Art, Culture & Festivals of Bihar

This is the most enjoyable Bihar chapter — and one of the most rewarding in the exam. BPSC regularly asks about Madhubani painting, the Chhath festival, folk arts and Bihar's famous GI-tagged products. Best of all, most of this is culture you already live, so it sticks fast.

Traditional Paintings & Crafts

Art forms of Bihar
Art formRegion & description
Madhubani / Mithila paintingFrom the Mithila region; bright natural colours, themes from nature and mythology. Has a GI tag. Famous artists: Sita Devi, Ganga Devi, Mahasundari Devi, Baua Devi.
Manjusha artFrom Bhagalpur (Anga region); linked to the Bihula–Bishahari folk tale; called "snake painting" (uses pink, green, yellow).
Tikuli artFrom Patna; traditionally decorative work using glass and gold.
Sujni embroideryFrom the Muzaffarpur area; storytelling embroidery on cloth. Has a GI tag.
Sikki grass craftFrom north Bihar; colourful boxes and figures woven from golden sikki grass.
🧠 Memory trick
Tie each art to its place: Madhubani → Mithila, Manjusha → Bhagalpur, Tikuli → Patna, Sujni → Muzaffarpur. The place is usually the answer.

Festivals — Chhath Above All

Chhath Puja is the most important festival of Bihar — a four-day festival dedicated to the Sun God (Surya) and Chhathi Maiya, thanking the sun for life and seeking well-being. Devotees offer arghya (water) to the setting sun on the third day and the rising sun on the fourth. The main Chhath falls in the month of Kartik (October–November); a second, Chaiti Chhath, falls in spring.

🎯 Why it matters
A special fact BPSC likes: Chhath is one of the few festivals where the setting sun is worshipped, not just the rising sun — a reminder that even things in decline deserve gratitude. It is now celebrated far beyond Bihar, wherever Biharis live.

Folk Dance, Theatre & Language

  • Folk dances: Jat-Jatin, Jhijhian, Paika, Domkach, Kajari and the famous Bidesia.
  • Bhikhari Thakur — creator of the Bidesia folk theatre; called the "Shakespeare of Bhojpuri" for his powerful social plays.
  • Languages of Bihar: Hindi and Urdu are official, but the great folk languages are Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili, Angika and Bajjika. Maithili is included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

Famous GI-Tagged Products of Bihar

A GI (Geographical Indication) tag shows that a product belongs to a specific place. Bihar has many — a favourite BPSC topic.

ProductPlace
Shahi LitchiMuzaffarpur
Jardalu MangoBhagalpur
Katarni RiceBhagalpur / Banka
Magahi PaanMagadh region
Silao KhajaNalanda
Bhagalpur Silk (Tussar)Bhagalpur
Madhubani PaintingMithila
⚠️ Exam trap
Two easily confused GI tags: Shahi Litchi = Muzaffarpur, but Jardalu Mango, Katarni Rice and Tussar Silk = Bhagalpur. Bhagalpur is the answer to several — remember it as Bihar's "GI capital".

Literature & Writers of Bihar

  • Vidyapati (14th–15th century) — the father of Maithili literature, court poet of the Oiniwar kings; wrote devotional/love lyrics (padavali) to Radha-Krishna in Maithili, earning the title "Maithil Kokil" (Nightingale of Mithila). Also influenced early Bengali/Assamese literature.
  • Ramdhari Singh "Dinkar" (Begusarai) — national poet ("Rashtrakavi"), Jnanpith Award winner (1972) for Urvashi; famous for Rashmirathi and Parshuram ki Prateeksha, poetry of nationalism and revolutionary fervour.
  • Phanishwar Nath "Renu" (Araria) — pioneer of the "Anchalik" (regional) novel in Hindi; his Maila Aanchal (1954) is set in a fictional north-Bihar village and is a landmark of Hindi regional fiction.
  • Devaki Nandan Khatri (Muzaffarpur) — pioneer of Hindi tilismi/adventure fiction, best known for Chandrakanta (1888), credited with popularising Hindi (Devanagari) reading among the masses.
  • Raja Radhika Raman Prasad Singh and Raja Radha Krishna Singh — early modern Maithili literary patrons/writers; Maithili also has an old dramatic tradition of Vidyapati Nach and epic works.
🧠 One writer, one district
Dinkar → Begusarai, Renu → Araria, Devaki Nandan Khatri → Muzaffarpur, Vidyapati → Mithila (Madhubani region). BPSC often asks "who is from where" — anchor each name to its district.

Fairs, Tourism Circuits & World Heritage Sites

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bihar
SiteInscribedSignificance
Mahabodhi Temple Complex, Bodh Gaya2002Marks the spot where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.
Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara2016Ruins of the ancient Nalanda monastic university (5th–12th century CE).
  • Bihar Buddhist Circuit: Bodh Gaya (enlightenment) → Rajgir (Griddhakuta/Vulture Peak, first sermon-adjacent sites, Venuvana) → Nalanda → Vaishali (Buddha's last sermon, site of the Second Buddhist Council) — one of India's most important pilgrimage/tourism circuits, drawing visitors especially from Sri Lanka, Japan, Thailand and Myanmar.
  • Sonepur Mela (Saran district, Kartik Purnima) — reputedly Asia's largest cattle fair, historically also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela; today a major livestock, handicraft and cultural fair.
  • Rajgir Mahotsav and the Vaishali Mahotsav are annual state-promoted cultural festivals tied to the two towns' Buddhist and Jain (Vaishali being Mahavira's birthplace) heritage.
  • Bihar Museum, Patna (opened 2015) and the older Patna Museum (1917, "Jadu Ghar") together anchor the state's museum/heritage-tourism infrastructure.
ℹ️ Note
Bihar currently has exactly two UNESCO World Heritage Sites (both cultural): Mahabodhi Temple (2002) and Nalanda Mahavihara (2016) — a frequently tested pair, so do not confuse "world heritage" status with a mere "GI tag" or a "protected monument" listing.

Key takeaways

  • Paintings: Madhubani → Mithila (GI), Manjusha → Bhagalpur (snake painting), Tikuli → Patna, Sujni → Muzaffarpur (GI).
  • Chhath Puja — four-day festival for the Sun God & Chhathi Maiya; worships both setting and rising sun; main Chhath in Kartik.
  • Bhikhari Thakur = "Shakespeare of Bhojpuri", creator of Bidesia. Folk dances: Jat-Jatin, Jhijhian, Paika, Domkach.
  • Languages: Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili, Angika, Bajjika. Maithili is in the 8th Schedule.
  • GI tags: Shahi Litchi (Muzaffarpur); Jardalu Mango, Katarni Rice, Tussar Silk (Bhagalpur); Silao Khaja (Nalanda); Magahi Paan.
  • Writers: Vidyapati ("Maithil Kokil") → Mithila; Dinkar (Jnanpith, Urvashi) → Begusarai; Renu (Maila Aanchal) → Araria; Devaki Nandan Khatri (Chandrakanta) → Muzaffarpur.
  • Bihar has 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya (2002) and Nalanda Mahavihara (2016). The Buddhist Circuit runs Bodh Gaya → Rajgir → Nalanda → Vaishali. Sonepur Mela = Asia's largest cattle fair.

Practice questions (10)

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.

  1. Madhubani painting originates from which region of Bihar?

    1. Anga
    2. Magadh
    3. Mithila
    4. Bhojpur
    Show answer

    Answer: C — Mithila

    Madhubani (Mithila) painting comes from the Mithila region of north Bihar and has a GI tag.

  2. Manjusha art, associated with the Bihula–Bishahari tale, belongs to which place?

    1. Patna
    2. Bhagalpur
    3. Gaya
    4. Darbhanga
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Bhagalpur

    Manjusha art is from Bhagalpur (the Anga region) and is also called "snake painting".

  3. The Chhath festival is primarily dedicated to which deity?

    1. Lord Vishnu
    2. The Sun God (Surya)
    3. Goddess Durga
    4. Lord Shiva
    Show answer

    Answer: B — The Sun God (Surya)

    Chhath is dedicated to the Sun God (Surya) and Chhathi Maiya; devotees offer arghya to both the setting and rising sun.

  4. Who is known as the "Shakespeare of Bhojpuri"?

    1. Bhikhari Thakur
    2. Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
    3. Vidyapati
    4. Devaki Nandan Khatri
    Show answer

    Answer: A — Bhikhari Thakur

    Bhikhari Thakur, creator of the Bidesia folk theatre, is called the "Shakespeare of Bhojpuri".

  5. Which language of Bihar is included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution?

    1. Bhojpuri
    2. Magahi
    3. Maithili
    4. Angika
    Show answer

    Answer: C — Maithili

    Maithili is included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution (added by the 92nd Amendment, 2003).

  6. The GI-tagged "Shahi Litchi" is famously grown in which district of Bihar?

    1. Bhagalpur
    2. Muzaffarpur
    3. Nalanda
    4. Patna
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Muzaffarpur

    Shahi Litchi of Muzaffarpur has a GI tag. (Jardalu mango, Katarni rice and Tussar silk are from Bhagalpur.)

  7. The GI-tagged sweet "Silao Khaja" is associated with which place?

    1. Gaya
    2. Nalanda
    3. Vaishali
    4. Saran
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Nalanda

    Silao Khaja, a layered sweet, comes from Silao in the Nalanda district and has a GI tag.

  8. Ramdhari Singh "Dinkar", who won the Jnanpith Award for "Urvashi", hailed from which district?

    1. Araria
    2. Begusarai
    3. Muzaffarpur
    4. Madhubani
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Begusarai

    Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, the national poet ("Rashtrakavi"), was from Begusarai and won the 1972 Jnanpith Award for Urvashi.

  9. How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites does Bihar currently have?

    1. One
    2. Two
    3. Three
    4. Four
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Two

    Bihar has two: the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, Bodh Gaya (2002) and the Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (2016).

  10. Which fair, held at Kartik Purnima in Saran district, is reputed to be Asia's largest cattle fair?

    1. Rajgir Mahotsav
    2. Sonepur Mela
    3. Vaishali Mahotsav
    4. Pitru Paksha Mela
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Sonepur Mela

    The Sonepur Mela (Harihar Kshetra Mela), held at Kartik Purnima in Saran district, is reputed to be Asia's largest cattle fair.