Bihar

1.1 What is the short answer on Bihar?

Bihar is a state in eastern India. It became a separate province on 22 March 1912. Before that it was part of the Bengal Presidency. Its capital is Patna. Its area is 94,163 sq km.

1.2 Who runs Bihar in 2026?

The Governor is Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain. He is the 43rd Governor of Bihar. He took the oath on 14 March 2026. The Chief Minister is Samrat Choudhary. He is the first BJP leader to hold the post. He took the oath on 15 April 2026.

2.1 How big is Bihar, and how is it divided?

Bihar covers 94,163 sq km. Most of it is rural, at 92,257.51 sq km. Only 1,095.49 sq km is urban.

For administration the state has 9 divisions. A division is a group of districts. Bihar has 38 districts. Each district is split into sub-divisions and blocks. The state has 101 sub-divisions and 534 community development blocks.

Figures are from the Government of Bihar’s State Profile page.

2.2 Which neighbours and rivers shape Bihar?

Nepal lies to the north of Bihar. Jharkhand lies to the south. Nepal is a foreign country, so Bihar has an international border.

The river Ganga flows through the middle of the state from west to east. It divides the Bihar plain into two unequal halves. The Son is another river. It runs along much of the north-western boundary of Jharkhand.

3.1 How literate is Bihar?

Literacy means the share of people who can read and write. In Census 2011 Bihar had the lowest literacy rate among the states. The overall rate was 61.8 per cent. Male literacy was 71.2 per cent. Female literacy was 51.5 per cent.

3.2 What is the sex ratio?

Sex ratio means the number of females for every 1,000 males. Bihar’s sex ratio in Census 2011 was 918. The census is the full count of the population.

3.3 How large is the state's economy?

GSDP stands for Gross State Domestic Product. It is the total value of goods and services made in a state in a year. Bihar’s GSDP for 2024-25 was Rs 5,31,372 crore at constant prices. At current prices it was Rs 9,91,997 crore.

Constant prices remove the effect of rising prices. Current prices do not. That is why the two numbers differ. At constant prices the GSDP grew by 8.6 per cent. At current prices it grew by 13.1 per cent.

4.1 When did Bihar become a separate province?

Bihar was carved out of the Bengal Presidency on 22 March 1912. This was during British rule. The day is celebrated every year as Bihar Diwas, or Bihar Day. In 2026 the state marked its 114th foundation day.

4.2 How did the borders change later?

Jharkhand, today a separate state, was carved out of the southern part of Bihar in 2000.

4.3 Why is Champaran important?

Champaran in Bihar was the place of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha of 1917. India marked 100 years of it in April 2017. Satyagraha means firm insistence on truth through non-violent protest.

5.1 Who is the Governor?

Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain took the oath as the 43rd Governor of Bihar. The date was 14 March 2026.

5.2 How did Nitish Kumar leave office?

Nitish Kumar is the president of JD(U). On 16 March 2026 he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. That is the upper House of Parliament.

On 30 March he resigned as an MLC, a member of the state Legislative Council. On 14 April 2026 he resigned as Chief Minister. He gave his resignation to the Governor at Raj Bhavan.

5.3 Who took over?

Samrat Choudhary was chosen as the BJP legislature party leader. He became the first BJP leader to hold the top post in the state. The oath was on 15 April 2026. His deputies are V. K. Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav.

On 7 May 2026 the cabinet was expanded. Nishant Kumar, the son of Nitish Kumar, was among the new ministers. In a government press release dated 23 July 2026 Samrat Choudhary was still named Chief Minister.

6.1 What was the result of the November 2025 election?

The NDA won 202 of the 243 seats in the Assembly. NDA stands for National Democratic Alliance. The BJP won 89 seats and was the largest party. JD(U) won 85. LJP(RV) won 19. Turnout was a historic 67.13 per cent.

6.2 What is the Mahila Rozgar Yojana?

Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana is a self-employment scheme for women. It was launched in September 2025, before the November election. Rs 10,000 was sent to the bank accounts of 75 lakh women at once. On 3 October 2025 the state sent another Rs 10,000 each to 25 lakh women.

7.1 Why is the Mahabodhi Temple Complex famous?

The Mahabodhi Temple Complex is at Bodh Gaya. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place the world body treats as valuable to all humanity.

Emperor Asoka built the first temple in the 3rd century BC. The present temple dates from the 5th or 6th century. The complex lies 115 km south of Patna. It is 16 km from the district headquarters at Gaya.

7.2 What is Nalanda Mahavihara?

Nalanda Mahavihara is an ancient monastic and learning site. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. The site dates from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE.

8.1 Which real exam questions came from this topic?

8.2 Which facts do students mix up?

• Nitish Kumar left the Chief Minister’s post in April 2026, not March.
• Mahabodhi: 2002. Nalanda: 2016.
• The Ganga divides the plain into two unequal halves.
• Bihar Day is 22 March 1912.