ABSTRACT
The State of Bihar lies in northern India, at the eastern end of the Gangetic plain, between the mighty Himalayas and the Chotanagpur plateau to the south. The state, the name of which is derived from vihara (monastery), has an international frontier with Nepal to the north. To the west of Bihar is Uttar Pradesh, further up the plains, and to the east is West Bengal, where the Ganga (Ganges) enters its delta. On higher ground to the south and south-east is Jharkhand, formerly the Vananchal or ‘forest region’ of Bihar until November 2000. Bihar now has an area of 94,163 sq km (36,370 sq miles).
