Banka

Banka is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar in India.

Banka is the homeland of great revolutionary shri Satish Prasad Jha, one of seven martyrs who hoisted the flag of India at the Secretariat building near Patna on 11 August 1942. Jha was born in Kharhara near Dhakamod, Banka. Banka has been an attractive destination for veteran socialists. Madhu Limaye represented the constituency two times. George Fernandis and Raj Narayan also contested the parliamentary election from this constituency. On the other side, there were number of veteran leaders in Congress party: Smt Vindhyavasini Devi, MLA ( 1957–1967),Smt. Shakuntala Devi ex M.P., ex chief minister of Bihar Chandrashekhar Singh, Sri Chaturbhuj Singh Ex. M.L.A., Ex Rajyasabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Singh, ex MP Manorama Singh, and ex MLA Jai Prakash Mishra. The Late Shri Digvijay Singh (14 November 1955 – 24 June 2010) was an Indian politician from the state of Bihar and was an independent Member of the Parliament of India, representing Banka in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. Banka played vital role in freedom of India.

Digvijay Singh served as a Member of the Parliament of India five times – three times in the Lok Sabha (1998, 1999, 2009) and two times in the Rajya Sabha (1990, 2004). He served as Union Minister of State in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government (1999–2004) and Chandrashekhar Government (1990–1991). He was also a successful sports administrator, having served as President of the National Rifle Association of India since 1999. He was one of the three (George Fernandis, Digvijay Singh, and Nitish Kumar) founding members of the Samta party. Now Putul Singh is the member of parliament from this constituency.

The district, part of Bhagalpur Division, has its headquarters at Banka town. Banka district occupies an area of 3,020 square kilometres (1,170 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to Canada’s Akimiski Island.

Banka is gradually becoming a religious tourism hotspot for Hinduism and Jainism. Old Mandar Parvat (also known as Mandarachar Parvat in Puran) has many place to visit. A Jain temple at the summit, in close proximity to a Vishnu temple, is a sign of religious tolerance. Every year in January, Bounsi Mela is organised, which depicts the village life of the Mandar region. A Ratha-Yatra procession of Lord Madhusudanah occurs every year on the same day as the Rath Yatra procession in Puri. Fourteenth-century Vaishnava saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu started this Rath Yatra during his visit to Mandar.

Banka is a largely agrarian economy and is considered the rice bowl of Bihar. The main crops are rice, wheat, corn, and lentils. Amarpur is the densely-populated block of Banka district. The Amarpur belt produces sugar cane and is home to gur sugar mills.

An issue for many smaller village industries in Bihar is lack of branding for products. High-quality, locally produced goods, even in large volumes, contribute to lower earnings for business owners because of a lack of awareness of more profitable business practices.

Banka is strategically located near the source of raw materials for heavy industries. Its proximity to Jharkhand (bordering Deoghar, Dumka, and Godda) and the river Chandan makes it a very strong contender for coal based power plant investment and other heavy Industry.

In 2006 the Indian government named Banka one of the country’s 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 36 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

The district comprises only one sub-division, Banka , which is further divided into eleven blocks: Banka, Amarpur, Shambhuganj, Belhar, Phulidumar, Katoria, Chandan, Baunsi, Barahat, Dhoraiya, Rajoun.

Out of 11 blocks, 9 are Naxal affected.

Villages of the district include Kharhara, Kakwara, Rajoun,Sohani, Amarpur, Dhoraiya, Katoria, Bausi, Shambhuganj, Pakaria, Pararia, Barahat, Belhar, Chandan, Samukhia More, Bhitia, Balarpur, Govindpur, Saruka, Kathoun, Naripa, Karsani, Uprama, Subkha, Nima, Laskari, Nawada, Durgapur, Tilakpur,Barouni, Parghari, Malti, Khaira, Lakhpura,khesar,dasua,Naugain,Telia,Kaitha, Saguni,Lahoria, Sadpur, Bhalaur, Dumaria.

A railway line connecting the existing Bhagalpur-Bounsi line to Rampurhat, which is well-connected to Howrah, is being developed, as is a line connecting Sultanganj to Jasidih through Banka. village Jagatpur should included where railway station Banka situated.

According to the 2011 census Banka district has a population of 2,029,339, roughly equal to the nation of Slovenia or the US state of New Mexico. This gives it a ranking of 228th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 672 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,740 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 26.14%. Banka has a sex ratio of 907 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 60.12%.

It has a population of 1,608,773 (as of 2001). There are 1,409,352 Hindus and 190,051 Muslims (11.81%).

Languages used in the district include Angika, an Indo-Aryan language written in the Devanagari script and spoken by at least 725 000 people in the Angika Region.

There are two rivers named Chandan East side of the village Jagatpur & Orhni West side of Jagatpur

A famous temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Durga is located in Karharia, Banka. Every year during Durga Puja, devotees from many parts of India visit this temple. Two temples—Narshimha (one of the incarnations of Vishnu) Temple and Digamber Jain Tirthanakar—are located at the top of a mountain known as Mandar Parbat, which is about 500 metres (1,600 ft) tall and made of a single piece of stone. The management of the Narsimha temple is under a trust. There is also a very old Avantika Nath temple at the bottom of Mandar Parvat. The Avantika Nath Temple Trust, founded by the late Babu Biro Singh of the village of Sabalpur, looks after the temple. Kailash Pathak is the Sevayat of the Avantika Nath temple.

A Mahalakshmi temple is located in front of Paapharni Pond. Recently a Lakshminarayan Temple was built in the center of Paapharni through the contributions of local people. It is managed by a trust headed by Fateh Bahadur Singh of erstwhile Sabalpur state.

The district is known for its rich tribal culture and its handicrafts and hand looms. The homemade Khadi and silk of the area are popular.

Banka is a district with full of greenery and forests. The Katoriya, Suiya, and Chandan blocks are mostly covered by forests.

In 1945, freedom fighters established Mandar Vidyapith, a Nationalistic University, in Banka to impart Indian education, after the model of Gujarat Vidyapith, Kashi Vidyapith, and Bihar Vidyapith Universities.

Some famous schools are as follows : R.B Bal Vikas Sansthan, Lahoria, Sadpur, Banka (up to class V) Tribhuwan Academy Govt School, Panjawara.