Bhagalpur District is one of the oldest districts of Bihar located in the southern region. This district has its headquarters located at Bhagalpur. It is situated in the plane of Ganga basin at height of 141 feet above sea level. Bhagalpur District covers an area of 2569.50 sq. km.
Geography of Bhagalpur District
Bhagalpur District lies in between 25 degree 7 minutes to 25 degree 30 minutes north latitude and in between 86 degree 37 minutes to 87 degree 30 minutes east longitude. This district is surrounded by Khagaria district, Medhepura district, Purnea district and Katihar district in the north, by Banka District in the south, by Godda District and Sahibganj District of Jharkhand in the east and by Munger District in the west.
Demography of Bhagalpur District
According to the Census 2011, Bhagalpur District had population of 3,032,226 of which male and female were 1,614,014 and 1,418,212 respectively. The population of this district constituted 2.92 percent of total population of Bihar. The average literacy rate of Bhagalpur in 2011 was 64.96 compared to 49.50 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 72.30 and 56.49 respectively. The total literates in Bhagalpur District were 1,623,909 of which male and female were 967,924 and 655,985 respectively. In 2001, Bhagalpur District had 965,683 in its district.
Tourism in Bhagalpur District
Bhagalpur District is considered as one of the key tourist destinations. The royal university of Vikramshila (38 km from Bhagalpur) and Mandar Hills (Mandar Giri Digambar Jain Temple) are two popular tourist spots offered by this district. Further, Bhagalpur Railway junction is another attraction as it is one of the oldest stations of India. It is in the heart of Bhagalpur. Bhagalpur District, being an important junction between Delhi and West Bengal, continued to be a popular destination throughout the medieval history. Khanqah-i-Shahbazia was a highly reputed institution with a rich library. Bhagalpur continues to be reasonably rich in monuments. Within the city, one can visit Karngarh and the four hillocks, attractive Jain temples, a Christ Church near the city tower and an old symmetry in a very ruined shape. Bhagalpur is equally famous for Visharhi Asthan, the venue for Mansa Puja held every July when the snakes are worshipped. All these places of interest are worth visiting. People from all parts of the country come and visit this district of Bihar.
National Highway 31 runs through the entire Naugachia sub-division. Bhagalpur lies on the broad gauge Loop line of the Eastern railway running from Kiul to Bardhaman. Important stations in Bhagalpur District on this line are Sultanganj, Bhagalpur, Sabour and Kahalgaon.
