili (including Thēthi and Angika), Surjapuri, Bengali |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Major highways |  NH 27,  NH 31,  NH 231,  NH 131A,  NH 131 |
| Major Railway Lines | Barauni-Katihar, Saharsa and Purnia sections Barauni-Guwahati line |
Name
The name of the Kosi division comes from the Kosi River which flows through the region. On the other hand, Seemanchal (border area) is a colloquial alternate term for Purnia division owing to its close proximity with the Bangladesh–India border, although the state of Bihar itself does not share any international borders with Bangladesh. The term gained popularity after the veteran RJD leader Mohammed Taslimuddin first proposed the creation of a separate Seemanchal state in 1992, during a period when he was a Member of Parliament representing Purnia on a Janata Dal ticket. The proposal included the districts of Kishanganj, Purnia, Araria, Katihar, and sometimes Bhagalpur, and Khagaria. The demand was based on Seemanchal’s distinct demography (high Muslim population) and overall socioeconomic backwardness of the region.[3]