| Lok Sabha Constituencies in Katihar district, Bihar (MP Constituencies) | Katihar Purnia |
| MLA Assembly Constituencies in Katihar district, Bihar | Katihar Kadwa Balrampur Pranpur Manihari Barari Korha |
About Katihar District :
Katihar district is situated in the plains of North Eastern part of Bihar State, surrounded by Purnea district (Bihar) in the north and the west, Bhagalpur district (Bihar) and Sahebganj district (Jharkhand) in the south and Malda district and Uttar Dinajpur district (Paschim Bengal) in the east. Katihar town is the administrative headquarter of the district. The district is a part of Purnia Division. The total area of the district is 3,056 sq.km. and according to the 2011 census Katihar district has a population of 3,068,149. The district comprises of 3 Sub-Divisions and 16 Blocks. The important places in the districts are Goga Lake, Gandhi Ghar, BhairavNath, Gurudwara, PirMazar, Satsang Mandir, GorakhNath, Gauri Shankar, and Durga Mandir.
Katihar district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Katihar town is the administrative headquarter of the district. The district is a part of Purnia Division.
| Administrative Division | :Purnea |
| HeadQuarter | :Katihar |
| Area | :3,056km2 |
| Latitude & Longitude | :25.53° N 87.58° E |
| Population | :3,068,149(2011) |
| Population Density | :1004/km2(2600 /sq. mile) |
| Literacy | :53.56 percent |
| Sex ratio | :916 |
| APL Family | :2,97,378 (up to Nov, 2012) |
| BPL Family | :3,84,126 (up to Nov, 2012) |
| Lok Sabha Constituency | :11-Katihar |
| Assembly Constituencies | :63-Katihar, 64-Kadwa, 65-Balrampur, 66-Pranpur, 67-Manihari, 68-Barari, 69-Korha |
| Sub-Divisions | :Barsoi, Katihar, Manihari |
| Blocks | :Amdabad, Azamnagar, Balrampur, Barari, Barsoi, Dandkora, Falka, Hasanganj, |
| Kadwa, Katihar, Korha, Kursela, Manihari, Mansahi, Pranpur, Sameli | |
| Major Highways | :NH 31, NH 81 |
History
Katihar became a full-fledged district when it was split from Purnia in 1973. Earlier Katihar district was dominated by Choudhary Family who were the biggest landlords of Kosi zone . Founder of Choudhary family was Khan Bahadur Mohammad Baksh. Who holds lands of about 15,000 acres in Katihar district, 8,500 acres in Purnia.
Katihar is a historical place and takes place in Indian history. It is said that Hindu Lord Shri Krishna came here and lost mani here in Manihari (a religious place of Katihar district). Katihar was a part of Purnia district and the latter was constituted in round about 1813 along with Malda district. Under the Mughal rule the district was constituted of Sarkar Tajpur, east of the Mahananda and Sarkar Purnia west of the river. The province of Bihar came under Muslim rule after Bakhtiyar Khilji conquered Bihar town then capital of Bihar towards the close of 12th century. His successor Ghiasuddin Iwaz extended the limits of the territory to include virtually the whole of Bihar, Katihar must also have come under Mohammedan rule in the beginning of the 13th century.
The district passed into the hands of the British in 1770 when Mohammad Ali Khan was the Governor of Purnia. Ducarrel, the first English Supervisor of Collector of the district, replaced him. In 1872 the district was transferred from the control of Bihar and Banaras Board of Commissioners to the Calcutta Board of Revenue. The early years of British rule were largely directed to establishing law and order and setting up of the revenue administration on sound footing. Anga and Magadh Kings ruled over the Katihar during the time of Mahajanpada. Raja Birat of Morang also visited the place. With the advent of Muslim rule in the North India Ikhtiyar-ud-din Bakhtiyar Khilazi subjugated this area and subsequently this area remained under indirect Mughal rule.In the English rule,Katihar came under the rule of Zamindars, Nawab who were Indian and was helping Englishman to rule over farmers, labour classes etc. Before the partition of Bengal, Katihar was belonging to Bengal. But when the Partition divided Bengal into Bihar, Bengal and Orrisa, today’s Katihar Disrict came under Bihar.
British rule was challenged in India and Katihar was in the forefront of the agitation. With the independence of India, the people of Katihar breathed free along with all the Indians. Katihar was a sub-divisional town of Purnea district but on 2nd October 1973, Katihar acquired status of an independent district. It has a rich heritage and close linkage with the parent district of Purnia. The district derives its name after its chief town of the same name which probably got its name from a small village on the northeast called Dighi-Katihar where there is a big tank (dighi) excavated for the troops, when the soldiers of the Nawab of Purnia fought with the troops of Nawab of Murshidabad
Geography :
Katihar district occupies an area of 3,057 square kilometres (1,180 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to Canada’s Akimiski Island.
Rivers: Mahananda, Ganges, Koshi, Righa.
Katihar district is situated in the plains of North Eastern part of Bihar State, surrounded by Purnea district (Bihar) in the north and the west, Bhagalpur district (Bihar) and Sahebganj district (Jharkhand) in the south and Malda district and Uttar Dinajpur district (Paschim Bengal) in the east.
Economy :
The major source of living is agriculture. There are few industries in near by the place : two jute mills and two flour mills. The jute mills known as Purana Mill and Naya Mill once shaped the characteristics of the town. There are units which are producing agricultural products in Tingachhiya. The rice industry is a flourishing business in this area. The industry here, is mainly agro based. Banana, Jute, Maize are the main cash crop of the farmers of the Katihar district. One of the agro-based industry to join the group is Makhana. The Makhana Phodi (the place where edible makhana is produced from raw makhana) is growing fast. The cloth market here dealing in cotton and sarees is very vibrant and caters to nearby districts and the bordering countries of Nepal and Bangladesh. There are also a couple of old cycle trading companies with huge turnover. Pharmaceuticals business is also pretty good with huge turnover. The main crops are Paddy, Jute, Makhana, Banana, Wheat, Maize and Pulses.
Sub-Divisions :
The district comprises 3 Sub-Divisions: Katihar, Barsoi and Manihari.
Katihar sub-division consists 10 blocks: Katihar, Korha, Falka, Sameli, Barari, Kursela, Pranpur, Hasanganj, Dandkhora and Mansahi.
Barsoi sub-division consists 4 blocks: Barsoi, Kadwa, Azamnagar and Balrampur.
Manihari sub-division has 2 blocks: Manihari and Amdabad.
Demography :
According to the 2011 census Katihar district has a population of 3,068,149, roughly equal to the nation of Oman or the US state of Iowa. This gives it a ranking of 117th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 1,004 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,600 /sq mile). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 28.23%. Katihar has a sex ratio of 916 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 53.56%.
Local Language :
Angika is the main local language spoken in Katihar district.
Surjapuri language, North Bengal’s native language is spoken in Barsoi subdivison of Katihar district .
Communication :
Train
Nearby District town Katihar is a major Railway Junction under North-East Frontier Railway. It is a very old station. In fact Katihar junction is a seven line junction. 1st line goes to Barauni(Patna, Delhi, Mumbai), 2nd line to Kolkata, 3rd line to Jogbani (Nepal border), 4th line to Saharsa, 5th line to Guwahati, 6th line to Manihari and 7th line goes to Radhikapur(Bangladesh Border). Katihar is also the headquarter of Katihar Railway Division. The major station under this division includes New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Darjeeling, Kishanganj etc. The world heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway falls under the jurisdiction of Katihar Railway Division. One can find trains to Nepal and Bangladesh border from here. In fact pre independence, this station was connected with present day Bangladesh. All the trains passing through Katihar stops here. One can get a direct train to most of the Indian cities from this station like Patna, Mughalsarai, Allahabad, Varanasi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Rai Bareily, Delhi, Amritsar, Jabalpur, Itarsi, Gandhidham, Kolkata, Siliguri, Guwahati, Radhikapur. The notable trains are Rajdhani Express, Capital Express, Avadh Assam Express, North-East Express, Dadar Express, Amprapali Express, Sikkim Mahananda Express, Amarnath Express, Hate Bazare Express, Bangalore Express etc.
| Major trains | Major Stoppage |
|---|---|
| Ghy Dbg Special (05601) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Barauni, Darbhanga |
| Ghy Ndls Rajdhani (12235) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Lucknow, New Delhi |
| Dbrt Rajdhani E (12423) | Dibrugarh, Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Allahabad, Kanpur Central, New Delhi |
| Dbrt Rajdhaniex (12435) | Dibrugarh, Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Varanasi, Lucknow, New Delhi |
| Seemanchal Exp (12487) | Jogabani, Katihar, Patna, Ghaziabad, New Delhi |
| Porvotr S Krnti (12501) | Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Allahabad, Kanpur Central, New Delhi |
| North East Exp (12505) | Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Allahabad, Kanpur Central, New Delhi |
| Njp Ndls Expres (12523) | New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, New Delhi |
| Kolkata Jbn Exp (13159) | Kolkata, Katihar, Araria, Forbesganj, Jogbani |
| Hate Bazare Exp (13163) | Sealdah, Malda Town, Katihar, Saharsa |
| Capital Express (13245) | New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Barauni, Patna, Danapur |
| Dnr Capital Exp (13247) | Kamakhya, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Barauni, Patna, Danapur |
| Mahananda Exp (14083) | Alipur Dwar, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Barauni, Patna, Mughal Sarai, Allahabad, Aligarh, Delhi |
| Muzaffarpur Exp (15227) | Yaswantpur, Chennai Central, Cuttack, Kharagpur, Howrah, Katihar, Barauni, Muzaffarpur |
| Abadh Assam Exp (15609) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Lucknow, Delhi, Rohtak, Bhatinda, Lalgarh |
| Bme Ghy Express (15631) | Barmer, Jaipur, Agra Fort, Allahabad, Patna, Barauni, Katihar, Kamakhya, Guwahati |
| Guwahati Express (15635) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, Katihar, Barauni, Patna, Jabalpur, Lokmanya Tilak Terminal |
| Dwarka Express (15636) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Patna, Lucknow, Kota, Ahmedabad, Okha |
| Lohit Express (15651) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Hajipur, Lucknow, Roorkee, Ludhiana, Jammu Tawi |
| Amarnath Express(15653) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Gorakhpur, Roorkee, Ludhiana, Jammu Tawi |
| Jammu Ghy Exp. (15654) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Gorakhpur, Roorkee, Ludhiana, Jammu Tawi |
| Kamakhya Expres (15667) | Gandhi Dham, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, Katihar, new Jalpaiguri, Kamakhya |
| Kir Asr Express (15707) | Katihar, Barauni, Muzaffarpur, Lucknow, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Ludhiana, Amritsar |
| Intercity Exp (15713) | Katihar, Barauni, Patna |
| Garib Nawaj Exp (15715) | Kishanganj, Katihar, Hajipur, Lucknow, Delhi, Rewari, Jaipur, Ajmer |
| Dbrg Cdg Expres (15903) | Dibrugarh, Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Lucknow, Saharnpur, Chandigarh |
| Dbrg Asr Expres (15933) | Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Katihar, Barauni, Chhapra, Lucknow, Saharnpur, Jalandhar, Amritsar |
| Ghy Rajdhani Ex (22423) | Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Barauni, Patna, Allahabad, New Delhi |
| Ghy Jivachh Lin (25610) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Barauni, Darbhanga |
| Bkn Ghy Express (25631) | Guwahati, Kamakhya, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Barauni, Patna, Allahabad, Jaipur, Bikaner |
| Rdp Dli Lnk Exp (25715) | Radhikapur, Katihar, Barauni, Chhapra, Lucknow, Moradabad, Delhi |
| Kir Tata Lnk Ex (28182) | Katihar, Barauni, Kiul, Jamui, Jasidih, Asansol, Tatanagar |
Road :
The Korha and Kursela blocks of Katihar district fall on the national highway, NH-31, which passess through its area. NH 81 links Korha in Katihar district of Bihar to Malda in West Bengal. Of its 100 km (62 mile) length, NH 81 runs for 45 km (28 mile) in Bihar and 55 km (34 mile) in West Bengal. The road connectivity is good. Bus service is also good to Purnea, Siliguri, Jogbani, Manihari, Bhagalpur, Patna, Ranchi, etc.
Air :
The nearest commercial airport is Bagdogra (160 km) near Silliguri (West Bengal). Next nearest airport is Loknayak Jaiprakash Airport, Patna. Distance of Katihar to Patna is 350 km. There is an old time airstrip in nearby Katihar town which is mostly used as a helipad. The place is known as Hawai Adda.
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