Araria District is an administrative district of Bihar. Araria has been engraved out of the parent district of Purnia. The district covers an area of 2,830 sq km. Araria shares its border with Nepal in the north. Araria is the district headquarters of this administrative district. Araria District is situated at the northern part of Purnia and Madhepura in Bihar. Borders of Araria District are surrounded by Nepal in northern side,
Kishanganj in eastern side and Supaul at western side.
Jogbani is the last point of Araria and after that `Virat Nagar` district of Nepal starts.
History of Araria District
History of Araria District states that this district came into existence in 1990 after the bifurcation of the erstwhile Purnia district. Araria has a very prestigious past though shrouded in midst of uncertainties. References about the history of Araria District are also found in
Mahabharata. In ancient times ruled by three important clans of Indian history, Araria may be termed as a place of confluence of three entirely different cultures. The important tribe of
Kiratas governed the northern side, while the eastern side was under the
Pundras and area west of
Kosi River by Angas. They are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of the district, mostly in the area west of the river Kosi and these are among the easternmost tribes as described in the Atharva Samhita known to the Aryans. Pundras are said to be the descendents of
Vishwamitra whereas the Kiratas were among the few most important ruling clans of that time. Manu regards the Kiratas as Kshatriyas. Mahadeva was associated with Kiratas and Bhima meets the Kiratas in the east of Mithila, which is the present Araria District. During the Mauryan period this area formed the part of the Mauryan Empire. The district also formed the part of
Gupta Empire in India. Due to an impenetrable network of rivers interspersed with large patches of jungle, the area of Muslim control could not extend to the northern portion of the erstwhile Purnia district. Hence the present Araria district seems still to have been held by the hill tribes of Nepal. In the year 1765 though the area came under the Diwani of
British East India Company, it was continued to be ruled by the Nawabs of Purnia till 1770. In the year 1864 Araria District was constituted as sub-division by merging the small divisions of Araria, Matiari, Dimia, parts of Haveli and Bahadurganj to provide better administration and ultimately it became a district in 1990.
Demography of Araria District
As per 2001 Census, Araria District has a total population of 16,11,638, with rural population of 15,09,360 and urban population of 1,02,278. The Scheduled Caste population of Araria is 2,20,148 and Scheduled Tribe population is 20,819.
Administration of Araria District
Administration of Araria District has two sub-divisions namely Araria and Forbesganj. There are a total of nine development blocks and these are Araria, Kursakanta, Siktti, Raniganj, Jokihat, Palasi, Forbesganj, Bhargama and Narpatganj.
Economy of Araria District
Economy of Araria District is dependent on agriculture. The main crops cultivated here are paddy,
maize and jute. There are many jute mills in Araria. The important places of tourist attraction in Araria are Madanpur, Palasi and Basaithi
Transportation in Araria District
Araria is well connected with the other districts of Bihar by bus and railways. The nearest railway station is Araria Court and Araria Railway Station. Araria is also accessible to other parts of India by railways via Katihar.
