Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a

Municipal Corporation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally o ...

situated in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

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 Wes ...

. It is the administrative headquarters of

Munger district Munger district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in eastern India. Munger city is the administrative headquarters of this district. Munger district is a part of Munger Division. Its literacy rate of 73.3% is higher than the ...

and

Munger Division Munger division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India. Munger is the administrative headquarters of the division. The division consists of Munger district, Jamui district, Khagaria district, Begusarai district and Sheikh ...

. Munger was one of the major cities in

Eastern India East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadha f ...

and undivided

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predo ...

during Mughal period and

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 him ...

. It is one of the major political,cultural,educational and commercial center of

and Eastern India. Munger is situated about 180km from east of capital city

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India ...

, about 480km west of

's largest city

kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comm ...

and 1200km from country's capital

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

. Historically, Munger is known for being an ancient seat of rule. The twin city comprises Munger and Jamalpur situated on the southern bank of the river

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

. It is situated 08 km from Jamalpur Junction,180 km east of capital city

and 430 Km from

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comm ...

the capital of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

Munger is said to have been founded by the Guptas (4th century CE) and contains a fort that houses the tomb of the Muslim saint Shah Mushk Nafā (died 1497). In 1763, the

Nawab of Bengal The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, a ...

Mir Qasim Mir Qasim ( bn, মীর কাশিম; died 8 May 1777) was the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763. He was installed as Nawab with the support of the British East India Company, replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been su ...

made Munger his capital and built an arsenal and several palaces. It was constituted a municipality in 1864.

Geography

Climate

The climate of Munger is subtropical (warm in summer and cold during winter). The Köppen climate classification sub-type for this climate is

humid subtropical 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° ...

Demographics

As per 2011 census, Munger Municipal Corporation has a total population of 213,101 out of which 113,173 were males and 99,928 were females. It had a sex ratio of 883. The population between 0 and 6 years was 29,260. The literacy rate of the 7+ population was 81.83 per cent.

Economy

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...

operates of Asia's largest and oldest railway workshops at Jamalpur. This was set up by the

in 1862. Munger has also ITC Factory established by the British. Ordinance Gun Factory Munger , ITC Milk Dairy and many others.

Culture

Munger is known for

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, '' Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. S ...

Manpatthar (Sita charan) Sitacharan temple situated on a boulder in the middle of the Ganges in Munger (Mithilanchal) is the main center of public faith regarding

Chhath Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival historically native to the Indian subcontinent, more specifically, the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,West Bengal, Jharkhand, and the Nepalese provinces of Madhesh and Lumbini. Prayers during Chh ...

festival. It is believed that Mata Sita performed Chhaith festival in Munger. It was only after this that Chhath Mohaparv started. That is why

Mohaparva is celebrated with great pomp in Munger.

Places of interest

Munger Fort The Munger Fort, located at Munger (also spelt as Monghyr during the British Raj), in the state of Bihar, India, is built on a rocky hillock on the south bank of the Ganges River. Its history is not completely dated but it is believed that it wa ...

, covers an area of around 222 acres * Chandika Asthan, a sacred Shakti-Peeth * Kastaharni Ghat on the

Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Bihar in the south-west of Munger District . Etymology During the Mahabharata period, when the Pandavas were on their exile, they had also come to this forest during that time. For his liv ...

Bihar School of Yoga The Bihar School of Yoga is a modern school of yoga founded by Satyananda Saraswati in Munger, Bihar, India, in 1963. An Institute of Yogic Studies was created in 1994. History The Bihar School of Yoga was established in 1963 at Munger, in t ...

*Sita Kund hotspring *Rishi Kund hotspring *Pir Pahar *Jai Prakash Udyaan / Company Garden *Dolphin ECO Park for the conservation of Gangetic river dolphin. *

's Tunnel *Peer Shah Nafah Shrine *Kharagpur Jheel (Lake) *Goenka Shivalaya / Machli Talab

Transport

Rail

Munger has two railway stations known as: Jamalpur Junction and Munger Railway Station. The former is the main railhead for the city while the latter, which was earlier called Purabsarai Railway Station, acts as suburban facility. Stations are connected with

Sahibganj Loop The Sahibganj loop is a railway line connecting Khana Junction and Kiul Junction. Originally a part of the Howrah–Delhi main line, it was opened to traffic in 1866. With the construction of a shorter railway line for a part of the route, the ...

. The rail system provides connection to cities such as ,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

,, , , , , ,

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divisio ...

, , , , , and . The Munger Ganga Bridge, which takes both rail and road-traffic, connects Munger to the nearby cities of , , and as well as various districts of

North Bihar North Bihar is a term used for the region of Bihar, India, which lies north of the Ganga river. Towns and cities # Naugachia is a sub division in Bhagalpur district. It is famous for Banana farming; and known as Kelanchal of Bihar. #Purnia ...

. The bridge is the third-largest rail-cum-road bridge in India.

Road

Munger is connected to major parts of

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

by various National and State Highways. The major cities of

and

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . ...

- such as

Ranchi Ranchi (, ) is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area ...

Bhagalpur Bhagalpur is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern banks of the river Ganges. It is the 2nd largest city of Bihar by population and also the headquarters of Bhagalpur district and Bhagalpur division. Known as the Sil ...

, Purnia,

Bihar sharif Bihar Sharif is the headquarters of Nalanda district and the fifth-largest sub-metropolitan area in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Its name is a combination of two words: ''Bihar'', derived from '' vihara'' (meaning monastery), also the na ...

Muzaffarpur Muzaffarpur () is a city located in Muzaffarpur district in the Tirhut region of the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Tirhut division, the Muzaffarpur district and the Muzaffarpur Railway District. It is the fourth ...

Jamshedpur Jamshedpur (, ) or Tatanagar is the largest and most populous city in Jharkhand and the first planned industrial city in India. It is a Notified Area Council and Municipal Corporation and also the headquarter of the East Singhbhum district. I ...

Dhanbad Dhanbad is the second-most populated city in the Indian state of Jharkhand after Jamshedpur. It ranks as the 42nd largest city in India and is the 33rd largest million-plus urban agglomeration in India. Dhanbad shares its land borders with P ...

, Gaya, Bokaro and

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 erst ...

- can be reached by , , , and and various state Highways. Regular bus service are provided by

BSRTC Bihar State Road Transport Corporation or BSRTC is a state-owned road transportation company in Bihar with compared to other Indian states it is facing financial crisis in term of government funding, which degrade its process of expanding basic ...

for all the major cities and other destinations. Citybuses, Taxies, Autorikshaw, E-Rickshaw, etc. are available all the times in the entire city for transportation. Munger Ganga Rail Road Bridge

The Munger Ganga Bridge link Munger to various districts of

and north-eastern India by 2021.

Air

Munger Airport is located in Safyabad, which is 5 km from Munger. It was re-inaugurated by Chief Minister

Nitish Kumar Nitish Kumar (born 1 March 1951) is an Indian politician, who is serving as Chief Minister of Bihar since 22 February 2015, having previous held the office from 2005 to 2014 and for a short period in 2000. The leader of the Janata Dal (Unite ...

on 24 May 2016. Munger has no international airport with commercial service. Domestic airport with commercial service is

Jay Prakash Narayan 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. T ...

around 180 km away, which is served by all major airlines. Nearest international airport is

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an international airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the Kolkata Metropolitan Area and is the aviation hub for eastern and northeastern India. It is located approxima ...

Which is around 480 km away from Munger.

Education

is one of the notable organizations in the field of Yoga established in 1964 by

Satyananda Saraswati Satyananda Saraswati (25 December 1923 – 5 December 2009), was a Sanyasi, yoga teacher and guru in both his native India and the West. He was a student of Sivananda Saraswati, the founder of the Divine Life Society, and founded the Bihar ...

. * Indian Railway Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering * Biswanath Singh Institute of Legal Studies * Munger University * Government Engineering College, Munger * Forestry College, Munger * Rahmani Foundation, Munger

Notable people

* Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, Bengali writer, lawyer and script-writer in Hindi films. * Nandalal Bose, sculptor and painter * George Browne, 6th Marquess of Sligo (1856–1935), Anglo-Irish aristocrat, born in Munger * Mona Das -

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olymp ...

* Brahmanand Mandal - Former MP from Munger Lok Sabha constituency * Muhammad Ali Mungeri, Indian Muslim scholar, founder Nadwatul Ulama * Wali Rahmani - General Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board of

Ramdhari Singh Dinkar Ramdhari Singh (23 September 1908 – 24 April 1974), known by his pen name Dinkar, was an Indian Hindi and Maithili language poet, essayist, freedom fighter, patriot and academic. He emerged as a poet of rebellion as a consequence of hi ...

, poet * Monazir Hassan -four-time MLA from Munger and one-time member of the Indian Parliament in 15th Lok Sabha (2009 to 2014) and represented

Begusarai Begusarai is the industrial and financial capital of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district, which is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The district lies on the northern bank of th ...

( Lok Sabha constituency). * Krishna Singh, first Chief Minister of Bihar and a freedom fighter * Kumar Suresh Singh, Director-General of

Anthropological Survey of India Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) is the apex Indian government organisation involved in anthropological studies and field data research for human and cultural aspects, working primarily in the fields of physical anthropology and cultural ...

* Udit Narayan Singh of Shakarpura Raj

Zamindari A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it ...

- local benefactor * Niranjanananda Saraswati, yoga Guru *

, founder of

References

External links

Munger District-Official WebsiteMunger Official National WebsiteElection commission
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Anga Desh Cities and towns in Munger district