Stupa found in Bihar 'could be world's second largest'

A huge Buddhist stupa has been discovered in Bihar's Nalanda district and archaeologists on Monday said it could be the second largest such structure in the world.

A team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) located the brick stupa at Ghorakatora, about 100 km from here.

"The latest stupa discovered at Ghorakatora is unique as it is second in size only to the Kesaria stupa in East Champaran district. The Kesaria stupa is regarded as the largest Buddhist stupa in the world," said Sujit Nayan, an archaeologist in charge of the team that made the discovery.

Nayan said the structure was built of random rubble dry stone masonry. The material the stupa is made of had been used to fortify an area of 32 km near the mountain of Rajgir.

The stupa is around 20 to 25 feet high and its circumference is 70 to 75 sq. feet.

"More excavacation is needed to make a final assessment of the stupa," Nayan added.

According to archaeologists, the find is likely to throw more light on the ancient Nalanda University. The ancient seat of learning is said to have been founded in 5th century AD.

Well-known Chinese scholar Hieun Tsang stayed in Nalanda in the 7th century and left detailed description of the education system and monastic life practised at the university.link

Bihar Cabinet to meet at village

Perhaps for the first time in its history, the Bihar cabinet would meet at a nondescript village in Begusarai district on Tuesday as part of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's attempts to address the problems of rural masses.

Principal secretary Cabinet and Coordination department, Girish Shanker told that the meeting would be held in a "tent".

The Chief Minister decided to organise the cabinet meeting at Barbighee village after he received thousands of complaints during his ongoing 'vikas yatra'.

Shanker said so far as he remembered that the state cabinet had never met in a village, adding that all ministers and concerned departmental heads would be transported to the village in a special luxurious bus to attend Tuesday's Cabinet meeting at 2 pm.

Shanker said about 25 principal secretaries would accompany the ministers in the bus.

After the Cabinet meeting, the ministers and officials would be served traditional lunch comprising rice-dal, roti, vegetables, 'papad,' salads and sweets in 'desi' (rural) form.

The ministers and bureaucrats would be served lunch in rural way as they will have to sit on the ground instead of the food being served through buffet system on decorated tables.

Three time Bihar Chief Minister and senior JD(U) leader Jagannath Mishra said though there was nothing wrong in holding the cabinet meeting at the countryside, it would cost a heavy burden on the state exchequer.

Maintaining that it would set a wrong precedent, Mishra said Kumar's decision would open floodgates for similar demands by the locals and ward councilors for holding cabinet meetings in their areas.

On two occasions in the past, the Bihar cabinet had met outside the State capital — once during the regime of Sri Krishna Sinha and again during the tenure of Kedar Pandey at Ranchi, the summer capital of undivided Bihar.

Former Bihar minister and senior RJD leader Jagdanand Singh, when contacted, said there was no no legal binding and provision that the cabinet meeting could not be held outside the state but since the capital has a proper place designated for the purpose, the meeting is generally held here.link

Eight policemen feared killed in naxalite attack in Bihar

Eight policemen are feared to have been killed in an attack by naxals in Bihar's Nawada district on Monday, Additional Director General of Police (headquarters) Neelmani said.

Naxals belonging to the proscribed CPI (Maoist) targeted the policemen when they went to Mahulitand village in Kauwakol police station limits in naxal-hit Nawada district bordering Jharkhand, along with special auxiliary police personnel to provide security for Ravidas Jayanti.

Neelmani quoting preliminary information received from the spot told PTI here that officer in-charge of Kauwakol police station Rameshwar Ram was critically injured in the attack but there was no immediate report of any casualty among the public.

The reports said the police fired in retaliation but whether there were casualties among the naxals was yet to be known, he said. Unconfirmed reports said some firearms were also looted from the policemen, he said.

DIG (Magadh Range) Pravin Vashisht, IG (Central Range) Sunil Kumar, Additional Director General (Law and Order) V Narayanan and Nawada Police Superintendent Nishant Tiwari have rushed to the scene with reinforcements, including those from the special task force.link

BSNL plans Net connectivity in rural Bihar

How many times have you felt frustrated for not being able to have high-speed broadband internet connectivity while moving in the hinterlands of Bihar? May be many times, for most of the rural Bihar is still to have a feel of this new-age technology.

Things, however, are in a for a change as the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has come up with an ambitious plan to provide glitch-free broadband internet connectivity in the rural areas of Bihar.

To reduce the gestation period, the Nigam has decided to use Wi-Max technology, which would allow it to provide wireless internet connectivity.

The BSNL will fit special antenna on the existing mobile towers to provide this facility. Each antenna would provide broadband internet connectivity in a radius of 10 km.

"Around 40 such antennas would be available with us by the end of this month and the same number of blocks would be provided with broadband internet facility by the end of June this year," Manish Kumar, BSNL deputy general manager (broadband), told.

Kumar said the long-term target is to fit 600 such antennas in different parts of rural Bihar by the end of fiscal year 2010-11 so that most of the rural areas could have the broadband facility.

Incidentally, the upcoming facility would be a boon not only for common man but also for the state government. The common service centres (CSCs), being set up in rural Bihar for delivering B2C (Business to citizen) and G2C (Government to citizen) services by the government would be able to function more efficiently with broadband internet connection.

Meanwhile, broadband users in urban centres of Bihar too would soon have the option of getting the same internet speed which is available to leased lines.

BSNL would soon offer Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) modems to its existing as well as new broadband subscribers. The existing Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) does not offer a very good speed as far as uploading is concerned. SDSL modems does not have this drawback. There is, however, a big difference in the prices of these two variants of modem. While an ADSL modem costs around Rs 2,000 a piece, the SDSL modem carries a price tag of around Rs 1 lakh.

"It is for the users to decide which modem do they want... BSNL is just going to give an option to them," said a Nigam official.link

3000 tortoise seized in Bihar

More than 3000 live tortoise being smuggled to Kolkata was seized at a place in Bihar Gaya district.

Superintendent of Police, R Malar Vizzi said, "The tortoises were seized at a checkpost near Barachatti manned by forest department officials. They were being smuggled from Uttar Pradesh to Kolkata."

She said a jeep was carrying the tortoises contained in 30 bags. A case under Wildlife Violation Act has been registered and the driver of the vehicle Reyaz Ahmed was arrested.

The tortoises were being smuggled from Akbarpur in Uttar Pradesh to Kolkata, she said.link

Madhubani District of Bihar

The district of Madhubani was carved out of the old Darbhanga district in the year 1972 as a result of reorganisation of the districts in the State. This was formerly the northern subdivision of Darbhanga district. It consists of 21 Development Blocks. Bounded on the north by a hill region of Nepal and extending to the border of its parent district Darbhanga in the south, Sitamarhi in the west and Supaul in the east, Madhubani fairly represents the centre of the territory once known as Mithila and the district has maintained a distinct individuality of its own.This is the centre of Mithila, a region where the main language is Maithili.

History of Madhubani

Practically there are no prehistoric sites in the district though remains of the earliest aboriginal population can be seen in some parts of the district. Hunter in his "Statistical Accounts" has referred to the existence of the people, known as the Tharus in the erstwhile old subdivision of Madhubani. The Bhars are also believed to have belonged to some aboriginal race though nothing positive about them is known from any reliable source. The Bihar settlements in the north-eastern part of the district indicate that they possibly wielded some power in the remote part. From the work of Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji entitled 'Kiratajanakirti' it appears that Kiratas also inhabited the district for a considerable period. The Mahabharata also throws light on the Kirata culture. Prior to the Aryanisation of this land the area seems to have been under the aboriginal population and Shiva worship was predominant. The association of the family of Janaka with the worship of lord Shiva is an indication of the fact that though they formed the vanguard of Aryan culture they had to compromise with the local religious belief, dominated by the Shaivas. The kingdom of Videha included a greater portion of the district. In course of time it was ruled by a successive line of kings known as Janakas.

If tradition is to be relied upon, the Pandavas during their exile stayed in some portion of the present district and Pandaul (block headquarters) is associated with them. Janakpur, capital of Videha is situated at a short distance to the north-west of the district in the Nepalese territory and tradition points to the village of Phulhar in the north- east corner of the Benipatti thana as the flower- garden where the kings' priests used to gather flowers for worship and identifies its temple with that of Devi Girija, which was worshipped by Sita before her marriage with Ram. Legends and traditions associate this district with a number of sages and master- minds of ancient times. Village Kakraul is associated with Kapil, Ahiari with Ahilya wife of Gautama, Bisaul with Vishwamitra and Jagban with Yajnavalkya (ascribed to the great sage of Mithila).

Bimbisar, the founder of the Magadhan imperial power aspired for imperial power and the ambition ran in the veins of his son, Ajat Shatru as well. Ajat Shatru subdued the Lichchhavis and conquered the whole of North Bihar. He brought Mithila under the control of the Magadhan empire. The history of the Lichchhavis comes down unbroken to the days of the imperial Guptas. The Lichchhavis founded a kingdom in Nepal and even the earliest royal house of Tibet owed its origin to the Lichchhavis of Vaishali. The migration of Lichchhavis to Nepal and Tibet marks a great event in the history of North Bihar and the district of Madhubani being at the core of the region must have played a dominant part in this great trek as the route to Nepal lay through this district.

Madhubani must have shared in the religious and cultural ferment which so deeply stirred the hearts of the people of the Gangetic Valley in the 6th century B.C. Since the whole of North Bihar was deeply influenced by the teachings of two great reformers (Mahavira and Buddha) it is only natural to infer that the people of Madhubani actively participated in the propagation of these reform movements. According to one theory Mahavira himself was a Vaideha domiciled in the suburb of Vaishali and was the son of a daughter of Mithila. Buddha also visited Mithila thrice and he had a great love for Vaishali. It may be further noted here that Buddha's most devoted disciple, Anand was a Vaidehamuni, a monk of the land of Videhas. Both the Jain and the Buddhist literature contain innumerable references to the district of Madhubani and its neighboring territories. Very little is known about the history of Madhubani from the time of the Kusanas to the rise of the Guptas.

After a temporary period of instability, Madhubani came under the control of the Oinwaras, also known as the Kameshwara Thakura or the Sugauna dynasty. These Hindu chiefs were left undisturbed by the whole of Mithila. When Hajiriyas of Bengal divided Tirhut into two parts, the Oinwar Raja shifted his capital to Sugauna near Madhubani. The district thereafter remained a part of the Mughal Subah. There was no event of great significance during the next century and a half.

The decisive victory of the British in the battle of Buxar in 1764 gave them undisputed sway over the Lower Provinces of Bengal. As a consequence, Madhubani, along with other parts of Bihar, passed under the control of British. The British administrators took steps to establish law and order. Besides the trouble- mongers in Mithila, they had also to deal with the incursions of the Nepalese. The trouble with Nepal culminated in the Indo-Nepalese war. After concluding peace with Nepal, the British administrators had a comparatively quiet time till the 1857 movement.

In 1857, patriotic fervour raged-high in Madhubani district as in many other districts of Bihar. Later the call of the non-co-operation movement also found adequate response in the district of Madhubani and many people volunteered to serve the cause championed by Mahatma Gandhi. Khadi spinning and weaving was adopted as a must for congress workers. A Khadi centre was opened at Madhubani. It gradually expanded its activities. Khadi became very popular and Madhubani soon emerged as a renowned centre of Khadi production. The popularity of Khadi weaving and spinning in the district went a long way in inspiring the people towards the nationalist cause. Madhubani district played an important role in the country's freedom struggle.

Religious, Historical and Archaeological Places

Madhubani has a number of places having tourist interest from religious, historical and archaeological point of view. Some of the prominent places are Andhratharhi, Balirajpur, Mangrauni, Ucchaith, Bhawanipur, Saurath, Satghara, Bisfi etc. Brief Description of Places of Religious, Historical and Archeological Importance in villages and places and tourist interest in the town of the district:

1. Saurath

This is a road side village on Madhubani-Jaynagar road and contains a temple known as Somnath Mahadev. It owes its importance to the annual Sabha held by Maithili Brahmins for negotiating marriages. Many Panjikars who keep the genealogical records of the different families reside here and outside.

2. Kapileswarsthan

A village situated nine kilometers from Madhubani District Head Quarter. The village is noted for its Shiva Temple, also known as Kapileswarsthan. Numerous devotees congregate at the temple every Monday and particularly in the month of Shravan. A large fair is also held on the occasion of Maha Shiva Ratri.

3. Uchaitha

The village in Benipatti block is noted for its temple of Bhagwati on the western bank of river Thumne. According to a legend, the renowned Sanskrit poet and dramatist Kalidas was blessed by Bhagwati at this place.

4. Bhawanipur

It is a large village situated 5kms from the block headquarter of Pandaul, the village is noted for its temple of Ugaranath and traditional association with famous poet, Vidyapati. As the legend says, Vidyapati was such a great devotee of Lord Shiva that the latter began to serve Vidyapati as his servant named Ugana.

Area

• Madhubani occupies a total of 3501 sq. kms.

• Main Rivers are Kamla , Kareh, Balan, Bhutahi Balan, Gehuan, Supen, Trishula, Jeevachh, Koshi and Adhwara Group.

• High Flood Level is 54.017 m.

• Whole District is under Earthquake Zone 5.

• Total Cropped Area - 218381 Hect.

• Barren /Uncultivable Land - 1456.5 Hect

• Land under Non-agricultural use - 51273.24 Hect

• Cultivable Barren Land - 333.32 Hect

• Permanent Pasture - 1372.71 Hect

• Miscellaneous Trees - 8835.90 Hect

• Cultivable Land - 232724 Hect

• Cropping Intensity - 134.23 %

Rainfall

• Varies between 900mm and 1300 mm.

• Average Rainfall = 1273.2 mm.

Administrative Units

1.	No. of Sub-Divisions	5
2.	No. of Blocks	21
3.	No. of Circles	20
4.	No. of Panchayats	399
5.	No. of Villages	1111
6.	No. of Police Stations	18
7.	No. of Assisting Thana	13
8.	No. of Outposts	5
9.	No. of Town Outposts	4
10.	No. of Jail	2
11.	No. of MP Constituencies	2
12.	No. of MLA Constituencies	11
13.	No. of Zila Parishad Members	56
14.	No. of Panchayat Samiti Members	555
15.	No. of Gram Panchayat Members	5523

Netarhat Field Firing Range to be closed soon:Defence Minister

In deference to a long-pending demand of local tribals, the Government will soon close down the Field Firing Range at Netarhat in Jharkhand.

The assurance was given today by Defence Minister A K Antony to Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Chaudhary, when he led a four-member delegation from Jharkhand to raise the demand.

"The Defence Minister has given an assurance that the Field Firing Range will be closed down soon,"a Bihar government press release said.

Demand for its closure has been made by the people of the tribal-dominated area as tribes like Asur and Birhore as also wildlife were leaving the area in search of safer habitations.

The delegation also demanded that the area be declared a reserved forest.link