Bhojpur is a district in the western part of the Indian state of Bihar. Its administrative headquarters is the town of Arrah (also spelled Ara), which lies on the southern bank of the Ganga. The district is part of the Bhojpuri-speaking belt and is named after the historical Bhojpur region, traditionally associated with rulers of the Ujjainiya Parmar lineage.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Bihar |
| Division | Patna Division |
| Headquarters | Arrah |
| Region | Bhojpur / Shahabad |
| Principal language | Bhojpuri (Hindi for official use) |
| Major river | Ganga (Ganges) |
| Formation | 1972 (carved out of the erstwhile Shahabad district) |
Bhojpur lies in the alluvial plain of the middle Ganga. The river forms a significant part of the district's northern boundary, separating it from districts on the opposite bank. The Son river flows along the eastern side, joining the Ganga near the district's northeastern edge. The terrain is largely flat and fertile, supporting intensive cultivation of paddy, wheat, pulses, and vegetables. The district shares borders with Buxar to the west, Rohtas and Kaimur to the south, Arwal and Patna to the east, and Saran and Chhapra areas across the Ganga to the north.
The area now forming Bhojpur district was historically part of Shahabad, one of the larger districts of colonial Bihar. Shahabad was reorganised in the 1970s, and Bhojpur was constituted as a separate district in 1972, with Arrah as its headquarters. Buxar, originally part of Bhojpur, was later separated into a district of its own in 1991.
Arrah is well known in the history of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 for the Siege of Arrah, in which a small group of British and Sikh defenders held out in a fortified house against forces led by Veer Kunwar Singh, the elderly zamindar of Jagdishpur. Kunwar Singh, regarded as one of the prominent leaders of the 1857 uprising in Bihar, came from Jagdishpur in present-day Bhojpur district, and is commemorated locally through monuments, institutions and the Veer Kunwar Singh University based at Arrah.
Bhojpur district is administered by a District Magistrate and Collector, with a Superintendent of Police heading the district police. For administrative purposes, the district is divided into sub-divisions and community development blocks. Important towns and block headquarters include Arrah, Jagdishpur, Piro, Sahar, Koilwar, Barhara, Sandesh, Udwantnagar, Tarari, Charpokhari, Garhani, Agiaon, and Behea.
The economy of Bhojpur is predominantly agrarian. Paddy is the principal kharif crop, while wheat dominates the rabi season; pulses, oilseeds, and vegetables are also grown. The district has small-scale agro-processing units, rice mills, and trading establishments concentrated in and around Arrah. Remittances from migrant workers, particularly to other Indian states and the Gulf, form an important part of household incomes in many villages.
Arrah is a station on the Howrah–Delhi main line of Indian Railways, providing direct rail links to Patna, Varanasi, Delhi, and Kolkata. National Highway 19 (formerly NH 2), part of the Grand Trunk Road corridor, passes through the district. The Koilwar Bridge over the Son river, near the eastern edge of the district, is a long-standing rail-cum-road link connecting Bhojpur with Patna.