Kishanganj district

Kishanganj district, which was previously part of Purnia district, is part of the Mithila region.{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0hbA4A--9HcC&q=kishanganj+mithila&pg=PA74 |title = Women Empowerment Through Panchayati Raj Institutions|isbn = 9788180696800|last1 = Thakur|first1 = Minni|year = 2010}}

Mithila first gained prominence after being settled by Indo-Aryan peoples who established the Mithila Kingdom (also called Kingdom of the Videhas) which was ruled by the Videhas, an Indo-Aryan tribe.Michael Witzel (1989), Tracing the Vedic dialects in Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes ed. Caillat, Paris, pages 13, 17 116–124, 141–143

During the late Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Kingdom of the Videhas became one of the major political and cultural centers of South Asia, along with Kuru and Pañcāla. The kings of the Kingdom of the Videhas were called Janakas.{{cite book |author=Witzel, M. |author-link=Michael Witzel |year=1989 |chapter=Tracing the Vedic dialects |title=Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes |location=Paris |editor1-last=Caillat |editor1-first=C. |pages=141–143 |publisher=Fondation Hugot}}

The Mithila Kingdom was later incorporated into the Vajjika League, which had its capital in the city of Vaishali, which is also in Mithila.{{cite book |author=Hemchandra, R. |year=1972 |title=Political History of Ancient India |location=Calcutta |publisher=University of Calcutta}}

Kishanganj was an old and important Sub-Division of Purnia district. After the long and hard struggle of around seventeen years by the people of Kishanganj including social workers, politicians, journalists, businessmen, farmers, etc., the Kishanganj district was carved out of Purnia district on 14 January 1990.

[https://kishanganj.nic.in/history/ History], Kishanganj District, retrieved 15 December 2021.

Kishanganj district occupies an area of {{convert|1884|km2|sqmi}},{{cite book | last1 = Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.) | title = India 2010: A Reference Annual | chapter = States and Union Territories: Bihar: Government | edition = 54th | publisher = Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India). Government of India | year = 2010 | location = New Delhi, India | pages = 1118–1119 | isbn = 978-81-230-1617-7}} Kishanganj district is surrounded by Araria district in the west, Purnia district in the south-west, Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal on the east, and Darjeeling district of West Bengal and Nepal on the north. A narrow strip of West Bengal, about 20 km wide separates it from Bangladesh.{{cite web| url = http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/bihar/districts/kishanganj.htm |title = Kishanganj district map |access-date = 2010-10-08|publisher =Maps of India }}

Kishanganj district is located between 25° 20’ and 26° 30’ north latitudes, and 87° 7’ and 88° 19’ east longitudes.{{cite web|url=http://kishanganj.bih.nic.in/location.htm |title=Kishanganj District (Bihar) |access-date=2010-10-08 |publisher=Kishanganj district administration |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114030750/http://kishanganj.bih.nic.in/location.htm |archive-date=2010-11-14 }}

Major rivers flowing through the district are Mahananda, Kankai, Mechi, Donk, Ratua.

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In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Kishanganj one of the country's 250 most backward districts out of a total of 640. It is one of the 36 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).{{cite web|author=Ministry of Panchayati Raj |date=September 8, 2009 |title=A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme |publisher=National Institute of Rural Development |url=http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf |access-date=September 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405033402/http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf |archive-date=April 5, 2012 }}

Kishanganj is the only tea producing district in Bihar.{{Cite web|url=https://districts.ecourts.gov.in/kishanganj-judgeship|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720125005/https://districts.ecourts.gov.in/kishanganj-judgeship|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-07-20|title=Kishanganj Judgeship/District Court in India {{!}} Official Website of District Court of India|date=2019-07-20|access-date=2019-07-20}}

The district comprises only one sub-division, Kishanganj, which is further divided into seven blocks:

• Bahadurganj
• Dighalbank
• Kishanganj
• Kochadhaman
• Pothia
• Terhagachha
• Thakurganj

On 30 January 2014, the foundation stone was laid down of the Kishanganj campus of Aligarh Muslim University by Sonia Gandhi.{{Cite web|last=Kumar|first=Madan|date=30 January 2014|title=Sonia to lay foundation of AMU Kishanganj unit today|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/sonia-to-lay-foundation-of-amu-kishanganj-unit-today/articleshow/29571536.cms|access-date=2022-01-22|website=The Times of India}} The study centre started out by offering two courses.{{Cite web|last=Ahmad|first=Wali|date=2020-10-25|title=The picture of a university: AMU Kishanganj centre flounders|url=https://indianexpress.com/elections/the-picture-of-a-university-amu-kishanganj-centre-flounders-6847214/|access-date=2022-01-22|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}

{{historical populations|11=1901|12=2,34,482|13=1911|14=2,51,966|15=1921|16=2,69,059|17=1931|18=2,91,023|19=1941|20=3,16,813|21=1951|22=3,36,235|23=1961|24=4,59,703|25=1971|26=6,18,773|27=1981|28=8,05,333|29=1991|30=9,84,107|31=2001|32=12,96,348|33=2011|34=16,90,400|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:{{cite web |title=Table A-02 Decadal Variation in Population Since 1901: Bihar |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/43343/download/47022/10%20A-2%20Bihar.pdf |website=census.gov.in|publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India}}|align=center}}

According to the 2011 census Kishanganj district has a population of 1,690,400,{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=District Census Handbook: Kishanganj |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/280/download/770/DH_2011_1008_PART_A_DCHB_KISHANGANJ.pdf |website=Census of India |publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India}} roughly equal to the nation of Guinea-Bissau{{cite web | author = US Directorate of Intelligence | title = Country Comparison:Population | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070613004507/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = June 13, 2007 | access-date = 2011-10-01 | quote = Guinea-Bissau 1,596,677 July 2011 est.}} or the US state of Idaho.{{cite web

|url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php

|title=2010 Resident Population Data

|publisher=U. S. Census Bureau

|access-date=2011-09-30

|quote=Idaho 1,567,582

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019160532/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php

|archive-date=2013-10-19

}} This gives it a ranking of 293rd in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of {{convert|898|PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}} . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 30.44%. Kishanganj has a sex ratio of 946 females for every 1,000 males, and a literacy rate of 57.04%. 9.53% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 6.69% and 3.80% of the population respectively.

{{bar box

|title=Religions in Kishanganj district (2011){{Cite web |date=2011 |title=Table C-01 Population by Religion: Bihar |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11366/download/14479/DDW10C-01%20MDDS.XLS |website=censusindia.gov.in |publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India}}

|titlebar=#Fcd116

|left1=Religion

|right1=Percent

|float=left

|bars=

{{bar percent|Islam|green|67.98}}

{{bar percent|Hinduism|darkorange|31.43}}

{{bar percent|Other or not stated|black|0.59}}

}}

A vast majority of the people live in villages. Kishanganj is the only Muslim-majority district of Bihar, with Muslims forming about 68% of the population. There are also Hindus of whom most are Surajpuris (Rajbanshi). There also are small pockets of Santals.{{cite web| url =http://azadindia.org/about-kishan.html |title =The Socio-Economic and Political Scenario of Kishanganj District |access-date = 2010-10-08|publisher = Azad India Foundation}}{{cite web| url = http://www.twocircles.net/2010jul02/kishanganj_bihar_s_most_backward_district_quest_amu_centre.html |title = Kishanganj: Bihar's most backward district in quest for AMU centre |date = 2 July 2010 |access-date = 2010-10-08|publisher = TwoCircles.net}} Most of the inhabitants of Kishanganj speak Surajpuri.{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TYjxabLaHcC&q=maithili+kishanganj&pg=PA3 | title=Maithili Bhasha Sahitya: Beesam Shatabdi| isbn=9789380538129| last1=Singh| first1=Premshankar}}

{{pie chart

|thumb = right

|caption = Languages in Kishanganj district (2011)

|label1 = Surjapuri |value1 = 42.61 |color1 = mediumvioletred

|label2 = Urdu |value2 = 32.62 |color2 = green

|label3 = Hindi |value3 = 9.05 |color3 = orange

|label4 = Bengali |value4 = 6.66 |color4 = orchid

|label5 = Santali |value5 = 3.45 |color5 = darkturquoise

|label6 = Maithili |value6 = 2.63 |color6 = mistyrose

|label7 = Bhojpuri |value7 = 1.23 |color7 = gold

|label8 = Others |value8 = 1.75 |color8 = grey

}}

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 42.61% of the population in the district spoke Surjapuri, 32.62% Urdu, 9.05 Hindi, 6.66% Bengali, 3.45% Santali, 2.63% Maithili and 1.23% Bhojpuri as their first language.{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Bihar |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10196/download/13308/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1000.XLSX|website=censusindia.gov.in |publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India}}

• Number of Revenue Division(s)- 1
• Number of Blocks- 7{{Cite web|url=https://www.census2011.co.in/data/district/62-kishanganj-bihar.html|title=Blocks in Kishanganj District, Bihar|website=www.census2011.co.in|access-date=2019-05-27}}
• Number of Police Stations- 20
• Number of Gram Panchayats- 126
• Number of Census Villages- 771
• Number of Municipalities- 3
• Number of Municipal Corporation- 1{{Cite web|url=https://kishanganj.nic.in/demography/|title=Demography {{!}} Welcome to Kishanganj District|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-27}}

See also - Literacy In Bihar

Asrarul Haq Qasmi

• [https://kishanganj.nic.in/ Official website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110430231936/http://www.allaboutbihar.com/districts/kishanganj/index.php Kishanganj Information Portal]

{{Geographic location

|Centre = Kishanganj district

|North = {{NEP|Nepal}}

|Northeast = Darjeeling district, West Bengal

|East =

|Southeast = North Dinajpur district, West Bengal

|South =

|Southwest = Purnia district

|West = Araria district

|Northwest =

}}

{{Districts of Bihar}}

{{Minority Concentrated Districts in India}}

{{Purnia Division}}

{{Purnia Division topics}}

Category:Purnia division

Category:Districts of Bihar

Category:Minority concentrated districts in India

Category:1990 establishments in Bihar