Tirhut division

Tirhut division
Division
Coordinates: 26°21′16″N 85°06′36″E
Country	India
State	Bihar
Region	Mithila
Established	1908
Named for	Tirhut (One of the twelve names of Mithila as per Brihada Vishnu Purana)
Headquarters	Muzaffarpur
Districts	Vaishali Sheohar Sitamarhi Muzaffarpur East Champaran West Champaran
Government
• Divisional Commissioner	Giriwar Dayal Singh, I.A.S.
Area
• Total	17,141 km2 (6,618 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	21,410,544
Website	Official website

Tirhut Division is an administrative division of the Indian state of Bihar, with its headquarters at Muzaffarpur. The division was created in 1908 and comprises six districts: Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Vaishali, Sitamarhi, and Sheohar.

The division covers an area of 17,141 square kilometres and had a population of 21,410,544 according to figures published by the divisional administration from the 2011 Census. It is administered by a Divisional Commissioner, a senior officer of the Indian Administrative Service.

Districts

Map of Tirhut Division in Bihar, India

Districts of Tirhut Division, Bihar

District	Headquarters	Cities and towns	Blocks	Population (2011)	Creation date
Muzaffarpur	Muzaffarpur	Muzaffarpur, Kanti, Motipur, Sahebganj, Saraiya	Aurai, Bandra, Bochahan, Gaighat, Katra, Minapur, Muraul, Mushahari, Paroo, Sahebganj, Sakra, Saraiya, Kanti, Kurhani, Marwan, Motipur	4,801,062	1875
East Champaran	Motihari	Motihari, Mehsi, Raxaul, Dhaka	Adapur, Areraj, Banjaria, Chakia, Chiraiya, Dhaka, Ghorasahan, Harsidhi, Kesaria, Kotwa, Madhuban, Mehsi, Motihari, Paharpur, Pakaridayal, Phenhara, Patahi, Raxaul, Sugauli, Tetaria, Turkaulia	5,099,371	1972
West Champaran	Bettiah	Bettiah, Bagaha, Narkatiaganj, Ramnagar, Chanpatia, Lauriya	Bagaha I, Bagaha II, Bettiah, Bairia, Bhitaha, Chanpatia, Gaunaha, Jogapatti, Lauriya, Mainatand, Majhaulia, Narkatiaganj, Nautan, Piprasi, Ramnagar, Sikta, Thakrahan	3,935,042	1972
Sheohar	Sheohar	Sheohar	Dumri Katsari, Purnahiya, Sheohar, Piprarhi, Tariyani	656,246	1994
Sitamarhi	Sitamarhi	Sitamarhi, Pupri, Belsand, Bairgania, Riga, Sursand	Bairgania, Bajpatti, Bathnaha, Belsand, Bokhara, Choraut, Dumra, Majorganj, Nanpur, Parihar, Pupri, Riga, Runnisaidpur, Sonbarsa, Sursand, Suppi	3,423,574	1972
Vaishali	Hajipur	Hajipur, Mahnar, Mahua, Lalganj	Bhagwanpur, Bidupur, Chehra Kalan, Desari, Goraul, Hajipur, Jandaha, Lalganj, Mahnar, Mahua, Patepur, Paterhi Belsar, Raghopur, Raja Pakar, Sahdai Buzurg	3,495,021	1972

The divisional administration identifies Muzaffarpur as the headquarters of Tirhut Division and lists Bettiah, Motihari and Hajipur as the headquarters of West Champaran, East Champaran and Vaishali respectively.

Cities and towns

Tirhut Division contains a network of cities, municipal councils, nagar panchayats and other urban settlements distributed across its six constituent districts. The principal urban centres include Muzaffarpur, Mehsi, Hajipur, Motihari, Bettiah, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Raxaul, Bagaha, Narkatiaganj and other towns across the division.

The urban settlements form a connected regional network serving as administrative, commercial, transport, educational and service centres for their respective districts and surrounding rural areas.

Muzaffarpur district

Muzaffarpur is the headquarters of both Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut Division. The district administration lists Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation together with Kanti, Motipur, Sahebganj, Sakra, Minapur, Baruraj, Madhopur Susta, Turki, Muraul and Saraiya among its municipal urban local bodies.

These settlements represent the urban network of Muzaffarpur district and connect the divisional headquarters with surrounding parts of Tirhut.

Vaishali district

Hajipur, the headquarters of Vaishali district, is an important urban centre in the southern part of Tirhut Division. The Vaishali district administration lists Hajipur Municipal Council, Lalganj Nagar Panchayat and Mahnar Nagar Panchayat among the district's municipalities.

East Champaran district

Motihari is the headquarters of East Champaran district and one of the major urban centres of the eastern part of Tirhut Division. Other urban settlements include Mehsi, Raxaul. Mehsi is an important historic urban centre and Nagar Panchayat in East Champaran district, Bihar. Historically, Mehsi was an important administrative and civil centre of Champaran and gave its name to the historic Mihsi/Mehsi administrative tract. Today it serves as a block and urban administrative centre, with the nearby Bhimalpur Forest being developed as a biodiversity and eco-tourism site. Mehsi is internationally associated with its distinctive pearl-button and oyster-shell manufacturing tradition; the Government of Bihar describes the Mehsi pearl-button industry as the only one of its kind in the whole country and states that it earned fame in the world.

West Champaran district

Bettiah is the headquarters of West Champaran district. Other important urban settlements include Bagaha, Narkatiaganj, Ramnagar, Chanpatia, Lauriya and Machhargawan. The West Champaran district administration lists one municipal corporation, three Nagar Parishads and several Nagar Panchayats among the district's urban local bodies.

The district administration also identifies Bettiah, Narkatiaganj and Bagaha as its three subdivisions, reflecting the administrative and urban structure of the district.

Sitamarhi district

Sitamarhi is the headquarters and principal urban centre of Sitamarhi district. The district contains five municipalities and a network of urban settlements associated with its subdivisions and blocks.

Other important towns and urban settlements in the district include Bairgania, Belsand, Pupri, Riga and Sursand. The district administration records Bairgania, Belsand and Pupri among its subdivisions and blocks, while the district has five municipalities in total.

Sheohar district

Sheohar is the headquarters and principal urban centre of Sheohar district. The district administration identifies Sheohar as its municipal urban centre and records one Nagar Parishad in the district.

Urban network

The cities and towns of Tirhut Division form a broad urban network across northern Bihar. Muzaffarpur functions as the divisional headquarters, while Hajipur, Motihari, Bettiah, Sitamarhi and Sheohar serve as district headquarters. Other urban centres, including Raxaul, Mehsi, Kanti, Motipur, Bagaha, Narkatiaganj, Lalganj, Mahnar, Bairgania and Pupri, provide local administrative, commercial and service functions within their respective areas.

The distribution of these settlements can be seen in the accompanying map of towns and cities of Tirhut Division and adjoining urban centres in Bihar.

Tourist attractions

Tourist Attractions in Tirhut Division

District	Highlights
Muzaffarpur	Ashoka's Pillar, Lychee gardens, heritage memorials and temples, Baba Garibnath Dham
East Champaran	Bhimalpur Forest, Kesaria Stupa, Someshwar Fort, Orwell birthplace, Satyagraha sites
West Champaran	Valmiki National Park, spiritual river confluences, archaeological remains, Shahid Samarak
Vaishali	Buddhist–Jain ruins, Relic Stupa of Vaishali, Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Archaeological Museum, Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum & Stupa
Sitamarhi	Sita's birthplace temple, Haleshwar Sthan, Janaki Janmasthali Mandir
Sheohar	Shiva temple fairs, Vedic heritage and educational icons

Geography and demographics

Tirhut Division covers an area of 17,141 km². According to the Census of India, the division has a total population of 21,410,544 with a literacy rate of 60.81%. Administratively, it is subdivided into 18 subdivisions, 99 community development blocks, 1,788 gram panchayats, and 1,572 villages.

History

Tirhut is one of the historic regions of northern Bihar and has played an important role in the political, administrative and cultural history of North Bihar. The historical Tirhut region included areas that are now administered through several districts of Bihar. During the Mughal and British periods, the region was administered through changing territorial and revenue arrangements.

Major historical and administrative centres

Hajipur

Hajipur, now the headquarters of Vaishali district, is one of the historically important urban centres of Tirhut. Its strategic importance developed from its location at the confluence of the Gandak River and the Ganges. Historical records of Vaishali state that Hajipur was founded by Haji Ilyas Shah, ruler of Bengal from 1345 to 1358, who built a fortress there. The Census of India historical account also records Hajipur's strategic importance and describes it as a seat of governors during the medieval period.

Hajipur subsequently remained an important centre in the political and military history of North Bihar. The Vaishali district administration identifies Hajipur as the present district headquarters, while the historical association of the town with the Ganga-Gandak confluence gave it continued strategic and commercial importance.

Mehsi, East Champaran

Mehsi (historically Mihsi or Mihsī) was an important historical administrative and civil centre of the Champaran region. The Ain-i-Akbari records Mihsī as a pargana of Sarkar Champaran (Parganah Mihsí, Sirkár Champáran), establishing its place in the historical territorial and revenue administration of Champaran during the Mughal period. The administrative importance of Mihsi continued into the eighteenth century. A Persian administrative correspondence dated 5 August 1769 refers to the Peshkar of Mihsi, providing contemporary evidence that Mihsi remained an active administrative and revenue centre of Champaran. The Bihar and Orissa District Gazetteers: Champaran (1938), published by the Government of Bihar and Orissa, states that Mehsi was regarded as the Sadar, or chief civil station, of Champaran when the East India Company first acquired possession of the area. The same official Gazetteer records that a Munsif's Court was for a time located at Mehsi and that the settlement gave its name to the historical Mehsi Pargana. The historical evidence therefore establishes Mehsi as an early Sadar and chief civil station of Champaran during the East India Company period. The available Government Gazetteer does not specify the exact starting and ending years of this Sadar status. The year 1769 is independently documented by the contemporary reference to the Peshkar of Mihsi, while 1866 marks the later establishment of Champaran as a separate British district. A precise claim that Mehsi was continuously the Sadar or chief civil station specifically from 1769 to 1866 Champaran was constituted as a separate British district in 1866, with Motihari becoming its administrative headquarters. The later district was divided into East Champaran and West Champaran in the twentieth century.

Muzaffarpur

Muzaffarpur is the present administrative headquarters of Tirhut Division and is the principal divisional centre of the region. The official Tirhut Division administration states that the Tirhut Commissionary was created in 1908 with its headquarters at Muzaffarpur. The division currently comprises six districts: Muzaffarpur, West Champaran, East Champaran, Vaishali, Sitamarhi and Sheohar.

The history of Muzaffarpur itself is older than the modern division. According to the Muz