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Jamui is a town and a municipality in Jamui district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the district headquarter of Jamui district. Jamui was formed as a district on 21 February 1991 as a result of its separation from Munger. It is part of Munger Division. The town is situated about 60 km South-West of Munger.
Historical existence of Jamui has been observed from the period of Mahabharta war. Archaeological and historical evidence shows its close association with the Jain tradition for a long past to the present time. A large part of this area is covered by forest.
There are mainly two hypotheses which have been mentioned by historians regarding the origin of the name of the district Jamui. The first hypothesis said that the name of Jamui derived from "Jambhiya Gram" or "Jribhikgram" village, which has the place of attaining ‘Omniscience’ (Kevala Jnana) of Vardhaman Mahavira and according to another hypothesis the name Jamui is originated from Jambuwani.
Geography
Jamui is located at
. It has an average
elevation of 78 metres (255 feet).
Jamui is located in a transitional zone between the vast, fertile Gangetic plain to the north and the hilly margins of the Chota Nagpur Plateau to the south.<!-- Gazetteers --> The Kiul River, which flows by Jamui's east side, has its headwaters in this upland region.<!-- Gazetteers --> During the monsoon rains, the Kiul can become very powerful and turbulent, and in 1949 it flooded and destroyed the bridge northeast of Jamui.
Jamui is well connected to the rest of the country via road while the Delhi-Howrah rail line is away at Mallepur (Malaypur railway station is also known as Jamui railway station). Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport in Patna is about and Gaya Airport away.
Situated along the Bihar-Jharkhand border, Jamui is dotted with hills and the small retreat town of Simultala falls within the Jhajha block, on the main Delhi-Howrah rail line. The town of Gidhaur, situated away was the seat of kings during the British Raj and many buildings from the period still survive. Minto Tower in Gidhaur is a prime example of architecture from the period. Jamui district is also known for having many places related to the origin of Jainism.
The district has untapped reserves of resources including mica, coal, gold and iron ore.
History
An early historic site near Jamui is the old Indpegarh fort, located in the village of Indpe to the south.
Jamui had a population of 87,357. Males constitute 52.6% of the population and females 47.26%. Jamui has an average literacy rate of 64.33%, lower than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 57.39%, and female literacy is 42.6%. In Jamui, 16.22% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Economy
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Jamui one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).
Grain and timber play important roles in Jamui's economy.