| Voice of West Chamaparan
District : Nobel Education and welfare Society
West Chamaparan District
Area, Population & Sex Ratio
Geographical Area : 5228.0 Km2
Population in West Champaran (Census 2011)
Total Population
Total : 3,922,780
Male : 2,057,669
Female : 1,865,111
Under 6 population
Total : 753,429
Male : 386,320
Female : 367,109
Rank ( VoiceOfBharat.org Analysis
)
Total disabled population : 49803
In seeing : 24679
In speech : 4161
In hearing : 2755
In movement : 14792
Mental : 3416
Brief About West Chamaparan District
History
West Champaran District was carved out of the old Champaran District
in the year 1972 as a result of re-organization of the District
in the state. It was formerly a subdivision of Saran District and
then Champaran District with its Head quarters as Bettiah. It is
said that Bettiah got its name from Baint (Cane) plants commonly
found in this district. The name Champaran is a degenerate form
of Champaka aranya, a name which dates back to the time when the
district was a tract of the forest of Champa (Magnolia) trees &
was the abode of solitary asectics.
As per District Gazetteer, it seems probable that Champaran was
occupied at an early period by races of Aryan descent and formed
part of the country in which the Videha empire ruled. After the
fall of Videhan empire the district formed part of the Vrijjain
oligarchical republic with its capital at Vaishali of which Lichhavis
were the most powerful and prominent. Ajatshatru the emperor of
Magadh, by tact and force annexed Lichhavis and occupied its capital,
Vaishali. He extended his sovereignty over Paschim Champaran which
continued under the Mauryan rule for the next hundred years. After
the Mauryas, the Sungas and Kanvas ruled over the Magadh territories.
The district thereafter formed part of the Kushan empire and then
came under Gupta empire. Along with Tirhut, Champaran was possibly
annexed by Harsha during whose reign Huen- Tsang, the famous Chinese
pilgrim, visited India. During 750 to 1155 AD , the Palas of Bengal
were in the possession of Eastern India and Champaran formed the
part of their territory. Towards the close of the 10th century Gangaya
Deva of the Kalacheeri dynasty conquered Champaran .He was succeeded
by Vikramaditya of the Chalukya dynasty.
During 1213 and 1227,the first Muslim influence was experienced
when Ghyasuddin Iwaz the Muslim governor of Bengal extended his
influence over Tribhukti or Tirhut .It was however, not a complete
conquest and he was only able to have Tirhut from Narsinghdeva,
a Simraon king.In about 1320, Ghyasuddin Tughlaq annexed Tirhut
to the Tughlaq Empire and placed it under Kameshwar Thakur, who
established Sugaon or Thakur dynasty. This dynasty continued to
rule the area till Nasrat Shah, son of Allauddin Shah attacked Tirhut
in 1530, annexed the territory,and killed the Raja and thus put
an end to the Thakur dynasty. Nasrat Shah appointed his son-in-law
as viceroy of Tirhut and thence forward the country continued to
be ruled by the Muslim rulers. After the fall of Mughal Empire the
British rulers came to power in India.
The history of the district during the late medieval period and
the British period is linked with the history of Bettiah Raj. Bettiah
Raj has been mentioned as a great estate. It traces its descent
from one Ujjain Singh and his son, Gaj Singh, who received the title
of Raja from the Emperor Shah Jahan(1628-58). The family came into
prominence as independent chief in the 18th century during the downfall
of the Mughal Empire. At the time when Sarkar Champaran passed under
British rule, is was in the possession of Raja Jugal Kishore Singh,
who succeeded Raja Dhurup Singh in 1763. The Raj was succeeded by
the descendents of Raja Jugal kishore Singh. Harendra Kishore Singh,
the last Maharaja of Bettiah, died in 1893, issueless and was succeeded
by his first wife, who died in 1896. The estate came under the management
of Court of Wards since 1897 and was held by the Maharaja's junior
widow, Maharani Janki Kuar.
The British Raj palace occupies a large area in the centre of
the town. In 1910 at the request of Maharani, the palace was built
after the plan of Graham's palace in Calcutta. The Court Of Wards
is at present holding the property of Bettiah Raj.
The rise of nationalism in Bettiah in early 20th century is intimately
connected with indigo plantation. Raj Kumar Shukla, an ordinary
raiyat and indigo cultivator of Champaran met Gandhijii and explained
the plight of the cultivators and the atrocities of the planters
on the raiyats. Gandhijii came to Champaran in 1917 and listened
to the problems of the cultivators and the started the movement
known as Champaran Satyagraha Movement to end the oppression of
the British indigo planters. By 1918 the long standing misery of
the indigo cultivators came to an end and Champaran became the hub
of Indian National Freedom Movement and the launch pad of Gandhi’s
Satyagraha.
District at a glance
Location on global Map between 26°16' and 27°31' north
latitude and 83°50' and 85°18' east longitude
Boundary
North :- Hilly region of Nepal
South :- Gopalganj & part of Purbi Champaran District
East :- Purbi champaran District
West :- Padrauna & Deoria District of Uttar Pradesh
Total Area of the District :- 5228 Sq. Kms.
As the district has its border with Nepal, it has an international
importance. The international border is open with five blocks of
the district, namely, Bagaha-II, Ramnagar, Gaunaha, Mainatand &
Sikta, extending from north-west corner to south-east covering a
distance of 35 Kms.
District Headquarters :- Bettiah
Distance of Bettiah from Patna :- 210 Kms. (By road)
Police Districts under West Champaran :- 1. Bettiah
2. Bagaha
Subdivisions under West Champaran :- 1. Bettiah
2. Narkatiyaganj
3. Bagaha
No. of Devlopment Blocks :- 18
No. of Panchayats :- 315
No. of Villages :- 1483
Total Length of the Railways tracks within the district :-220Kms
Education
This district has a literacy rate of 39.63%. There are a few schools
in the district which are amongst the best in North Bihar.
No. of govt Primary Schools : 1340
No. of Middle Schools : 284
No. of High Schools : 68 (including Minority and Project Schools)
No. of constituent Colleges : 3
Industrial Training Institute : 1
Industrialisation
Agriculture is the main source of income of the people in West
Champaran. Some agro-based industries have flourished here and are
being run successfully. Sugar mills are established at Majhaulia,
Bagaha, Ramnagar, Narkatiaganj, Chanpatia and Lauria. The last two
units are closed at present. Some rice mills are also being run
successfully and the produce is being marketed to different places
outside the district. Cottage industries based on local available
natural and agricultural produce catering the local needs such as
Gur (raw-sugar), basket, rope, mat weaving etc are also popular.
Land use pattern
Mainly three types of crops are produced in this district – Bhadai
(Autumn crop), Aghani (Kharif) and Rabbi (Spring crop). Bhadai crops
comprise mainly Maize and Sugarcane. The main crops of Aghani season
are paddy, potato etc. Wheat, Barley, Arhar (Cajamus indicus) are
main Rabbi crops. Main crops of the low lying land in northern region
of the district is paddy. Land use pattern figures are as follows:-
Total Area of the district - 11,96,819 Acre
Forest land - 2,26,790 Acre
Agricultural land - 5,15,097 Acre
Non-agricultural land - 68,283 Acre
Land under water - 1,73,078 Acre
Homestead Land - 1,84,764 Acre
Natural Divisions
The District is divided into few distinct tracts. The first consists
of the hilly tract of Someswar and Dun range in the north at the
foot hills of Himalayas. It is noticeable that the soil even at
the foot of the hills has no rocky formation and wherever water
can be impounded,a rich growth of crop is possible. The hilly streams,
however, play havoc by bringing down huge quantities of sand &
destroying cultivable lands. The hills contain large stretches of
forests.
Next to the hilly area comes the Terai region which is largely
populated by Tharus of the District.
The Terai region is followed by fertile plains occupying the rest
of the district. This plain itself is divided into two well defined
tracts by the little Gandak and have markedly distinct characteristics.
The northern portion is composed of old alluvium & has a considerable
area of low land. It is traversed by a number of streams flowing
southwards. The southern portion of the tract is characterized by
stretches of upland varied in places by large marshy depressions
known as chaurs.
The Gandak or Narayani and Sikrahana or little Gandak are the
two important rivers of this district.
Climatic Conditions
The climate of the district is cooler & damper than the adjoining
districts. The terai area comprising mainly Ramnagar, Bagaha &
Narkatiaganj is considered unhealthy while all other area have a
healthy climate. Winter begins in November and lasts till Feburary,
followed by hot summer months when temperature rises to maximum
43° Celsius. Rains set in during the later part of June. The
district receives some winter rain also.
Communication
The district still lags behind in having sufficient communication
linkage by metalled roads within its territory. National Highway
28 B cris-crosses this district. While it is well connected with
the State capital by road.
The railways were introduced in 1888 when Bettiah was linked with
Muzaffarpur. The line was extended subsequently to Bhikna Thori
on the Indo-Nepal Border. A line also runs from Narkatiaganj to
Bairgania vai Raxaul. The construction of Chhitauni Rail Bridge
has resulted in a direct link of the district with Gorakhpur, Lucknow,
Delhi, and Mumbai by train.
Bettiah and Valmikinagar have small airports with facility for
landing of small planes. The airport at Valmiki Nagar is metalled.
Flora & Fauna
The district has suffered large scale denudation of forests. Forests
are confined to the northern tract & particularly the Sumeswar
& the Dun ranges are covered with forests. Sal, Sisam, Tun &
Khair are among the trees found in this region. In terai region
clumbs of bamboo, sabai grass & narkat reed are found in abundance.
The types of animals available in the forests of the district are
tiger, leopard, panther wild pig, nilgai, monkeys(both red and black
faced), bear, dear, sambhar, bison, wolves & wild goats.
Three types of quails of the Amazonian species are seen in the
district. They are the bustard quails, button quails & the little
button quails. Brown fly-catchers, the grey shrike, olive green
birds and various types of mynas are found here.
The rehu, naini, katla, tengra, buail, sauri and barari are the
big fish varieties found in the bigger rivers & lakes of the
district. Snakes are quite common & crocodiles & alligators
are sometimes found in the larger river.
Irrigation Facilities
Tirhut, Tribeni and Done canals are the most prominent canals
operating in this district. They get their water supply from the
Gandak river at Balmikinager, the northern most part of the district
bordering Nepal.
Live Stock
This district depends a lot on livestock for cultivation. The plough
cattle are bred locally. There are many fine well-conditioned bullocks
seen in the district particularly the cart bullock . Buffaloes are
main source of milk . They are generally of small type but in fairly
good condition.
Mines & Minerals
The Dun & Sumeswar hills in the extreme north which are the
continuation of Shivalik range are formed of ill compacted sandstone.
There are beds of Kankar (sandstone) in parts of the district &
saltpetre is found almost everywhere.
Rainfall
Rainfall is heavier than most of the districts & is especially
heavy in the terai region. The normal annual rainfall is about 56".
Trade & Commerce
The rich forests of the district have opened the doors of a flourishing
trade in timber. The district borders Nepal on the north over a
long stretch of land. There are some road routes also connecting
the district with Nepal. Naturally, therefore, a good bulk of the
Indo Nepal trade is carried on through the district. Nepalese rice,
timber and spices are imported into India while textiles, petroleum
products etc. are exported into Nepal through the district. The
chief trade centres are Bagaha, Bettiah, Chanpatia & Narkatiaganj.
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