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'Bhagalpur' is a city and municipal corporation in Bihar state in eastern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Bhagalpur District.
Bhagalpur is a divisional town of historical importance situated on the southern bank of the Ganga river. Situated 220km east of state capital Patna and 410 km north west of Calcutta, it is well connected by rail and road.
Bhagalpur is famous worldwide for its silk production. The silk industry in this city is hundreds of years old and a whole clan exists that has been producing silk for generations. There is a Silk Institute and Agricultural college here, as well as a University, and Engineering, Medical and Homeopath colleges.
References to Bhagalpur can be found in Indian epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata where Bhagalpur has been described as the kingdom of Anga. Mandar Hill, situated 52 km south from Bhagalpur, is believed to have been used as Churner during Samudra-Manthan by God and Danav according to Hindu mythology. Ancient cave sculptures of Emperor Ashoka's regime (274 BC-232 BC) are found in the neighbourhood and at Sultangunj, 20 km west of Bhagalpur, a temple of the Gupta period (320-500) still exists. The tomb of Suja, brother of Moghul emperor Aurangzeb, in the heart of the town is reminiscent of the city's association with the Mughal period.
Ruins of ancient Vikramshila University are located 44 km east of Bhagalpur. It was the medieval centre to the conservation and propagation of Buddhist education, established by King Dharampal of Bengal (783-820) at the end of the 8th century.
The gangetic plains are very fertile and the main crops include rice, wheat, maize, barley, and oilseeds. The economy of Bhagalpur is dependent mainly on agriculture and silk.

Contents

Demography

History

Angika: the language of Bhagalpur

Violence in Bagalpur

1980 Bhagalpur blindings

Bhagalpur riots

2007 Torture by Bhagalpur Police

People from Bhagalpur

Education Center of Excellence

Demography

As of 2001 India census,^[1] Bhagalpur had a population of 340,349. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Bhagalpur has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 70% of the males and 62% of the females literate. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. Bhagalpur also has some of the best schools in the country, which may not be very famous, but provide quality education. Bhagalpur is one of the leading education centre of Bihar. Students of Bhagalpur made a tough record in History being toppers in Board Examination and Producing IAS/IPS in largest number in Country.

History

Early civilizations have fostered along the fertile coasts of the river Ganges. Bhagalpur has often been referred to as Bhagaddat-Puram in ancient Sanskrit literature such as the Ramanaya, Mahabharatha and Panchtantra. "Vish-hari Puja" or the worship of the snake queen traces its roots to hundreds of years and is still celebrated every year with thousands of believers and snake charmers offering milk to the Nag(the snake King) and Nageen (The snake Queen).
Bhagalpur formed a part of the ancient Sanskrit kingdom of Anga. In later times it was included in the powerful Hindu kingdom of Magadha or Behar, and in the 7th century A.D. it was an independent state, with the city of Champa for its capital. It afterwards formed a part of the Mahommedan kingdom of Gaur, and was subsequently subjugated by Akbar, who declared it to be a part of the Delhi empire. Bhagalpur passed to the East India Company by the grant of the emperor Shah Alam in 1765 [1].

Angika: the language of Bhagalpur

Angika [2] is the main language of Bhagalpur. Angika is one of the oldest language of the world, which was known as Aangi during ancient time. Angika is spoken by more than 30 million of Indian and around 50 million population worldwide. Among others Hindi and English are the main languages. Nearly 75% of the population speaks English, out of which 50% are quite fluent. Most of the people here are well educated and friendly in nature.

Violence in Bagalpur

1980 Bhagalpur blindings

In 1980, Bhagalpur came into news when it was reported that the police blinded 31 suspects awaiting trial[3] (convicted criminals, according to some versions), by pouring acid into their eyes. The incident became infamous as ''Bhagalpur blindings.'' The incident was widely debated and discussed in several human rights' conventions. In 2003, a bollywood movie loosely based on the incident and starring Ajay Devgan was released. It was titled ''Gangaajal'' (roughly translated as ''The holy waters of Ganga'')[4].

Bhagalpur riots

Communal disturbances between Hindus and Muslims have been a part of the history of Bhagalpur and riots had occurred in 1924, 1936, 1946 and 1967. However, Bhagalpur became notorious after the riots in October 1989, and the name ''Bhagalpur riots'' usually refers to the 1989 riots. According to various accounts, some 1100 [5] to 1891 [6] people were killed, a majority of them muslims. According to some accounts, stoning of a Ram Shila Poojan procession by some muslims triggered the riots. As a fall-out of the riots, the silk-weaving industry suffered a decline [7].
In 2007, fourteen people were convicted of killing muslims on a large scale in 1989.^[2]

2007 Torture by Bhagalpur Police

On August 28, 2007, Salim Ilyas aka Aurangzeb, a Muslim man aged 20, was alleged to have stolen a golden neckla0ce. Upon search, a golden necklace was recovered from him. Bhagalpur policemen were recorded by Indian television crews to have brutally lynched and tortured Salim Ilyas publically until he lost consciousness. The incident acquired Indian and global recognition further worsening Bhagalpur's notoriety as one of the most lawless area in India's most lawless state, Bihar. Bhagalpur's police has had a long history of extrajudicial and excessive violence. The pattern is endemic in all of Bihar, but the Salim Ilyas incident in Bhagalpur and its coverage in India's activist, investigative television journalism has highlighted the nature of human rights violation that is a daily routine in the towns of Bihar. Internet videos of Salim Ilyas's torture wherein he is shown to be chained to the rear of a Policeman's motorcycle and being dragged barebodied through 5 odd metres of dirtroad have proliferated.

People from Bhagalpur

★ Kadambini, daughter of Braja Kishore Bose, headmaster of Bhagalpur School, was one of the first women graduates in the British Empire and the first woman doctor in South Asia.

Education Center of Excellence

[Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University[8]
] for PG Course, [JLN Medical College for M.B.B.S[9]
], Bhagalpur Engineering College for B.E, Agriculture College,T.N.B.College, ], S.M. College, National college for Intermediate, Graduation, PG.,Vimal Bibhuti College of Education for B.Ed and for Senior Secondary - Delhi Public School are center of education in the district. Bhagalpur has always been known for quality education and sober community.