Bihar (Bih) Hin: बिहार bihār ‘Monastery’ From Skt/Pali: vihāra, ‘abode’, ‘(Buddhist) monastery’. Bihar has a rich Buddhist heritage. It boasts the site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and has many other historic Buddist centres and vihāras dating back to...
Hin: आरा āra ‘Forest Town’ City, Bihar From Skt: aranya, ‘forest’; and Skt: nagaram, ‘town’, ‘city’. A Jain inscription refers to a town called Aramnagar which suggests a corruption of an original Aranya. It is highly likely that the area around here was...
Hin: औरंगाबाद auraṅgābād ‘Aurangzeb’s City’ City/District, Bihar From Aurangzeb and Urd: ābād, ‘city’, ‘settlement’. Aurangabad is sometimes called the “Chittorgarh of Bihar” because of its large Suryavanshi Rajput population. In ancient times,...
Hin: बगह bagha ‘Garden’ City, Bihar From Hin/Bih: बग(हा) baga(ha), ‘garden’, ‘park’. Bagaha is situated on the edge of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve with the Uttar Pradesh border in the west of the opposite shore of the Gandak river. The 814km Gandak River flows from...
Hin: बेगूसराय begusrāy ‘Ladies’ Inn’ City/District, Bihar (Bih) From Hin/Urd: वेगम beg’am, begum, ‘title for Muslim lady/wife’; सराय sarāi, ‘inn’, ‘resting place’. This would orginally have been a stopover or staging post. Begusarai, for many decades from the...
Hin: बेतिया betiya ‘Cane Town’ City, Bihar From Hin: बेंत bē(n)t, ‘cane’ Bettiah was the third-largest princely estate in the Bihar region under the British. It is named after the cane trees found in the area. Bettiah is the capital of West Champaran District which...
Hin:भागलपुर bhāglapur ‘City of Fortune’ [Bhagatpur] City, Bihar From Hin/Urd: भाग्य bhāg, ‘good fortune’, ‘luck’, ‘prosperity’; and Skt: पुर pur(a) ‘town’, ‘city’ Bhagalpur is also known as the ‘City of Silk’. It producess Bhagalpuri or Tussar silk made from the...
Hin: बिहार शरीफ bihār shariph ‘Exalted Saint’ City/District HQ, Bihar From Hin/Urd शरीफ़ sharīf, ‘noble’, ‘exalted’, ‘virtuous’ Bihar Sharif is the final resting place of Sheikh Sharfuddin Ahmed or Makhdoom-ul-Mulk Bihari, a 12-13thC Sufi mystic. He settled here to...
Hin: बक्सर baksar ‘Tiger Pool’ City/District, Bihar From Skt/Hin: व्याघ्र vyāghra/बाघ bāgh, ‘tiger’; and सर sar, ‘pond’, ‘pool’. There are three main suggestions for the etymology of Buxar’s name: (1) A tank or lake in the centre of the city, some say, was...
Hin: पश्चिम/पूर्वी चंपारण pashchim/purwi champāran ‘Magnolia Forest’ Region/E+W Districts, Bihar From Skt: चम्पक kampa-ka ‘magnolia champak tree’ (Michelia champaca); and अरण्य aranya, ‘forest’, ‘wood’. The magnolia champak (a.k.a. joy perfume tree, yellow jade...
Hin: छपरा chhapra ‘Thatch’ [Chupra, Chapra, Chopper] City/District HQ, Bihar From Hin: छप्पर chhappar, ‘thatch’, ‘thatched roof’. Hobson-Jobson provides the alternative colonial spellings and suggests ‘a collection of straw huts’. Chhapra is the HQ City...
Hin: दानापुर dānāpur ‘Poor Town’ [Dinapur, Nizamat, Dinapore] Town, Bihar From Skt: दीन dīna, ‘poor’, ‘indigent’, ‘miserable’, ‘wretched’; Skt:: पुर् pur(a) ‘town’, ‘city’; and Urd: نظامت, nizāmat, ‘administration’, ‘directorate’. Dinapore was a British garrison...
Hin/Bih: दरभंगा darbhanga ‘Gateway to Bengal’ City/District, Bihar From Darbhangi Khan; or Hin: दर dar, ‘door’, ‘gateway’; and भंग, bhāṅg, ‘breach’, ‘split’ or ‘hemp’ [Cannabis sativa]. None of the derivations seem particularly satisfactory. Darbhanga is probably...
Hin/Bih: दाउद नगर dāud nagar ‘Daud Khan’s City’ Town, Bihar Daud Khan, one of Aurangzeb’s Subedars and Governor of Bihar, built a fort here in 1664 to commemorate a victory against the Raja of Palamu. For related place names see Indian Place names and Bihar place...
Bih/Hin: डेहरी आन सोन dehri ān son ‘Threshold’ Town, Bihar From Hin: देहरी dēharī, ‘threshold’ The 784km Sone river is one of India’s longest. Here at Dehri it yields a bonanza of sand making Dehri the Sand Capital of India. There are concerns that sand mining is...
गया/बोध गया gaya/bodh gaya ‘Gayasur’s Town’ [Bodhgaya] City/District, Bihar Gaya is named after the demon Gayasur [Skt: असुर asura ‘(evil) spirit’, ‘demon’]. It is said that Vishnu bestowed powers on him, following his thousand year long penance, to absolve sinners....
