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Begusarai is a city in the Indian state of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district. The district lies on the northern bank of the river Ganges in the Mithila region of India.
Begusarai is home to Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary, an important wetland and a sanctuary for migrating birds. It has been declared a Ramsar Site, signifying its international importance. The city is known for its rich folk culture and local festivals, reflecting the traditions of Bihar. It is the cultural capital of Mithila.
Etymology
The origin of the name Begusarai is subject to two primary etymological theories:
- Begu's Sarai: One theory posits that the name derives from a man named "Begu", a devotee of Bari Durga Maharani, who served as the caretaker of the town's historic marketplace, known as Sarai.
- Begum's Sarai: Alternatively, it is suggested that the name originates from the combination of "Begum" (queen) and "Sarai" (inn). This theory proposes that a "Begum" from Bhagalpur regularly undertook a month-long pilgrimage to Simaria Ghat on the Ganges River, and the location of her temporary residence became known as Begum's Sarai, eventually evolving into Begusarai.
Geography
Topography
Begusarai is located at . It has an average elevation of 41 metres (134 feet). Begusarai lies in North Bihar and is surrounded by Khagaria in the northeast, Munger in the southeast, Patna in the west, and Samastipur in the northwest.
Begusarai lies in the middle of the mid-Ganga plain and generally has low-lying terrain with a south to south-easterly slope. Begusarai is basically divided into three floodplains: the Ganga floodplain, Burhi Gandak floodplain, Kareha-Bagmati floodplain.
Flora and fauna
thumb|Kanwar Lake Begusarai, a [[List of Ramsar sites in India|Ramsar Convention Site wetland]]
In 1989, Begusarai district became home to the Kanwar jheel, or Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary, with an area of .
Air pollution
Out of the top 10 polluted cities in the world in 2023, four were in Bihar and all were small cities. Among them, Begusarai turned out to be the world’s most polluted city, with an annual average PM2.5 level of 118.9 μg/m³, which is over 23 times higher than the WHO limit.