| Bihar |
| . Nalanda |
| Bihar is the 12th largest state in India in terms of geographical size (99,200 square km) and 3rd largest by population. Close to 85% of the population lives in the rural countryside. The Bihar plain is divided into two unequal halves by the river Ganga which flows through the middle from west to east. Hindi and Urdu are the official languages of the state, but the majority of the people speak one of the Bihari languages, Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Maithili or Angika. Ancient Bihar, known as Magadha, was a center of power, learning and culture in ancient and classical India. From Magadha arose India's first greatest empire, the Maurya empire as well as one of the world's greatest pacifist religions, Buddhism. Magadha empires, notably under the Maurya and Gupta dynasties, unified large parts of South Asia under a central rule. Its capital Patna, earlier known as Patliputra, was an important center of Indian civilization. The name Bihar is derived from the Sanskrit word Vihar, which means "abode". The word Vihar is itself derived from the word Brahmavihara meaning "Brahma abidings", or "Sublime attitudes". The region roughly encompassing the present state was dotted with Buddhist vihara, which were the abodes of Buddhist monks in the ancient and medieval period. |
