State of east-central India in the Ganges plain once part of the Bengal Presidency under the British Raj until the British split the province into two, Bihar and Orissa, in 1922.
The Bihar region was the center of the Asoka empire in the Third Century, and was where the Buddha spent his early years. Bihar was split in two in 2000 when its Southern region was carved out from under its feet to form the State of Jharkhand. Bihar has devolved into India's poorest state ever since.
Through famous for its rice farming, agrarian mismanagement and bureaucratic sloth wrecked a promising industry. Illiteracy and infant mortality rates are now the highest in India.
The capital is Patna and the official language is Hindi.
