Bihar Diwas 2022: Bihar is celebrating its 109th foundation day on March 22, 2021.

Key Highlights:

• Bihar Day (Bihar Diwas) is observed every year on March 22, marking the formation of the state of Bihar.
• It was on this day that the British carved out the state from Bengal in 1912.
• The day is a public holiday in Bihar.
• The three-day function will be organized on this occasion.
• Altogether 18 departments of the state and different organizations are participating in the mega event. A drone show will also be organized in which 500 drones will fly together.

Bihar Diwas 2022 Theme:

• The theme of Bihar Diwas 2022 is ‘Jal, Jeevan, Hariyali’.
• The theme of Bihar Day signifies the prosperity in the state which is also rich in its cultural heritage.

Background:

• Bihar Day was started and celebrated on large scale by the Bihar Government in the tenure of Nitish Kumar.
• Bihar Diwas was first celebrated on a large scale in 2010

History:

• On October 22, 1764, the Battle of Buxar was fought between the forces of the East India Company led by Hector Munro and the joint army of the Nawab of Bengal, the Nawab of Awadh and the Mughal King Shah Alam II.
• The battle was fought at Buxar and was a massive victory for the East India Company.
• The defeat resulted in the Mughals and Nawabs of Bengal losing control over the territories and the East India Company according to the Diwani rights – the right to administer the collection and management of revenues.
• The territories consisted of the current state of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, and Bangladesh.
• In 1911, King George V was coronated in Delhi and the capital of British India was shifted to Delhi.
• On March 21, 1912, Thomas Gibson Carmichael, the new governor of Bengal took charge.
• He announced that from March 22, 1912, the Bengal Presidency will be split into four subhas of Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, and Assam.
• Thus the state of Bihar was carved out from the Bengal Presidency of British India on March 22, 1912.

Note: Apart from India, it is also celebrated in countries including the United States, Germany, Britain (Scotland), Australia, Canada, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius.

About Bihar:

• Bihar is a state in East India, bordering Nepal and is the third-largest state by population across India.
• It is also the twelfth-largest state by territory.
• The state is having an area of 94,163 km2.
• It is surrounded by Uttar Pradesh in the west, Nepal in the north, northern part of West Bengal in the east and Jharkhand in the south.
• The plain is split by river Ganges flows from west to east.
• The three main cultural regions of the state include Mithila, Magadh, and Bhojpur.
• The official languages of the state are Hindi and Urdu.

Note: The southern part of the state was carved out to form Jharkhand on November 15, 2000.

History of Bihar:

• In ancient and classical India, Bihar was once regarded as the epicenter of power, intellect, and culture in ancient and classical India.  Magadha was the birthplace of India's first empire, the "Maurya Empire." 
• Also, Bihar is considered as the origin of the most widely adhered-to religions of the word called Buddhism.