Bihar

Bihar lies in the eastern Gangetic Plain and is one of India's most densely populated states. The Ganga flows from west to east across the state, joined by tributaries such as the Son, Gandak and Kosi.

Bihar has a long and influential history: ancient Pataliputra (modern Patna) was the capital of the Maurya and Gupta empires, Bodh Gaya is where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment, and the remains of Nalanda Mahavihara are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Few places in the world have a history as deep as Bihar's. Ancient Magadha, with its capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna), was the heart of the Maurya Empire under Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka, and later of the Gupta Empire. Vaishali is regarded as one of the earliest republics, Nalanda and Vikramshila were great international centres of learning, and Bihar is where the Buddha attained enlightenment and Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara, was born.

In modern times Champaran was the site of Mahatma Gandhi's first satyagraha in India in 1917. Bihar was separated from the Bengal Presidency in 1912 – celebrated each year on 22 March as Bihar Diwas – and Jharkhand was carved out of its southern districts in 2000.

Bihar lies almost entirely in the fertile Gangetic plain. The Ganga flows from west to east, dividing the state into north and south. Rivers from the Himalaya such as the Gandak and the Kosi – long called the "sorrow of Bihar" for its floods – join from the north, while the Son joins from the south. The Valmiki Tiger Reserve lies in the far north-west along the Nepal border.

Summers are hot, the monsoon brings heavy rain between June and September, and winters are cool and foggy.

Agriculture employs most people, with rice, wheat, maize, lentils, makhana (fox nut) and litchi from Muzaffarpur among key products. Tourism around the Buddhist circuit – Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda and Vaishali – is growing.

Hindi and Urdu are official languages, and Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magahi are widely spoken. Chhath Puja, dedicated to the Sun god, is the state's most important festival. Madhubani (Mithila) painting, Sikki grass craft and Bhagalpur silk are celebrated crafts, and litti-chokha is the signature dish.