Araria district
Araria district | |
---|---|
![]() Sunset at Sultan Pokhat, Forbesganj | |
![]() Location of Araria district in Bihar | |
Country | ![]() |
State | Bihar |
Division | Purnia |
Headquarters | Araria |
Government | |
• Lok Sabha constituencies | Araria |
• Vidhan Sabha constituencies | Narpatganj, Raniganj, Forbesganj, Araria, Jokihat, Sikti |
Area | |
• Total | 2,830 km2 (1,090 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 2,811,569 |
• Density | 990/km2 (2,600/sq mi) |
Demographics | |
• Literacy | 53.53%(2011) |
• Sex ratio | 100 |
Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
Major highways | NH 57 |
Website | araria |
Araria district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. Araria district is a part of Purnia division. The district occupies an area of 2,830 km2 (1,090 sq mi). Araria town is the administrative headquarters of this district.
Etymology[edit]
During the British Raj, the area was under the administration of a British district collector and municipal commissioner, Alexander John Forbes (1807-1890) of East India Company. Forbes had a bungalow at the same location. Consequently the area was known as 'residential area' also abbreviated as 'R-area'. Over time, the name transformed to 'Araria' and the neighbouring subdivision came to be known as 'Forbesganj'.[1]
History[edit]
Araria district is a part of the Mithila region.[2] Mithila first gained prominence after being settled by Indo-Aryan peoples who established the Mithila Kingdom (also called Kingdom of the Videhas).[3]
During the late Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Kingdom of the Videhas became one of the major political and cultural centers of South Asia, along with Kuru and Pañcāla. The kings of the Kingdom of the Videhas were called Janakas.[4] The Mithila Kingdom was later incorporated into the Vajji confederacy, which had its capital in the city of Vaishali, which is also in Mithila.[5] The territory of the present-day district became Araria sub-division of the erstwhile Purnia district in 1964. Araria district was formed in January 1990 as one of the administrative districts of under Purnia Division.
2017 North Bihar Floods[edit]
2017 Floods affected 19 districts of North Bihar causing death of 514 people,[6][7][8][9] in which Araria district accounted for 95 deaths alone.[10][11] Floods have claimed 215 lives in Araria over 18 years, of which 61 in 2016.[12]
Geography[edit]
Araria district occupies an area of 2,830 square kilometres (1,090 sq mi),[13] comparatively equivalent to Russia's Zemlya Georga.[14] The famous village of Araria is Dehti
Economy[edit]
In 2006 the Indian government named Araria one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[15] It is one of the 36 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[15]
Demographics[edit]
According to the 2011 census Araria district has a population of 2,811,569,[16] roughly equal to the nation of Jamaica[17] or the US state of Utah.[18] This gives it a ranking of 139th in India (out of a total of 640).[16] The district has a population density of 992 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,570/sq mi) .[16] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 30%.[16] Araria has a sex ratio of 921 females for every 1000 males,[16] and a literacy rate of 55.1%.[16] The population of Araria district has a large concentration of Muslims. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 13.61% and 1.38% of the population respectively.[16]
Languages in Araria District[19]
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 28.71% of the population in the district spoke Urdu, 25.05% Hindi, 20.57% Maithili, 3.44% Thati, 2.17% Bengali, 2.10% Kulhaiya, 1.91% Surjapuri and 1.05% Santali as their first language.[20]
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1901 | 374,909 | — |
1911 | 402,864 | +0.72% |
1921 | 430,193 | +0.66% |
1931 | 465,311 | +0.79% |
1941 | 506,546 | +0.85% |
1951 | 537,600 | +0.60% |
1961 | 779,578 | +3.79% |
1971 | 994,586 | +2.47% |
1981 | 1,272,151 | +2.49% |
1991 | 1,611,638 | +2.39% |
2001 | 2,158,608 | +2.97% |
2011 | 2,811,569 | +2.68% |
source:[21] |
Government and politics[edit]
The district is divided into two subdivisions, Forbesganj subdivision and Araria subdivision.
Notable people[edit]
- Phanishwar Nath 'Renu', novelist and story writer.
- Mohammed Taslimuddin Former Union Minister of State[22]
- Subrata Roy, chairman of Sahara Group
- Quaiser Khalid IPS, Maharashtra Cadre, Poet, Educationist[23]
- Pradeep Kumar Singh BJP Politician, Member of Lok Sabha[citation needed]
- Yahay Rahmani Social Activist [1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Prasad, Bhuvaneshwar; Agrawal, Rajendra (27 March 2013). "Telecom racket busted in sleepy Araria district of Bihar". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Bihar assembly elections 2020: BJP eyes winning push from Mithila | Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 Election News - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ Michael Witzel (1989), Tracing the Vedic dialects in Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes ed. Caillat, Paris, pages 13, 17 116–124, 141–143
- ^ Witzel, M. (1989). "Tracing the Vedic dialects". In Caillat, C. (ed.). Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes. Paris: Fondation Hugot. pp. 141–143.
- ^ Hemchandra, R. (1972). Political History of Ancient India. Calcutta: University of Calcutta.
- ^ "Floods in Bihar not man-made, says minister | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "Flood Situation Improves In Bihar, Number Of Dead At 514". NDTV.com.
- ^ "Floods in Bihar: Flood situation worsens in Bihar, death toll rises to 253 | India News - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "Bihar floods: 119 dead; bridge collapse caught on camera | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "बिहार : बाढ़ ने लिखी खौफनाक कहानी, अबतक 379 व्यक्तियों की मौत और 1.61 करोड आबादी प्रभावित". Prabhat Khabar - Hindi News.
- ^ "Death toll in Bihar floods mounts to 304; situation grim in UP | India News - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "Araria to Kishenganj, Bihar's decades-old flood tragedy has a worrying new trend". Hindustan Times. September 10, 2017.
- ^ Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.) (2010). "States and Union Territories: Bihar: Government". India 2010: A Reference Annual (54th ed.). New Delhi, India: Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India. pp. 1118–1119. ISBN 978-81-230-1617-7.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- ^ "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 1998-02-18. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
Zemlya Georga 2,821km2
- ^ a b Ministry of Panchayati Raj (September 8, 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
- ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 2011-10-01.
Jamaica 2,868,380 July 2011 est
- ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
Utah 2,763,885
- ^ https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html
- ^ 2011 Census of India, Population By Mother Tongue
- ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
- ^ "Who was Mohammed Taslimuddin, RJD strongman and voice of Seemanchal who died at 74 on Sunday". September 18, 2017.
- ^ "Quaiser Khalid - Profile & Biography". Rekhta.
External links[edit]
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Araria District. |
Coordinates: 26°07′48″N 87°28′12″E / 26.13000°N 87.47000°E