Bihar General Knowledge for the Bihar Police Constable and SI Exams
History and the freedom struggle
Ancient Bihar was the heart of Magadha, whose capital Pataliputra (modern Patna) later served the Mauryan empire. Bodh Gaya is where the Buddha attained enlightenment, Vaishali is linked with the Licchavi republic and with Mahavira's birth, and the monastic universities of Nalanda and Vikramshila (near Bhagalpur) drew students from far away. In the sixteenth century Sher Shah Suri, from Sasaram, built a tomb there that still stands.
| Event or person | Date | Fact to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Tilka Manjhi | 1780s | A tribal leader of the Bhagalpur region who fought the British; often called an early rebel hero |
| Kunwar Singh | 1857 | Zamindar of Jagdishpur (Bhojpur, near Arrah) who led the revolt of 1857 in Bihar in old age |
| Champaran Satyagraha | 1917 | Gandhi's first satyagraha in India, against the tinkathia system of compulsory indigo on part of a peasant's land; Rajkumar Shukla invited him; the Champaran Agrarian Act followed in 1918 |
| Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha | 1929 | Founded under Swami Sahajanand Saraswati to organise peasants against zamindari exactions |
| Patna Secretariat firing | 11 Aug 1942 | Seven students hoisting the national flag were shot during Quit India; the Shaheed Smarak at Patna remembers the Saat Shaheed |
| JP movement | 1974 | Jayaprakash Narayan led the Bihar movement against corruption, called Total Revolution |
Two leaders to place firmly: Dr Rajendra Prasad (born at Ziradei, Siwan), a Champaran associate of Gandhi, later President of the Constituent Assembly and the first President of India; and Sri Krishna Singh, Bihar's first Chief Minister after independence.
Art, culture, festivals and GI tags
| Art or craft | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Madhubani (Mithila) painting | Mithila region, Madhubani | Got a GI tag in 2007 |
| Manjusha art | Bhagalpur (Anga region) | Called snake painting; linked with the Bihula-Bishahari tale |
| Tikuli art | Patna | Painting on small glass or board pieces |
| Sujini embroidery | Muzaffarpur | Quilted embroidery by women |
Chhath is Bihar's great festival: a four-day worship of the Sun and Chhathi Maiya, with water offered at the setting sun on the third day and the rising sun on the fourth; the main Chhath falls in Kartik. The Sonepur Mela (Saran, Kartik Purnima) is widely described as among Asia's biggest cattle fairs. Folk forms include Bidesia, the stage form made famous by Bhikhari Thakur, called the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri.
| Writer | Link |
|---|---|
| Vidyapati | Maithili poet of Radha-Krishna songs, called Maithil Kokil |
| Ramdhari Singh Dinkar (Begusarai) | Jnanpith Award 1972 for Urvashi; also Rashmirathi |
| Phanishwar Nath Renu (Araria) | Maila Aanchal (1954), a regional novel |
| Devaki Nandan Khatri | Chandrakanta (1888), a tilismi romance |
GI tags attach a product to a place: Madhubani painting (2007), Shahi Litchi (Muzaffarpur, 2018), Katarni rice and Magahi Paan (2018), Zardalu (Jardalu) mango and Bhagalpur silk (Bhagalpur), Silao Khaja (Nalanda) and Mithila Makhana. Languages: Hindi is the official language of the state; Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili, Angika and Bajjika are major regional languages, and Maithili entered the Eighth Schedule through the 92nd Amendment in 2003.
Rivers, relief and wildlife
The Ganga enters Bihar from Uttar Pradesh near Buxar and flows west to east, splitting the state into the North Bihar plain and the South Bihar plain. The north has flat, flood-prone land with many Himalayan rivers; the south has the Magadh plains and, near Jharkhand, the Kaimur plateau and the Rajgir-Gaya hills.
| Side | Rivers | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| North (left bank) | Ghaghra, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kamla Balan, Kosi, Mahananda | Mostly rise in or cross Nepal; cause the floods |
| South (right bank) | Karmanasa, Sone, Punpun, Kiul-Harohar, Badua, Chandan | Rise on the plateau; seasonal, flash flows |
- Kosi: the Sapta Kosi in Nepal; joins the Ganga near Kursela (Katihar); shifts its course and is called the Sorrow of Bihar; its barrage is at Bhimnagar in Nepal; a breach in 2008 caused a famous flood.
- Gandak: the Narayani in Nepal; enters Bihar near Valmikinagar and meets the Ganga near Sonepur-Hajipur.
- Sone: rises near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, enters Bihar from the south-west and joins the Ganga near Patna; the Punpun and Falgu (at Gaya) also flow in the south.
- Burhi Gandak: rises in West Champaran and meets the Ganga near Khagaria.
Wildlife: Valmiki Tiger Reserve (West Champaran) is the tiger reserve in the state's own list as of 2026; the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur dates from 1991; Kanwar Lake bird sanctuary lies in Begusarai. The house sparrow is the state bird and the peepal the state tree.
Agriculture and industry
A large majority of Bihar's workers (about three-fourths in Census 2011 terms) depend on farming, on fertile Ganga alluvium. The main crops are rice, wheat and maize; the old Shahabad belt of Rohtas, Kaimur, Bhojpur and Buxar is traditionally called the rice bowl, and the Kosi-Seemanchal and Samastipur-Begusarai areas are strong maize districts. The state is poorly irrigated in the north in the dry season and flood-hit in the monsoon, which is why barrages and canals matter.
| Product | Where |
|---|---|
| Makhana (fox nut) | Mithila: Darbhanga, Madhubani and nearby districts |
| Litchi | Muzaffarpur |
| Zardalu mango | Bhagalpur |
| Sugarcane | West Champaran and the Champaran belt |
| Jute | Purnia, Katihar and Kishanganj side |
Key irrigation sites: the Sone canal system (with the barrage at Indrapuri, Rohtas), the Gandak project (Valmikinagar) and the Kosi project (Bhimnagar). Bihar repealed its APMC Act in 2006, ending the regulated mandi system. COMFED, the state milk cooperative federation, sells milk as Sudha.
| Name | Place | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Barauni Refinery | Begusarai | Indian Oil's oil refinery; started in the 1960s with Soviet help |
| Kahalgaon power station | Bhagalpur | NTPC thermal station |
| Jamalpur Railway Workshop | Munger | One of India's oldest railway workshops, from 1862 |
| East Central Railway HQ | Hajipur (Vaishali) | Not Patna |
| Mahatma Gandhi Setu | Patna-Hajipur over the Ganga | Opened 1982; about 5.75 km long |
Welfare schemes and institutions
| Scheme | Year | Department or purpose |
|---|---|---|
| JEEViKA (Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project) | 2 Oct 2006 | Rural Development Department; World Bank-aided; women's self-help groups |
| 50 per cent women's reservation in panchayats | decided 2005, Act and first polls 2006 (per the state government) | Bihar was the first state to do it; extended to urban bodies in 2007 |
| Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana | about 2007 | Education; money for a bicycle to girls entering secondary school |
| Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana | 2018 | Instalments of money to girls from birth to graduation |
| Right to Public Services Act | 2011 | Time-limited delivery of notified services, with penalty |
| Saat Nishchay | announced 2015 | Seven resolves, including Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal (tap water) and Har Ghar Bijli (electricity) |
Legislature: the Vidhan Sabha has 243 seats; the Vidhan Parishad has 75 members (63 elected, up to 12 nominated by the Governor); Bihar sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha. A single party needs 122 seats for a majority of the full Assembly. Rural local bodies have the Mukhiya (gram panchayat), Pramukh (panchayat samiti) and Adhyaksh (zila parishad).
Institutions: Patna High Court (1916), Patna University (1917), Patna Museum (1917), the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library (1891) and IIT Patna (2008).
Bihar Police basics
Police is a State List subject in the Seventh Schedule, so Bihar Police works under the state government. Its headquarters is in Patna, at Sardar Patel Bhawan on Bailey Road (the move there was reported in October 2018; check the current address before relying on it); the force is headed by the Director General of Police (DGP). Office-holders change, so learn the post, not the name.
- Laws: the colonial Police Act of 1861 shaped early policing; Bihar now has its own Bihar Police Act, 2007.
- Armed wing: the Bihar Military Police was renamed Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP) under the Bihar Special Armed Police Act, 2021, in force from 24 March 2021.
- District level: the Superintendent of Police heads the district force; Patna has a Senior Superintendent of Police.
- Ranks, junior to senior (selection): Constable, Assistant Sub-Inspector, Sub-Inspector, Inspector, Deputy Superintendent, Superintendent, DIG, IG, ADG, DGP.
Key takeaways
- Bihar: separated from Bengal on 22 March 1912 (Bihar Diwas), Orissa left in 1936, Jharkhand in 2000; capital Patna; 9 divisions and 38 districts as of 29 October 2026 per the state government.
- Divisions: 6-6-6-5-4-3-3-3-2 for Patna, Tirhut, Munger, Magadh, Purnia, Saran, Darbhanga, Kosi, Bhagalpur; headquarters differ from the name for Tirhut, Saran, Kosi and Magadh.
- Freedom struggle: Champaran 1917 (indigo, first satyagraha), Kisan Sabha 1929, Patna Secretariat firing 11 August 1942, JP movement 1974; Kunwar Singh led 1857 in Bihar.
- Culture: Madhubani (Mithila, GI 2007), Manjusha (Bhagalpur), Tikuli (Patna), Sujini (Muzaffarpur); Chhath honours the Sun; Shahi Litchi is Muzaffarpur, Zardalu mango and silk are Bhagalpur, Silao Khaja is Nalanda; two UNESCO sites (2002, 2016).
- Rivers: Ganga splits the state; Kosi is the Sorrow of Bihar (barrage at Bhimnagar), Gandak has its barrage at Valmikinagar, Sone rises at Amarkantak; schemes: JEEViKA 2006, panchayat quota for women, RTPS Act 2011, Kanya Utthan 2018.
- Police: a State List subject; headquarters at Patna; Bihar Police Act 2007; Bihar Special Armed Police Act 2021 renamed the Bihar Military Police as BSAP; the SP heads a district force.
Practice questions (18)
Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.
On which date, now observed as Bihar Diwas, was the province of Bihar and Orissa separated from the Bengal Presidency?
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Answer: A — 22 March 1912
Bihar Diwas marks 22 March 1912. The date of 1 April 1936 is when Orissa was separated from Bihar, and 15 November 2000 is when Jharkhand was created; 1916 is the year of the Patna High Court, so it is not the separation date.As of 29 October 2026, per the state government's list, the headquarters of Bihar's Tirhut division is at:
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Answer: C — Muzaffarpur
Tirhut division is headquartered at Muzaffarpur. Darbhanga is the headquarters of a different division (Darbhanga), and Chapra is the headquarters of Saran division; Hajipur is a Vaishali town, not a divisional headquarters.As of 29 October 2026, per the state government's list, how many districts are there in Patna, Magadh and Purnia divisions taken together?
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Answer: D — 15
Patna has 6 districts, Magadh has 5 and Purnia has 4, so the total is 6 + 5 + 4 = 15. A total of 16 comes from wrongly giving Purnia 5 districts; 14 and 17 do not match the division counts.Consider these statements.
P: The Kosi is called the Sapta Kosi in Nepal.
Q: The Sone rises near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh.
R: The Gandak enters Bihar near Valmikinagar.
S: The Punpun is a river on the north (left) bank side of the Ganga.
Which statements are correct?Show answer
Answer: C — P, Q and R only
P, Q and R are correct. S is wrong: the Punpun is a southern river that joins the Ganga from the south side, near Patna, not a north-bank river. Mixing it with the Himalayan rivers is the usual trap.Which river is known as the 'Sorrow of Bihar' for its floods and shifting course?
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Answer: D — Kosi
The Kosi is called the Sorrow of Bihar because it shifts course and floods the north. The Gandak also floods but is not given this name; the Sone and the Falgu are southern plateau rivers, not famous for such floods.Which set correctly matches a GI-tagged product of Bihar with its place?
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Answer: A — Shahi Litchi - Muzaffarpur; Zardalu mango - Bhagalpur; Silao Khaja - Nalanda
Litchi is Muzaffarpur, Zardalu mango is Bhagalpur and Silao Khaja is Nalanda. The set that swaps litchi with mango is the most tempting, since both are fruits of the state, but each of the other sets moves at least one product to the wrong place.Which pairing of art form and place is correct?
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Answer: B — Manjusha art - Bhagalpur
Manjusha art, the snake painting tied to the Bihula-Bishahari tale, belongs to Bhagalpur. Tikuli belongs to Patna and Sujini to Muzaffarpur, so those pairings swap places; Madhubani painting belongs to the Mithila region, not Bhagalpur.Which pairing of writer and work is NOT correct?
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Answer: D — Phanishwar Nath Renu - Chandrakanta
Chandrakanta was written by Devaki Nandan Khatri, not by Renu, whose famous novel is Maila Aanchal (1954). Dinkar's Urvashi won the 1972 Jnanpith Award, so that pairing is right; the question asks for the wrong pair.Arrange these events in order from earliest to latest: P: Champaran Satyagraha; Q: Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha formed; R: Patna Secretariat firing on seven students; S: JP movement in Bihar.
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Answer: C — P, Q, R, S
The order is Champaran (1917), Kisan Sabha (1929), Secretariat firing (1942) and the JP movement (1974). Putting the firing before the Kisan Sabha is tempting only if Quit India is confused with the peasant movement of the twenties.The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was launched against which practice?
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Answer: A — The tinkathia system of compulsory indigo on a part of the peasant's land
Champaran was a protest against the tinkathia system, under which peasants had to grow indigo on a fixed share of land. The Permanent Settlement is an older revenue arrangement of Bengal and Bihar, and the mill-workers' struggle is the Ahmedabad one of 1918.As of 2026 the Bihar Vidhan Sabha has 243 seats. What is the smallest number of seats that gives one party a majority of the full Assembly?
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Answer: C — 122
Half of 243 is 121.5, and a majority needs more than half, so 122 is the minimum. The figure 121 is the tempting one because it is the rounded-down half, but it is less than half of the house.JEEViKA, begun on 2 October 2006 with World Bank support under the Rural Development Department, mainly organises:
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Answer: C — Rural women into self-help groups for livelihoods and savings
JEEViKA builds women's self-help groups for livelihoods and savings. The bicycle clubs idea mixes it with the Balika Cycle scheme, which is an education scheme, while the sugar and housing options belong to no JEEViKA component.In Bihar, 50 per cent of the seats in panchayati raj bodies are reserved for women. By this rule, at least how many seats are reserved for women in a Zila Parishad that has 62 seats?
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Answer: A — 31
Half of 62 is 31, so at least 31 seats are reserved. The figure 30 is only 48 per cent of the seats, 32 is more than half, and 25 is about 40 per cent, which is not the Bihar quota.Which pairing of crop or product and its Bihar region is NOT correct?
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Answer: D — Zardalu mango - Muzaffarpur
The Zardalu mango belongs to Bhagalpur, not Muzaffarpur, so that pairing is the wrong one. Muzaffarpur is the home of litchi, which is why it is a tempting place for a fruit; makhana and Champaran cane are correct pairs.Bihar's two UNESCO World Heritage Sites are the Mahabodhi Temple complex at Bodh Gaya (inscribed 2002) and the Nalanda Mahavihara site (inscribed 2016). How many years apart were the two inscriptions?
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Answer: B — 14
2016 minus 2002 is 14 years. The number 12 or 16 results from mis-recalling one of the years by two, which is the usual slip when the two years are taken from memory.Which law of 2021 renamed the Bihar Military Police as the Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP)?
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Answer: B — The Bihar Special Armed Police Act, 2021
The Bihar Special Armed Police Act, 2021, in force from 24 March 2021, gave the armed wing the name BSAP. The 2007 Act is the general state police Act, which is why it is the tempting choice, but it was passed fourteen years earlier.In the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, 'police' is a subject in which list?
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Answer: D — State List
Police is a State List subject, so Bihar Police works under the state government. The Union List covers central forces and the Concurrent List covers criminal law and procedure, which is why the latter is the tempting choice.Which statement about Bihar's freedom-struggle figures is correct?
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Answer: A — Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur led the 1857 revolt in the Bhojpur area
Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur led the 1857 revolt in the Bhojpur area. Rajkumar Shukla invited Gandhi to Champaran, Sri Krishna Singh was Bihar's first Chief Minister (the first President was Rajendra Prasad), and Sahajanand Saraswati is tied to the Kisan Sabha, not an Act.