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Encyclopedia > Motihari
  ?Motihari
Bihar • India
Coordinates: 26°39′N 84°55′E / 26.65, 84.92
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
Elevation

• 62 m (203 ft)
District(s) Purba Champaran
Population 101,506 (2001)

Coordinates: 26°39′N 84°55′E / 26.65, 84.92 For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Location of Mirzapur and the 82. ... The geography of India is diverse, with landscape ranging from snow-capped mountain ranges to deserts, plains, rainforests, hills, and plateaus. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... The divisions of a district. ... East Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...


Motihari is the headquarters of Poorvi Champaran (East Champaran) district in the state of Bihar, in India. East Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. ... East Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. ... For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ...

Contents

Geography

Motihari is located at 26.65° N 84.92° E[1]. It has an average elevation of 62 metres (203 feet). This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...


Cultural heritage

Bakuntha Nath Temple: Bakuntha Nath Temple is located at 21 km. north of Motihari. This temple is the religious centre for the Hindus. The idols of Shiva, Parvati and Ganesh are merged in a single idol. This idol was not established by any people but it was believed that the idol was seen as "coming out from the earth."


Tallest Buddha Stupa in the world

Motihari is reported to have the tallest and the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world, following its discovery in 1998 through excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Rising to a height of 104 feet, and much reduced than its reported original height, it is still one foot taller than the famous Borobodur Stupa in Java. The Stupa is located near the town of Kasaria, 120km from Patna, capital of Bihar. According to the National Informatics Centre of East Champaran (Motihari) publication, the Kesaria Stupa was 123 feet tall before the 1934 earthquake in Bihar. Originally the Kesaria Stupa was reported to have been 150 feet tall, 12 feet taller than the Borobodur stupa, which is 138 feet, according to the A.S.I. report. At present Kesaria Stupa is 104 feet and Borobodur Stupa is 103 feet. The height of ‘Sanchi Stupa ‘ a world heritage site is only 77.50 feet. Legend states that Buddha, on his last Journey, is reported to have spent a memorable night at Kesaria, where he reportedly made some historical revelations, which were later recorded in a Buddhist Jataka Story, in which it was written that in his previous births he ruled as a Chakravartin. According to the story, the Buddha also asked Licchivis to return to Vaishali after giving them "Begging Bowl, and it was believed that the Stupa in Kesaria known to the people as "Raja Ben ka deora" was built by Licchivis of Vaishali before the Buddha attained Nirvana. The Chinese pilgrim, Hieun Tshang. reportedly had visited this Stupa site in the seventh century. (Based on historical facts contributed by Sri Chandra Bhusahan Pandey of National Informatics Centre: East Champararan, Motihari.) Archaeological Survey of India is an Indian government agency under the Department of Culture that is responsible about archaeological studies and preservation of cultural monuments. ... For other uses, see Patna (disambiguation). ...


Ashokan Pillar

This Lofty stone column reportedly was erected by King Ashoka in 249 BC in village Lauriya under Areraj subdivision. To quote Sri Chandra Bhusahan Pandey of National Informatics Centre of East Champaran, Motihari, "It is situated on left side of Areraj – Bettiah road. The pillar, known as “Stambh dharma lekh”, which bears in well preserved and well cut letters six of his edicts, is a single block of polished sand stone, 36 ½ feet in height above the ground with a base diameter of 41.8 inches and a diameter at the top of 37.6 inches. The weight of this portion only is very nearly 34 tons, but as these must be several feet of the shaft sunk in the earth. The actual weight of the whole block must be about 40 tons. This pillar has no Capital. According to report that pillar was crowned with a statue of an animals but it was transferred to Kolkata museum. The edicts of king Ashoka are most clearly and heartily engraved, and are divided into two distinct portions, that to the worth containing 18 lines and that to the south 23 lines. But now these are not good state of preservation and suffered from the effect of weather. The villages call the pillar as ‘Laur’ that is the phallus and the adjoining village is named after it Lauriya." According to Piyush Pandey villager of Hardiya which is in between areraj and lauriya "Laur ashtambh (Asoka Ashtambh) is a dharohar for east champaran".


R.N.M. Ayurved College

Ravindra Nath Mukharjee Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, second oldest medical college in Bihar established in 1955. College is under Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bihar University and recognised by CCIM (Central Council of Indian Medicine) For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ...


Bhojpuri

The language of Motihari is Bhojpuri. It is one of the oldest language of India.[citation needed]


M.S.College

This is the oldest college of Motihari.It is on the name of freedom fighter Shri Munshi Singh.It comes under Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, MUZZAFARPUR. Along it there are five more colleges in this town.The present college building was a jail earlier but converted to college in 1948.


Mahatma Gandhi and Motihari

Motihari was the place where Mahatma Gandhi started his 'Satyagrah' (Quest/Search for Truth). According to the All India Congress Committee [2], the farmers of Champaran were forced to sow a Opium and/or Indigo on a certain portion of their farm plots. They then had to sell the same at a fixed price to the English Traders/Planters. This would cause losses and subsequent hardships to farmers.[3] Furthermore, these crops would render the soil infertile further increasing the woe's of the halpless farmers.[4] [5] “Gandhi” redirects here. ... The All India Congress Committee or AICC is the central decision-making assembly of the Congress Party. ...


Raj Kumar Shukla, a farmer in the region invited Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (who had only recently returned from South Africa) to come help them in their plight. Thus, Mahatma Gandhi decided to come to Motihari. On 10th April 1917,the AICC report states that "a large crowd of people of Champaran witnessed the greatest architect of Indian Freedom Struggle in Motihari." The British fearing unrest ordered him to leave the district. His refusal to do the same, let to his arrest. He was offered bail on the condition that he would leave the district. Gandhi reportedly refused to leave the district or put up bail. In his statement to the Court Gandhi reportedly said, "As a law-abiding citizen my first instinct would be, as it was, to obey the order served upon me. But I could not do so without doing violence to my sense of duty to those for whom I came. I feel that I could just now serve them by remaining in their midst. I could not therefore voluntarily retire. Amidst this conflict of duty I could only throw the responsibility of removing me from on the administration". Subsequently, sensing mass disapproval of his arrest he was released.


The AICC report further states that that it was in Champaran that the theory and practice of Satyagrah came to be associated for the first time with the fight for freedom. "Mahatmaji went about from village to village in Champaran preaching love and inspiring faith and confidence among the people. Here he felt that his efforts for the uplift of the masses could not have enduring results unless an urge was created within them. For this, it was necessary to educate them. On the 13th of November, 1917 Mahatma Gandhi opened his first school at Barharwa Lakhansen, a village at a distance of about 20 miles to the east of Motihari. Another school was opened by Gandhiji on the 20th of November in a village called Bhitiharwa. A third school was opened on the 17th of January, 1918 at Madhuban, which had among its teachers, Mahadeva Desai."


This was the first such experiment on a large scale undertaken in India. The Motihari refusal to obey the Magistrate’s order was a case of individual civil disobedience, though limited to small district. The struggle went on for a few months. All pressure was brought by giving agriculturists notices of forfeiture of lands, but thanks to the presence of Gandhiji and his constant movement in the district from place to place, the people were not only non-violent, but were also very firm and prepared for any amount of sacrifices for the common cause. The AICC report further states, "It is worth mentioning that the Satyagrah of Champaran was responsible for initiation in the service of the motherland of two volunteers Acharya Kripalani and Deshratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad. While Bihar’s indebtedness to Mahatma Gandhi is irretrievable not only for having succored her million from the tentacles of white planters but also for having breathed into her soul the new message."


A museum and a stone pillar has been laid down in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi's presence in Motihari. It also contains Gandhiji's courageous statement given before the Magistrate inscribed on a stone. According to Sri Chandra Bhusahan Pandey, National Informatics Center: East Champaran, Motihari,

"The foundation stone of this Gandhi memorial pillar was laid on June 10, 1972 by the then Governor, Mr. D.K.Barooch, and it was dedicated to the nation by Mr. Vidyakar Kavi, a grandson, on 18 April 1978.... The 48 fect long Chunar stone pillar stands exactly on the place where Mahatma Gandhi was produced before the court of the then S.D.M., Motihari in violation of orders under section 144 Cr. P. C. as far back as April 18, 1917. Mahatma Gandhi first Satyagrah was experimented on this soil of Motihari in Champaran and so Champaran has been starting point of India’s independence movement launched by Gandhi ji."

George Orwell

Interestingly, one of the greatest writers of twentieth century, George Orwell, author of famous books Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, was born in Motihari in 1903. His father Richard Walmesley Blair was a deputy posted in the opium department in Bihar. However, when he was one year old, George left for England with his mother and sister. Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 [1] [2] – 21 January 1950), better known by the pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. ... For other uses, see Animal Farm (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Orwell novel. ...


Until recently, the town of Motihari was largely unaware of its connection to Orwell. In 2003, Motihari discovered its role in Orwell's life when a number of journalists arrived in the city for what would have been Orwell's hundredth birthday. Local officials are making plans for the construction of a museum on Orwell's life.[6] [7]


Azizul Haque and Fingerprint Science

Azizul Haque (Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq) was one of the two Indian police officers who worked with Edward Henry in the development of fingerprint classification, known as Henry's System of Fingerprint Classificaiton, still widely used in the world. "It was Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq who evolved a mathematical formula to supplement Henry's idea of sorting slips in 1024 pigeon holes, based on fingerpint patterns. Rai Bahadur Hem Chandra Bose made further contribution to the fingerprint science by evolving an extended system of subclassificaiton, a telegraphic code for finger impresion and a system of single-digit classificaiton." (Tewari RK, Ravikumary KV. History and development of forensic science in India. J. Postgrad Med, 46:303-308,2000) Both Haque and Bose eventually received honorarium and recognition from the Government of India. At the time of final approval of the honorarium for Haque, the Home Department (Government of India) noted, "It appears from the information now received that he (Haque) was Sir Edward Henry's principal helper in prefecting the scheme and he actually himself devised the method of classification which is in universal use. he thus contributed most materially to a discovery which is of worldwide importance and has brought a great credit to the police of India." (Source: G.S. Sodhi and Jasjeet Kaur, The forgotten Indian Pioneers of finger print science, Current Science,88(1),185-191,2005. http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/jan102005/185.pdf) Upon retirement from the Police service in Bengal and Bihar, Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq settled in Motihari, and he is buried there. Azizul Haque (also Azizul Hacque and Khan Bahadur Qazi Azizul Huq) was a Calcutta police officer who worked with Edward Henry to develop the Henry Classification System of fingerprints. ... Sir Edward Richard Henry,1st Baronet GCVO KCB CSI (26 July 1850 – 19 February 1931) was the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (head of the Metropolitan Police of London) from 1903 to 1918. ... Bengal (Bengali: বঙ্গ Bôngo, বাংলা Bangla, বঙ্গদেশ Bôngodesh or বাংলাদেশ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. ... For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ...


Demographics

As of 2001 India census[8], Motihari had a population of 101,506. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Motihari has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 63%. In Motihari, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age. 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... Image:1870 census Lindauer Weber 01. ...


See also

Champaran and Kheda Satyagraha The first Satyagraha revolutions inspired by Mahatma Gandhi in the Indian Independence Movement occurred in Kheda district of Gujarat and the Champaran district of Bihar between the years of 1918 and 1919. ...


References

  1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Motihari
  2. ^ All India Congress Committee
  3. ^ Review of Champaran and Gandhi
  4. ^ Indigo and Indian Independence
  5. ^ Land, Power and Market
  6. ^ All’s not well with Orwell
  7. ^ Makeover for Orwell's India home
  8. ^ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.

  Results from FactBites:
 
Books | Shadows of Orwell (1823 words)
When the Blairs arrived here early last century, Motihari was little more than an overgrown village, "pleasantly situated," as a contemporary guidebook puts it, "on the east bank of a lake." The town, population 13,730, functioned as an administrative headquarters for northern Bengal.
Motihari is so far off the beaten track that its most expensive hotel, the Raj, costs £4 a night (cockroaches gratis).
A few of Motihari's elderly residents had memories of the British, though none was able to identify Eric's lost nanny.
Motihari - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1663 words)
Motihari is the headquarters of Poorvi Champaran (East Champaran) district in the state of Bihar, in India.
Motihari is reported to have the tallest and the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world, following its discovery in 1998 through excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Motihari has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 63%.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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