Bihari people

Bihari people
Group	Bihari people
Regions	Bihar; Jharkhand; Nepal Terai; Mauritius; Fiji; Trinidad and Tobago; Guyana; Suriname; South Africa; United Kingdom; United States; Canada; Australia
Languages	Bhojpuri; Maithili; Magahi; Angika; Bajjika; Urdu; Hindi; English
Religions	Hinduism; Islam; Christianity; Sikhism; Jainism; Buddhism

Bihari people Bihari people constitute a linguistically and culturally diverse population originating primarily from the state of Bihar in eastern India and adjacent regions such as Jharkhand and the Terai of Nepal. Their identities intersect with historical polities, social movements, migration networks, and literary traditions that link individuals to figures like Ashoka, Chandragupta Maurya, Vikramaditya, Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, Ram Manohar Lohia and institutions such as Nalanda University, Vikramshila, Patna University, Banaras Hindu University, and Aligarh Muslim University. The community's modern contours reflect interactions with colonial-era structures including the British East India Company, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and postcolonial states like the Republic of India and the Kingdom of Nepal.

Etymology and Definition

The demonym derives from the toponym Bihar, a name linked to Bihar (region), the monastic clusters or vihāras associated with Buddhist centers such as Odantapuri and Nalanda and rulers like the Gupta Empire and Pala Empire. Definitions of the group vary across scholarship from ethnographers in the tradition of E. B. Tylor and Max Müller to modern studies by Ranabir Samaddar and Romila Thapar, and are shaped by census categories established under the British Raj and revised by the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.

History

Prehistoric and classical eras feature the region in the accounts of travelers like Fa-Hien and Xuanzang and in inscriptions linked to rulers such as Ashoka and the Gupta Empire. Medieval developments involve dynasties including the Pala Empire, the Gahadavala dynasty, and the Senas of Bengal, with urban centers such as Patna, Mithila, and Gaya gaining prominence. The arrival of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire reconfigured landholding and patronage patterns that affected agrarian classes documented in sources engaging Akbar and Aurangzeb. Colonial integration under the British East India Company produced major upheavals exemplified by the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, peasant movements like the Paik Rebellion, the Santal rebellion, and participation in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Independence-era politics saw leaders from the region such as Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Shri Krishna Sinha, Jayaprakash Narayan, Karpoori Thakur, and Bhola Paswan Shastri influence national debates around land reform, social justice, and language politics.

Demographics and Geography

Populations concentrate in the Gangetic plains encompassing districts like Patna district, Gaya district, Muzaffarpur district, Darbhanga district, Purnia district, and Bhagalpur district as well as the Chotanagpur plateau in parts of Jharkhand. Diaspora communities established during the 19th and 20th centuries link Bihar to plantation colonies such as Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname, and to migration hubs in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, and United Arab Emirates. Census enumerations interact with classifications like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes overseen by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, while electoral boundaries are administered by the Election Commission of India.

Languages and Dialects

The linguistic landscape includes Indo-Aryan tongues such as Bhojpuri language, Maithili language, Magahi language, Angika language, and Bajjika language, alongside Hindi, Urdu language, and English. Literary traditions in Maithili produced figures like Vidyapati; modern literary production includes authors connected to Premchand, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Phanishwar Nath Renu, Acharya Ramlochan Saran, and Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan. Language movements have involved institutions such as the All India Radio regional services, the Central Hindi Directorate, and activism around recognition in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

Culture and Society

Folk and classical cultural expressions encompass festivals and rituals tied to sites like Bodh Gaya, Vishnupad Temple, Janki Temple, and local observances of Chhath Puja, where performers and organizers engage networks connected to All India Radio and Doordarshan. Musical forms include folk traditions associated with artistes such as Baleshwar Yadav and genres recorded by labels like Hindustani Classical Records; theatrical and cinematic trajectories intersect with Hindi cinema, Bhojpuri cinema, and personalities such as Manoj Bajpayee, Naseeruddin Shah, Sanjay Mishra, and musicians linked to All India Radio. Caste and community relations trace through social reformers like Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and activists connected to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar; religious pluralism includes Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist communities centered on institutions such as Bihar School of Yoga and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.

Economy and Livelihoods

Agrarian livelihoods predominate in regions growing rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane and lentils with marketplaces historically tied to trade routes linking Patna to Kolkata and Delhi. Industrial and service sectors include enterprises in Patna and industrial towns such as Bokaro Steel City and Dhanbad influenced by companies including Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and Steel Authority of India Limited. Migration for labor has sent workers to construction and service sectors in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, United Kingdom, and United States and produced remittance flows studied by scholars at institutions such as Centre for Development Studies and Institute of Social and Economic Change.

Politics and Identity

Political identity has been shaped by movements and parties including the Indian National Congress, the Janata Dal (United), the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and regional leaders like Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav. Debates over representation involve electoral strategies of the Election Commission of India, affirmative action enacted through the Constitution of India, and mobilizations by caste-based organizations and civil society groups studied by scholars such as Christopher J. Fuller and Paul R. Brass. Cross-border dimensions include ties to Nepali politics in the Madhesh movement and diasporic lobbying in parliaments like the UK Parliament and the Parliament of Canada.

Category:Ethnic groups in India