According to the 2011 census, 65.86% of the city's population identifies as Hindu, 33.59% identifies as Muslim, 0.34% did not answer the census question, 0.17% identifies as Christian, and fewer than fifty identified with each of the other religious groups on the survey. This would be only the second House of Worship for India's nearly two million Bahá'ís (the first being the well-known Lotus Temple in Delhi), and one of the first two local Bahá'í Houses of Worship in Asia (the other being in Battambang, Cambodia). and its foundation has been laid on 21 February 2021 and is expected to get completed by 2023.

Administration

  • The Town Police Station (Bihar Thana) is the first child-friendly police station in the state of Bihar.

Economy

Agricultural trade and Education are the two main economic activities of Bihar Sharif, with crops including cauliflower, potato, mustard seed and other vegetables, which are exported to neighbouring states. The region is well known for extensive production of vegetables.

alt=|thumb|Agricultural fields near the city

Tourism to nearby sites like Nalanda, Rajgir and Pawapuri also boosts the city's economy, as do footwear and garments manufactured by household industries. The locality of Sohsarai in the city hosts an extensive textile market, which is known as "Mini Surat".

the city had a major beedi cigarette industry which employed 15,000 people, mainly Muslims and some lower-caste Hindus.

In recent years the city has changed from a trade-based economy to an education hub.

Bihar Sharif is one of four cities selected in Bihar state among the 100 Indian cities to developed as smart cities under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission. It figured in amongst the ambitious 100 smart cities list to receive funding in the fifth round of the smart cities project in January 2018.

Culture and cityscape

Heritage and important sites

The city of Bihar Sharif also has the designation of the location of the first museum in Bihar. The first Bihar Museum, established here in the late 19th century by Alexander Meyrick Broadley was not just the oldest museum in Bihar but also one of the oldest in India. Broadley was the district magistrate of Bihar Sharif in 1860s and one of the earliest surveyors and explorers of Bihar. During the course of his amateur excavations, he collected many sculptures and architectural fragments, with which he established a museum at the Collector's Bungalow at Bihar Sharif in 1871–1872. The collection recorded at least 686 artefacts. In 1891, the governor of Bengal of decided to transfer the contents of the Bihar Museum to Indian Museum in Calcutta. After the foundation of Patna Museum, a significant part of the collection was transferred there, listed in the catalogue as from Broadley Collection.

The Bihar Sharif Pillar Inscriptions from the Gupta Empire were found in front of the northern gate of the fort of Bihar (Bihar Sharif). The pillar was removed and set up on a brick pedestal opposite the Bihar Court House, and then later transferred to the Patna Museum.

  • Badi Dargah

thumb|Badi Dargah

The shrine of the Sufi Saint Sheikh Makhdoom Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri, is located near the ruins of Odantapuri. He is credited with converting many Hindus in the districts of Patna, Bihar Sharif, Gaya, Jehanabad, Arwal, Nawada, Jamui and Sheikhpura, and many Muslims celebrate Urs at the shrine each year in the month of Shawwal on the Hijri calendar. The inscription over its entrance mentions that the tomb was completed in 1569.

  • Baba Maniram Akhara

Another notable site in the city is the Langot Fair at Baba Maniram Akhara; the Akhara of Sant Maniram was founded by Raja Biththal to train youth in fighting.

  • Mausoleum of Syed Ibrahim Mallick Baya

thumb|Tomb of Syed Ibrahim Mallick BayaThe mausoleum of Syed Ibrahim Mallick Baya is presently located on the top of the hill known as Hiranya Parvata.

Railways

thumb|[[Bihar Sharif Junction railway station|Bihar Sharif Junction]]

Bihar Sharif Junction is on the Bakhtiyarpur-Tilaiya line, part of the national broad gauge network. The city is served by the Shramjeevi Express, a direct daily train to New Delhi. There are also numerous passenger and express connections to the state capital, Patna, and to the hub at Rajgir which connects to many destinations in the country. Recently, the Fatuha–Islampur branch line has been connected to this route by linking Daniyawan to Bihar Sharif. The extension of passenger services to link Bihar Sharif with Hilsa, Sheikhpura and Gaya began in 2013.

Airways

  • The nearest airport is Patna Airport, about 86 km away, with carriers operating flights to major Indian cities.
  • Gaya International Airport is about 95 km away.

Education

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A number of colleges, schools and educational institutions are located in the city. Notable institutions include:

Universities

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  • K. K. University

Colleges

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  • Nalanda College, second oldest college of Bihar.
  • Sardar Patel Memorial College
  • Nalanda Mahila College
  • Kisan College, Nalanda

Media and entertainment

Hindi dailies such as Dainik Jagran, Hindustan, Dainik Bhaskar, Prabhat Khabar, Aj and other local dailies are available as well as English-language newspapers including Times of India, The Hindu along with various types of magazines.

Keshav Ram Bhatta, a Maharashtrian Brahman that settled in Bihar Sharif published Bihar Bandhu, the first Hindi newspaper from Bihar in 1872.

Director Prakash Jha's National Award-winning documentary film Faces after Storms (1981) was based on the incident of communal riots that took place in Bihar Sharif in May 1981.

Notable people

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  • Shah Amanat, prominent Sufi figure
  • Aasim Bihari, social activist
  • Zafar Iqbal, former Indian field hockey player and captain
  • Saba Karim, former Indian cricketer
  • Vikas Kumar, actor
  • Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri, a Sufi mystic
  • L. S. N. Prasad, Indian paediatrician and Padma Shri recipient
  • Vijay Kumar Yadav, former Member of Parliament from Nalanda

See also

  • Nalanda
  • List of cities in Bihar
  • Bihar Aur Sufivad

References