DISTRICT PROFILE BUXAR INTRODUCTION Buxar district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar. The present district of Buxar, comprising of Buxar Sadar and Dumraon sub- division of the erstwhile Bhojpur district, came into existence in 1991. Buxar district is a part of Patna division. Buxar district is bounded in the north and west by the districts of Ballia and Ghazipur of Uttar Pradesh, and in the east and south by the districts of Rohtas, Bhojpur and Kaimur of Bihar. The important rivers flowing through the district are Ganges, Thora, Dharmawati and Karmnasha. The Ganges forms the northern boundary of the district while river Karmnasha joins the Ganges near Chausa. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The etymology of word Buxar is "Vyaghra Sar" which in Sanskrit means tiger and pond respectively. It is said that the tiger face of Rishi Vedshira, an outcome of the curse of the sage Rishi Durvasha, was restored after bathing in a holy tank which was later named as VyaghraSar. Buxar finds reference in Ramayana, Brahma Purana, Varah Purana and other ancient literature. During the pre-historic period, Buxar was the abode of eminent saints and the battlefield of Gods and demons while in modern history it was a combat zone against foreign invasions. Buxar has many historical sites and is famous as a town of temples. Archaeological findings at Buxar have established a link of Buxar with ancient civilizations of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. The historic battle of Buxar was fought here in 1764. It heralded the establishment of the rule of the East India Company in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. ADMINISTRATIVE Buxar district comprises of 2 sub-divisions and 11 blocks. Sub-divisions: Buxar and Dumraon. Blocks: o Buxar o Brahmpur o Itarhi o Kesath o Chousa o Chakki o Rajpur o Chougain o Dumraon o Simri o Nawanagar Total number of Panchayats in Buxar district: 154. Total number of villages in Buxar district: 1114. ECONOMIC PROFILE People of Buxar district derive their livelihood from agricultural pursuits. The forest area of Buxar district is very thin due to deforestation. Common trees are mango, seasum, mahua, bamboo, etc. A type of long grass called Jhalas grown in the Diara area of river Ganga. Jhalas straw is used as fodder and for making thatched roofs. Fire-wood is the most important forest product. Mineral resources of Buxar is negligible. Buxar and Dumraon have important wholesale markets. The main commodities exported are rice, paddy, gur, mango, vegetables, fish and manufactured goods of Buxar Central Jail such as carpets, furniture, etc. , and the main imports are engineering goods, medicine, etc. Per Capita Gross State and District Domestic Product 13404 15000 10237 11311 11815 9832 10396 7830 8004 8553 10000 7462 5000 0 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Per Capita Gross District Domestic Product Per Capita Gross State Domestic Product Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Govt. of Bihar GEOGRAPHIC Coordinates Latitude: 25º 33' North Longitude: 83º 58' East Temperature 42° C (Max.) 10° C (Min.) Average rainfall 774.82 mm Area 1623.83 sq. km Altitude 55 meters DEMOGRAPHIC Population 1,551,493 Population density 955 per sq. km Population growth 21.67% Sex ratio 922 per 1000 male Literacy rate 71.77% Languages spoken Bhojpuri, Hindi INDUSTRIAL Registered industrial units 1448 Registered medium & large Nil units Total industrial units 1448 No. of industrial areas 1 Types of industries Agro based, soda water, cotton textile, woolen, silk and artificial thread based clothes, jute & jute based, ready- made garments & embroidery, wood/ wooden based furniture, paper & paper products, leather based, chemical/ chemical based, rubber, plastic & petro based, mineral based, metal based, Engineering units, electrical machinery & transport equipment's, repairing & servicing. Source: MSME – DI Patna, official website of district INVESTMENT Agriculture is the main occupation of the majority of people of Buxar district. Some small scale and cottage industries in the district are soap industry in Buxar and Dumraon; timber and furniture works at Buxar and Dumraon; and leather industry concentrated mainly at Khilafatpur village in Buxar Sadar . Some shoe making centers receive assistance from the industries department. Rice and oil mills are the main industries. Buxar district has clusters of rice mill, brass utensils, Singhora udyog cluster, printing press & STD booth. Investment (Rs. Lakh) 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 Source: MSME – DI Patna INDUSTRIAL PROFILE Major industries include metal, engineering, and agriculture. Potential areas for service industry: hospital, hotels, technical institute etc. Potential for new MSMEs: rice mill, automobile repairing workshop, packaged drinking water, food processing industries like jam, jelly, murabba, pickels, sauce etc. INDUSTRIES AT A GLANCE Registered industrial units 1448 Total industrial units 1448 Registered medium & large units Nil Estimated avg. no. of daily workers employed in 2400 small scale industries Employment in large and medium industries Nil No. of industrial areas 01 EXISTING MICRO & SMALL ENTERPRISES AND ARTISAN UNITS Type of industry No. of Investment Units (Rs. Lakh) Agro based 108 150 Soda water 12 19 Cotton textile 10 16 Woolen , silk & artificial thread based clothes 15 24 Jute and jute based 5 11 Readymade garments and embroidery 60 130 Wood/wooden based products 30 50 Paper and paper products 10 21 Leather based 15 22 Rubber, plastic and petro based 95 160 Chemical & chemical based 5 10 Mineral based 10 18 Metal based 150 305 Engineering units 90 270 Electrical machinery and transport equipment 10 12 Repairing and servicing 150 110 Others 773 1736.7 Total 1548 3064.7 Source: MSME – DI Patna INFRASTRUCTURE The district has clusters namely rice mill cluster, brass utensils cluster Singhora udyog cluster, printing press & STD booth. Types of industries prevailing in Buxar district are: Agro based, soda water, cotton textile, woolen, silk and artificial thread based clothes, jute & Jute based, ready-made garments & embroidery, wood/ wooden based furniture, paper & paper products, leather based, chemical/chemical based, rubber, plastic & petro based, mineral based, metal based, engineering units, electrical machinery & transport equipment's, repairing & servicing. Total no. of hospitals and health centers : 240 Total no. of commercial banks and financial institutions: 92 Educational institutions. No. of primary schools – 658 No. of middle schools – 164 No. of secondary and senior secondary schools – 70 No. of colleges – 15 AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY Rice, wheat, grams, pulses, potato, jowar, bajra, maize, sunflower and all varieties of green vegetables are the main agricultural crops. The region is considered to be the best wheat growing area in Bihar. The district has an abundance of mango trees. The district already has a rice mill cluster and has huge potential for setting up food processing industry & packaging industry. Total cultivable barren land : 25016 acres. MAJOR INDUSTRIAL AREA Particulars Details Name of the industrial area Buxar Land acquired (in hectare) 50.22 Land developed (in hectare) 50.22 No. of allotted plots 114 No. of vacant plots 5 No. of units in production 53 Source: MSME – DI Patna LARGE SCALE INDUSTRY/ PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERTAKING There is no large scale industry or public sector undertaking in this district Potential Micro & Small Potential Service Major Existing Clusters Enterprise Enterprises •Rice mill • Rice mill cluster, •Hotel industry •Automobile repairing • Brass utensils cluster •Tourism related workshop • Singhora Udyog cluster enterprises •Packaged drinking water, • Printing press •Hospitals •Food processing industries • STD booth •Technical institute like jam, jelly, murabba, pickels, sauce etc. TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE • Buxar railway • Nearest airport station is a major is Patna , 120 station •The district has been fairly rich in km road • Major trains pass communication for through the station Road a long time Airport Railway due to its strategic •Good connects location with the state capital Patna. EDUCATION There are many schools and colleges in the district. Some of the educational institutions are Vidyadaan Institute of Technology Dumraon Agriculture College Saheed Ravikant Memorial B. Ed.College Matri Prem College of Education Principal B P Singh College MC College HERITAGE & TOURISM Major Tourist Sites in Buxar District Brahmeshwarnath Temple: The temple is a revered place in the region, which is also referred to as Baba Brahmeshwarnath Dham. Positioned on Buxar- Patna road, the shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Devotees throng this temple in large numbers during the month of Shrawan. Katkauli Ka Maidan : Situated on the outskirts of Buxar town on the main road to Patna, the historic Battle of Buxar was fought in Katkauli Ka Maidan in 1764. The battle broke out on 22 October 1764 and the site is considered as a signpost in the history of British colonial rule in India. Sita Ram Upadhyaya Museum : Opened in 1979, this museum is one of the largest repositories in Buxar that house varieties of artifacts, rare stone sculptures, coins, articles of terracotta, etc. Chausa : 10 km west of Buxar town, Chausa is associated with Chyavan Rishi. A historic battle was fought here in 1539 in which the Afghan King Sher Shah Suri vanquished Mughal Emperor Humayun. Chausa hoard : At this site in Buxar, the first known bronze hoard was discovered in the Gangetic valley. The hoard was a set of 18 Jain bronze articles dating back to the period of Sungas and Guptas. Buxar Fort : The magnificent Buxar Fort, built by King Rudra Deo in 1054, is situated on the bank of river Ganga in the town of Buxar. Also worth seeing are Rameshwarnath temple, Gauri Shankar temple, Nath Baba temple, Waman Ashram, Ramrekha Ghat, Navlakha temple, etc. Bihariji Temple : Bihariji Temple, one of the most revered places in the region, is located 15 km from Buxar town at Dumraon. Constructed in 1825 at the behest of the Maharaja of Dumraon estate, the temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, who is also known as Bihari.