Festivals and Culture of Bihar 🎉👯‍♂️

Festivals and Culture of Bihar 🎉👯‍♂️

Chhath Puja: This is the soul of Bihar. Celebrated six days after Diwali, it is a four-day festival dedicated to the Sun God. Devotees observe a rigorous fast without water and stand in rivers at sunrise and sunset to offer prayers. It is a spectacle of discipline and purity unmatched anywhere else.

Sonepur Mela: Held in November, this is one of Asia’s largest cattle fairs. Historically a trading ground for war elephants, today it is a massive carnival featuring theaters, circuses, and markets selling everything from birds to buffaloes.

Madhubani Art: Also known as Mithila painting, this world-famous folk art originates here. It is characterized by eye-catching geometrical patterns and vibrant colors, often created using twigs and natural dyes to depict mythological tales.

Historical Significance of Bihar 🏰📜

Bihar is often called the "Cradle of Indian Civilization" because the history of India was written here.

Ancient Empires: It was the heart of the Magadha Kingdom, which birthed the Mauryan and Gupta empires. Legendary rulers like Ashoka the Great and Chandragupta Maurya ruled the subcontinent from Pataliputra (modern-day Patna).

Center of Education: Long before Oxford or Harvard, Bihar was home to Nalanda and Vikramshila Universities. These were global centers of learning that attracted scholars from China, Korea, and Tibet to study astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy.

Spiritual Origins: It is the land where Prince Siddhartha became the Buddha (The Enlightened One) and where Lord Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, was born and attained nirvana.