The Culture Of Bihar

 India is not just a country but a land full of different cultures full of wisdom and the place which gave birth to religions like Sikhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. The culture of India is very vast as it has 28 states and every state has it's own culture so I will be talking about my native state and the state of ancient wisdom and the land where mathematician Aryabhatta took birth, the state of Bihar.

History of Bihar

India has the oldest history in the world and in India the history of Bihar is the oldest as it dates back in 325 B.C., back then there was the Mauryan Empire ruling the state which they used to call the Magadh.

 The idea of national emblem of India was taken from the stupa of Sarnath which is now in Uttar Pradesh.

It is said that the Mauryan empire was started by Chandragupta-1 and that the last king of this empire was the great Ashoka. He never lost any war and won control over whole India, but after the war of Kalinga where he saw immense bloodshed, he decided to not fight anymore and even after winning the war decided to give up his kingdom and started following Buddhism.

The Rohtasgarh Fort was made in 16th century by Sher Shah Suri and is situated in Rohtas district of Bihar.

There were many other rulers in Bihar like Sher Shah Suri who built the Uttarapath which is now known as Grand Trunk Road which connects Kolkata to Lahore; but there was no one like Ashoka in the history of India and the world.

Festivals of Bihar

India is famous for it's festivals, be it Holi, Diwali, Eid, Dussehra etc. But do you know which Indian festival is most famous in the foreign countries? The answer is none other than the holy festival of Chhath.

Chhath Pooja is one of the oldest festivals of India, it is said that the first Chhath was done by Lord Rama and Sita during their period of Exile. It is also written in the ancient text Mahabharata, that Suryaputra Karn also used to do this.

Rituals Of Chhath

Chhath Pooja is actually done to worship the Chhathi Maiya or the sister of sun. The whole festival gets over in four days which includes a no food no water fast for two consecutive days and then an aarti which the deities have to do while half of their body is immersed in the water of a fresh water water body exactly at the time of sun rise.

Other festivals of Bihar

The main festival of Bihar is Chhath but there are many other festivals which are celebrated like Makar Sankranti, Bihula, Sama Chakeva and Buddha Jayanti, these all festivals are also celebrated in Bihar with respect to the different castes and creeds living in Bihar.

Religion of Bihar

India is a secular country so all of its states follow this secularity but there are some religions which are prominent in a state and that also affects the culture of the state. In Bihar atleast 80% population are Hindus and 10 to 13% Muslims and the remaining are the people following Sikhism and Buddhism which makes Bihar a Hindu dominant state.

When it comes to religion then it is very important to state that-

1. The tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh was born and brought up in the capital city of Bihar i.e. Patna.
   
   Takht Sri Patna Sahib Gurudwara, Patna is the birth place of Guru Gobind Singh.
2. Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under the shade of a Peepal tree in the city of Bodh Gaya in Bihar.
   
   The Bodhi Tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment at the Bodhi temple in Bodh Gaya.
3. Goddess Sita the wife of Lord Rama was born in a city named Sitamarhi in Bihar.
   
   Sita Mata Mandir in Sitamarhi.
4. The founder of Jainism was born and raised in the ancient historical city of Vaishali in Bihar.
   
   Mahavira birthplace at Vaishali

Food of Bihar

As you know, India is famous all over the world for it's food and that every state in India has it's own food speciality, so does the state of Bihar. The following are the famous and mouthwatering food specialities of Bihar:

1. Litti Chokha-Ball sized roasted wheat balls filled with Sattu(gram flour) and served with roasted eggplant and potato mash(Chokha) or Bihari Chicken Curry.
2. Sattu Parantha- Parantha bread made with gram flour filling and eaten generally with baigan ka bharta or any other veggie curry.
   
3. Bihari Kebabs- Chicken and mutton kebab barbequed with merination of star anise, sirloin, papaya paste and chilly powder.
   
4. Bihari Chicken Masala- Chicken curry made up in a thick red gravy with a flavor of Bihar.
   

Language of Bihar

India is a home to more than 50 languages and around 19,500 dialects, out of which there are languages like Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi etc. which belong to Bihar.

Bhojpuri is the most spoken language of Bihar and also the national language of some countries like Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mauritius. It is said that it started from a small district named Bhojpur and then spread across the state.

Maithili is the second most popular language in Bihar. It is originated from a very beautiful and green place, Mithila.

Awadhi is not a general language in Bihar but it is often spoken in the areas near the border of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Art of Bihar

Our country is a home to more than thirty art forms which also include the divine Madhubani painting. This style of painting includes very fine work of shapes and lines to create a painting of a day to day life thing or the nature. This painting is done in the green city of Mithila and Madhubani in Bihar and is one of the most difficult paintings to make perfectly.

There have been many famous artists like Sita Devi, Mahasundari Devi, Dulari Devi etc.

Dances of Bihar

India has many famous dance forms but the irony is that the people of India itself don't know that which dance belongs to which state. Have you heard of the famous dance form named Kajari? Do you know that from where this dance originated from? Kajari is a folk dance of Bihar which has its origins from the northern part of Bihar.

Other folk dances of Bihar includes-

Bidesia Dance

Sohar-Khilauna Dance

At last I would like to present you a few lines about the greatness of Bihar.

I am Bihar

I am the history of India

I gave the world its first Republic

I nourished Buddha to enlightenment

I gave world its best ancient university

My son Chanakya was the father of Economics

Mahavir came out of my womb to found Jainism

My son Valmiki wrote Ramayan, the greatest Epic

Rishi Shushrut, the father of surgery, lived on my soil

My son Vatsayana wrote Kamasutra, the treatise of love

My son Ashoka was the greatest ruler of India

I gave birth to Aryabhatt, the great ancient mathematician

I gave Ashoka Chakra that adorns India’s national flag

My son Dinkar is the national poet of India

I gave the world its first University

-Atulya Kashish Kumar