Bihar was called Magadha in ancient times. Its capital Patna, then known as Pataliputra, was the center of the Mauryan empire, which dominated the Indian Subcontinent from 325 BC to185 BC. Ashoka was the most famous ruler of this Dynasty. Bihar remained an important place of power, culture and education during the next one thousand years. The Vikramshila and Nalanda University, were among the oldest and best centres of education in ancient India but were destroyed by islamic invaders in the medieval period. Bihar was the region where Buddhism evolved and finds mention in the Vedas, Puranas, and Epics etc. This was one of the most remarkable aspects that make it an important region that added to the diverse cultures of the Indian Union.

Human settlement in this region dates back to the prehistoric period and they led a nomadic life. Bihar too forms the part of the Gangetic plain, which people of different races inhabited. Great rulers of the state before the Christian era were Bimbisara, Udayin who founded the city of Pataliputra. The famous Mauryan emperors along with the Guptas under King Ashoka had their capital at Patiliputra. Smaller dynasties like that of the Sungas, Kanva and the Kushanas influenced the regions of Bihar. During the Medieval period Bihar witnessed the Muslim invasion, which was followed by the rule of local Rajput clans. The first Muslim conqueror was Mohammad Bin Bakhtiar Khalji. The Tughluqs and then the Mughals followed the Khalijis.

Medieval Period
The Mughals established a prosperous atmosphere in Bihar. With the downfall of the Mughals, the Nawabs from Bengal exercised their rule. The East India Company established its sway over Bihar after the Battle of Buxar in 1764. The different British attitudes and practices towards the people led to migration to lands like Africa, South East Asia etc. Under the British, Bihar was first a part of Bengal Presidency. In 1911 the two states of Orissa and Bihar were separated from Bengal. In 1936,they became separate provinces. A part of Bihar comprising mainly forest tracks of Chhotanagpur plateau and Santhal paragana, the homeland of the tribals became a separate state Jharkhand on November 15th, 2000.

Modern Period
After the Battle of Buxar in 1765, the British East India Company obtained the Diwani Rights (rights to administer and collect revenue, or tax administration / collection) for Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. From this point onwards, Bihar remained a part the Bengal Presidency of the British Raj until 1912, when Bihar was carved out as a separate Province. In 1935, certain portions of Bihar were reorganised into the separate province of Orissa. Again, in 2000, 18 administrative districts of Bihar were separated to form the state of Jharkhand. Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur and his army, as well as countless other persons from Bihar, contributed to the Indian rebellion of 1857, also called the Sepoy Mutiny by some historians.

Bihar`s contribution in the freedom struggle has been immense with outstanding leaders like Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, Bihar Bibhuti, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Jayaprakash Narayan, Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Basawon Singh, Yogendra Shukla, Sheel Bhadra Yajee and many others who worked for India`s freedom relentlessly and helped in the upliftment of the underprivileged masses. Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki were also active in revolutionary movement in Bihar.