Muzaffarpur () is a city located in

Muzaffarpur district Muzaffarpur District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar States and territories of India, state, India. Muzaffarpur district is part of and also the headquarters of Tirhut division, Tirhut Division Tirhut is the ancient name of all of ...

in the Tirhut region of the Indian state of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

. It serves as the headquarters of the Tirhut division, the

and the Muzaffarpur Railway District. It is the fourth most populpus city in Bihar. Muzaffarpur is famous for Shahi

lychee Lychee (US: ; UK: ; ''Litchi chinensis''; ) is a Monotypic taxon, monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus ''Litchi'' in the Sapindus, soapberry family, ''Sapindaceae''. It is a tropical tree native to Southeast and Southwest China (t ...

s and is known as the Lychee Kingdom. Shahi litchi is set to become the fourth product from Bihar, after jardalu mango, katarni rice and Magahi paan (betel leaf) to get the

Geographical Indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

(GI) tag. It is situated on the banks of the perennial Budhi Gandak River, which flows from the Someshwar Hills of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

Etymology

The current city was established in 1875 during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

for administrative convenience, by dividing the

Tirhut Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothill ...

district and was named after an '' aumil'', Muzaffar Khan; thus the city came to be known as ''Muzaffarpur''.

History

The city was founded by Muẓaffar Khan in the 18th century and was constituted a municipality in 1864. A major road and rail hub, it is a trade centre on the route between Patna (south) and Nepal (north).

Lychee Lychee (US: ; UK: ; ''Litchi chinensis''; ) is a Monotypic taxon, monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus ''Litchi'' in the Sapindus, soapberry family, ''Sapindaceae''. It is a tropical tree native to Southeast and Southwest China (t ...

sweet corn Sweet corn (''Zea mays'' convar. ''saccharata'' var. ''rugosa''), also called sugar corn and pole corn, is a variety of maize grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive muta ...

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

Vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

Rice and sugar milling alongside cutlery manufacturing are the chief industries. In 1972, the Sitamarhi and Vaishali districts were split off from Muzaffarpur.

Geography

Muzaffarpur is located at . The city lies in a highly active seismic zone of India. In the disastrous earthquake on 15 January 1934, much of the town suffered severe damage and many people died. It has an average elevation of 47 meters (154 feet). This saucer shaped, low-centered town lies on the great

Indo-Gangetic plains The Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as the North Indian River Plain, is a fertile plain encompassing northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, including most of northern and eastern India, around half of Pakistan, virtually all of Bangla ...

, over Himalayan silt and sand brought by the glacier-fed and rain-fed meandering rivers of the Himalayas.

Climate

Muzaffarpur has

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Cwa) under

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

. The summer, between April and June, is extremely hot and humid (28/40 °C, 90% max.) and winter is pleasantly cool, around 06/20 °C. Rainfall in Muzaffarpur City is comparatively less to the other parts of Bihar.

Demographics

As of the 2011 India census, Muzaffarpur had a population of 393,724. Males constituted 52.96% (208,509) of the population and females 47.04% (185,215). Muzaffarpur had a literacy rate of 74.74%. Male literacy was 77.99%, and female literacy was 71.08%. As per 2011 census data, there are total 275,233 Hindus whereas 74,680 Muslims and 1,352 Christians along with other small minorities.

Economy

In 2006 the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj looks into all matters relating to the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The ministry is headed by a m ...

named Muzaffarpur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of

640 Year 640 (Roman numerals, DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

). It is one of the 36 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Lychee

The

crop, which is available from May to June, is mainly cultivated in the districts of Muzaffarpur and surrounding districts. Cultivation of litchi covers approximately an area of about 25,800 hectares producing about 300,000 tonnes every year. Litchi are exported to big cities of India like Mumbai, Kolkata, and even to other countries. India's share in the world litchi market amounts to less than 1%. The names of the litchi produced in Muzaffarpur are ''Shahi'' and ''

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

''. The fruits are known for excellent aroma and quality. Bihar's contribution in the production of lychee in about 40 percent of lychee produced in India. Bihar has emerged as a brewery hub with major domestic and foreign firms setting up production units in the state.

Vijay Mallya Vijay Vittal Mallya (born 18 December 1955) is an Indian businessman, former politician and fugitive. He is the subject of an extradition effort by the Indian Government to return him from the UK to face charges of financial crimes in India. T ...

's group,

United Breweries Group United Breweries Holdings Limited (UBHL), also called UB Group, is an Indian conglomerate headquartered in UB City, Bangalore, Karnataka. Its core business includes beverages and investments in various sectors. The company markets beer un ...

, is setting up a production unit to make litchi-flavoured wine, in Muzaffarpur in 2012. The company has leased litchi gardens. Muzaffarpur based Prabhat Zarda Factory is one of the leading tobacco manufacturers of India.

Transport

Railways

Muzaffarpur Junction railway station Muzaffarpur Junction railway station, station code MFP, is an A1 category railway station in the Sonpur division of East Central Railway. Muzaffarpur Junction is selected in station re-development plan with airport facilities & will be by Railw ...

(MFP) is a main A1 Category railway junction in Sonpur Division of East Central Railway, having total 8 platforms, with three suburban stations, Ram Dayalu Nagar, Narayanpur Anant (Sherpur) and Jubba Sahni. More than 200 trains regularly visits this 136+ year old railway junction.

Roads

Road connecting New Zero Mile with NH-57

National Highway 57 (India) National Highway 57 (NH 57), previously numbered as NH 224, is a primary National Highway in India connecting Balangir and Khordha in the state of Odisha. Route NH57 links Balangir, Sonepur, Bauda, Dashapalla, Nayagarh and Khordha in the ...

comes via Gorakhpur,

Motihari Motihari is the headquarters of East Champaran district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Bihar. It is located District entry point and New City 40.09 kilometres Northeast Mehsi. north of the state capital Patna. Geograp ...

Mehsi Mehsi is a High Deployment City and Urban Headquarter Kasba Mehsi located in the Mehsi It is a part of the Tirhut Division. in the Indian state of Bihar. Mehsi is an entry point of East Champaran when traveling from Patna, Darbhanga to Delhi ...

and crosses Muzaffarpur and

goes to

Darbhanga Darbhanga is the fifth-largest city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Bihar situated centrally in Mithila region. Darbhanga is the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. It was the seat of the erstw ...

, Purnia. The East–West Corridor crosses Muzaffarpur thus connecting it to all the major towns and cities in India.

National Highway 22 (India) National Highway 22 (NH 22) is a National Highway in India. This highway runs from Sonbarsa in Bihar to Chandwa in Jharkhand. Route Bihar Sonbarsa (Indo/Nepal Border), Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Patna, Punpun, Gaya, Bodh Gaya ...

starting from

Hajipur Hajipur (, ) is the headquarters and largest city of Vaishali district of the state of Bihar in India. Hajipur is the 16th most populous city of Bihar, besides being the second-fastest developing city, next to Patna. It had a total population ...

passes through Muzaffarpur and connects Muzaffarpur to Sitamarhi.

National Highway 28 (India) National Highway 28 (NH 28) is a National Highway in India. This highway runs entirely in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It provides main connectivity form India to Nepal. Route Kakrahwa on India-Nepal border, Siddharthnagar, Bansi, Rudhaul ...

connects

and Muzaffarpur to Barauni, all 6 National Highways having junction there.

Airport

Muzaffarpur Airport Muzaffarpur Airport is located at Muzaffarpur (besides NH 722 Muzaffarpur - Chhapra (Rewa Ghat)) in the state of Bihar, in India. It was to be built for the arrival of Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. From 1967 to 1982, flights fo ...

(IATA: MZU, ICAO: VEMZ) is located in Patahi of Muzaffarpur city (besides NH 722 Muzaffarpur -

Chhapra Chhapra is a city and headquarters of the Saran district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated near the junction of the Ghaghara River and the Ganges River. Chhapra grew in importance as a river-based market in the 18th century when th ...

(Rewa Ghat)) in the state of Bihar, India. It was operable from 1967 to 1982, on a regular basis. Currently it is not in operations, commercially. Darbhanga Airport is the nearest domestic airport roughly 64 km away by road.

Patna Airport Jayprakash Narayan International Airport is an international airport serving Patna, the capital of Bihar, India. It is named after the independence activist and political leader, Jayprakash Narayan. It is the 14th busiest airport in India. To ...

is the nearest customs airport roughly 70 km from the city.

Education

University

Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, formerly Bihar University, popularly known as Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Bihar University (BRABU), is a public university located in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India. Established in 1960, the university has 38 const ...

Colleges

Langat Singh College Langat Singh College, commonly known as L. S. College, is a college in Muzaffarpur, in the Indian state of Bihar. It was established on 3 July 1899, and is one of the city's oldest colleges. It is named after its founder Langat Singh. It is affi ...

* Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology * Mahant Darshan Das Mahila College *

S.K.J. Law College S.K.J Law College is a law college of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar ( B.R.A.B.U). This is a government law college of Bihar state. This college is also known as Sri Krishna Jubilee Law College. Location S.K.J La ...

Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) is situated in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar.Established in 1970, this college is approved by MCI. About college It is affiliated with Aryabhatta Knowledge University. SKMCH ...

Schools

* Kendriya Vidyalaya Muzaffarpur *Prabhat Tara School, Chakkar Maidan *DAV Public School, Malighat *DAV Public School, Bakhri *St. Xavier International School, Adarshgram *St. Joseph's Senior Secondary School *Holy mission senior secondary school,Dighra

Notable people

Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi (3 March 1900 – 26 September 1966) was a political activist from Bihar, prominent in the Indian independence movement. Early life Ajazi was born on 3 March 1900 in village Dihuli, Block Sakra of District Muzaf ...

, political activist and freedom fighter * Rambriksh Benipuri Indian freedom movement activist, eminent writer of Hindi literature *

Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary (born 1982 in Muzaffarpur, Bihar), also called Sudhir Kumar Gautam, is an Indian teacher who is fan of the Indian cricket team and Sachin Tendulkar. He is widely recognised for attending every home match the Indian team ha ...

, sports spectator and fan of the

Indian Cricket Team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...

* Veena Devi, Indian politician, Member of 17th Lok Sabha * Devaki Nandan Khatri, the author of ''Chandrakanta'' (in Hindi) * Arunabh Kumar, founder and ex-CEO of TVF *

Shahbaz Nadeem Shahbaz Nadeem (born 12 August 1989) is an Indian international cricketer who is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. He made his first-class cricket debut in December 2004. He has played for Bihar Under-14 side and Indian U-19s and currently plays ...

, Indian cricketer *

Shreya Narayan Shreya Narayan (born 22 February 1985) is an Indian film and television actress and a writer. Early life and education Shreya Narayan belongs to the family of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first president of India. She was born in Muzaffarpur, Bi ...

, Bollywood actress * Aishwarya Nigam, a Bollywood playback singer * Rajendra Prasad, India's first president, worked as a professor of English in

* Jubba Sahni, freedom fighter * Uday Shankar media executive and former journalist, president of

FICCI The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. History Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Indian businessman G.D. Birla and ...

The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the Earth, world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and List ...

, and chairman of

Star India Disney Star Private Limited is an Indian media conglomerate and a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Disney Star network runs more than 70 TV channels in eight languages, reac ...

and The Walt Disney Company India *

Janki Ballabh Shastri Acharya Janki Ballabh Shastri (5 February 1916 – 7 April 2011) was an Indian Hindi poet, writer and critic. He declined to accept Padma Shri in 2010 stating his disciples deserved much more than Shri. He also refused the Padmashri Padma Shr ...

, Hindi poet, writer and critic * Baikunth Shukla revolutionary hanged by the British in 1934 *

Yogendra Shukla Yogendra Shukla (1896 – 19 November 1960) was an Indian nationalist and freedom fighter from Bihar. He served in the Cellular Jail (''Kalapani''), and he was among the founders of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). Along with ...

revolutionary, Indian freedom movement activist, served time at Kalapani *

Basawon Singh Basawon Singh or Basawan Singh also known as Basawon Sinha, (23 March 1909 7 April 1989) was an Indian independence activist and a campaigner for the rights of the underprivileged, industrial labourers and agricultural workers. He spent a tot ...

revolutionary, Indian freedom movement activist *

Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh Sir Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh (18 April 1901 – 1994) was an Indian freedom fighter, diplomat and administrator. Early life Singh was born in the Bhumihar Zamindar family of Parsagarh State in Saran district of Bihar. He obtained an ...

, diplomat and freedom fighter * Dinesh Prasad Singh, Indian politician * Kishori Sinha Indian politician and educationalist *

Prabhat Ranjan Prabhat Ranjan (born 3 November 1970) is a Hindi novelist, fiction writer, and translator. He is currently professor of Hindi at Zakir Husain Delhi College in the University of Delhi, Delhi. He runs an online literary website ''Jankipul.com'' ...

, Social Entrepreneur, Educationist *

Rajni Ranjan Sahu Rajni Ranjan Sahu (1934–) is a former member of parliament (MP) in India. He represented the state of Bihar in Rajya Sabha (upper chamber of parliament) for two six-year terms (1984–1996) as a member of the Congress party (I). Sahu was hea ...

, Member Rajya Sabha, 1984–1996 * Sunil Sahu, Educator in the US *

Mridula Sinha Mridula Sinha (27 November 1942 – 18 November 2020) was an Indian writer and politician who served as Governor of Goa from August 2014 to October 2019. She was the first woman Governor of Goa. Mridula Sinha was also a former president of BJP ...

, former Governor of Goa (20142019) *

Richa Soni Richa Soni is an Indian television actress. She made her debut in '' Shararat''. She is known for her role of Bindiya in the ColorTV's daily soap ''Bhagyavidhaata ''. She has also appeared in shows like, '' Nachle Ve With Saroj Khan - Season ...

, TV actress *

Ajay Nishad Ajay Nishad is an Indian politician and the current member of parliament from Muzaffarpur. He won the 2014 and the 2019 general election being a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. He is the son of former Minister Jai Narain Prasad Nishad. Nisha ...

, Indian Politician, Member of 17th Lok Sabha *

Manish Singh Manish Singh Rawat (born 5 May 1991) is a male Indian racewalker. He competes in the 20 km and the 50 km events and is employed by the Uttarakhand State Police. He has been part of the Indian racewalking squad for the past 3 years. He ...

, Indian Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of ZZED Media

References

External links

Official website of Muzaffarpur District

Official website of Tirhut Division
* {{Authority control Cities and towns in Muzaffarpur district Populated places in Mithila, India