West Champaran district
District in Bihar, India

District in Bihar, India
West Champaran district
District
Gandaki River near Valmikinagar
Gandaki River near Valmikinagar
Official seal of West Champaran district
Seal
Location of West Champaran district in Bihar
Location of West Champaran district in Bihar
Coordinates (Bettiah): 26°48′N 84°30′E / 26.800°N 84.500°E / 26.800; 84.500
Country India
State Bihar
DivisionTirhut
HeadquartersBettiah
Tehsils18
Government
 • District Magistrate (DM)Dharmendra Kumar
 • Superintendent of Police (SP)Shaurya Suman
 • Lok Sabha constituenciesPaschim Champaran, Valmiki Nagar
 • Vidhan Sabha constituenciesValmiki Nagar, Ramnagar, Narkatiaganj, Bagaha, Lauriya, Nautan, Chanpatia, Bettiah, Sikta
Area
 • Total
5,228 km2 (2,019 sq mi)
 • Rank1 (in bihar)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
3,935,042
 • Density752.7/km2 (1,949/sq mi)
Demographics
 • Literacy58.06 per cent
 • Sex ratio906
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
PIN Code
8454XX
Major highwaysNH 28B
Websitehttp://westchamparan.bih.nic.in/

West Champaran district is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India, located just 60 km (37 mi) west of Birgunj. It is the largest district in Bihar with an area of 5,228 km2(2,019sq mi). It is a part of Tirhut Division.[1] The district headquarters are located in Bettiah. The district is known for its open border with Nepal. One of the major location in West Champaran is Kumar Bagh for SAIL Special Processing Unit and Bhitiharwa where Mahatma Gandhi started Satyagrah Aandolan.

The district produces the most sugarcane across the state of Bihar in 2022.[2]

History

Mahatma Gandhi started the Champaran Satyagraha movement from here in 1917 along with nationalists Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha and Brajkishore Prasad.[3]

Geography

The district occupies an area of 5,228 square kilometres (2,019 sq mi),[4] comparatively equivalent to Canada's Amund Ringnes Island.[5]

Flora and fauna

In 1989 West Champaran district became home to Valmiki National Park, which has an area of 336 km2 (129.7 mi2). It is also home to two wildlife sanctuaries: Valmiki (adjacent to its namesake national park) and Udaypur Wildlife Sanctuary.[6] Fauna include the Bengal tiger.[7][8]

Literary history of Champaran

Freedom Fighter and author Ramesh Chandra Jha was the first person who penned down the rich literary history of Champaran. His research based books including Champaran Ki Sahitya Sadhana (चम्पारन की साहित्य साधना) (1958), Champaran:Literature & Literary Writers (चम्पारन: साहित्य और साहित्यकार) (1967) and Apne Aur Sapne:A Literary Journey Of Champaran (अपने और सपने: चम्पारन की साहित्य यात्रा) (1988) meticulously document the rich literary heritage and history of Champaran, Bihar. These seminal books continue to serve as foundational reference points for researchers, scholars, Ph.D. students, and journalists alike. Jha's insightful exploration and preservation of Champaran's historical and literary legacy have solidified his place as a cornerstone in the field of literary research.[9]

Art and Culture

Namita Azad Kanyaputri Doll Artist showcase her art to Shahnawaz Hussain
Namita Azad Kanyaputri Doll Artist awarded State Award from Govt. of Bihar
Namita Azad, Kanyaputri Doll Artist with Ranjan Mistry Indian Social Entrepreneur

Kanyaputri dolls represent a traditional folk craft of Bettiah and the wider West Champaran region, historically made by girls during the monsoon month of Saavan using scraps of cloth. The dolls—often created as sister-brother pairs or as bride-and-groom figures—were associated with rituals celebrating sibling affection and were sometimes sent with newly married women to their sasural as symbols of familial bonds and good fortune.[10] With the spread of mass-produced plastic toys in the late 20th century, this handmade tradition gradually declined and nearly disappeared.[11]

The craft was revived by Bihar State Handicrafts Award Winner Artist and Teacher Namita Azad[12] ,from Manjhariya village in Bettiah, who began recreating the dolls using upcycled fabric and later dedicated herself fully to training local women artisans. Her efforts received organisational and promotional support from Indian Social Entrepreneur Ranjan Mistry.[13], helping the initiative expand through exhibitions, state craft platforms, and documentary work highlighting the heritage.[14] The revival has re-established Kanyaputri dolls as an element of Champaran’s intangible cultural heritage, while also providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for rural women and promoting eco-friendly craft practices.[15] Kanyaputri Doll also recognized as the only State Doll of Bihar.[16]

Administrative divisions

The West Champaran district is divided into 3 Tehsil (sub-division):

  1. Bettiah
  2. Bagaha
  3. Narkatiaganj

Blocks

The West Champaran district is divided into 18 Blocks:[17]

The district is well connected by roads and railways to all major cities.

Politics

Valmikinagar MP Sunil Kumar Kushwaha (extreme right) inaugurating various projects in West Champaran district with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary in 2025.

Lok Sabha constituencies in the district are Paschim Champaran, Valmiki Nagar. Vidhan Sabha constituencies in the district are Valmiki Nagar, Ramnagar, Narkatiaganj, Bagaha, Lauriya, Nautan, Chanpatia, Bettiah, Sikta

District No. Constituency Name Party Alliance Remarks
West Champaran 1 Valmiki Nagar Surendra Prasad Kushwaha INC MGB
2 Ramnagar (SC) Nand Kishor Ram BJP NDA
3 Narkatiaganj Sanjay Kumar Pandey
4 Bagaha Ram Singh
5 Lauriya Vinay Bihari
6 Nautan Narayan Prasad Minister
7 Chanpatia Abhishek Ranjan INC MGB
8 Bettiah Renu Devi BJP NDA
9 Sikta Sammridh Varma JD(U)

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901762,628—    
1911812,855+0.64%
1921826,679+0.17%
1931913,931+1.01%
19411,021,217+1.12%
19511,071,382+0.48%
19611,325,122+2.15%
19711,587,019+1.82%
19811,972,610+2.20%
19912,333,666+1.70%
20013,043,466+2.69%
20113,935,042+2.60%
source:[18]
Religions in West Champaran district (2011)[19]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 77.44%
Islam
 
 21.98%
Other or not stated
 
 0.58%

According to the 2011 census West Champaran district has a population of 3,935,042,[20] roughly equal to the nation of Liberia[21] or the US state of Oregon.[22] This gives it a ranking of 63rd in India (out of a total of 640).[20] The district has a population density of 750 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,900/sq mi).[20] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 28.89%.[20] Pashchim Champaran has a sex ratio of 906 females for every 1000 males,[20] and a literacy rate of 58.06%. 9.99% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Tribes made up 14.08% and 6.35% of the population respectively.[20]

Languages

Languages of West Champaran district (2011)[23]
  1. Bhojpuri (91.9%)
  2. Hindi (3.32%)
  3. Urdu (2.97%)
  4. Bengali (0.99%)
  5. Others (0.86%)

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 91.86% of the population in the district spoke Bhojpuri, 3.32% Hindi and 2.97% Urdu as their first language.[23]

Languages include Bhojpuri, a language in the Bihari language group with almost 51 million speakers, written in both the Devanagari and Kaithi scripts.[24]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ http://tirhut-muzaffarpur.bih.nic.in Archived 16 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Bihar Economic Survey 2022-23". state.bihar.gov.in. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  3. ^ Prasad, Rajendra. "Satyagraha in Champaran" (PDF). vvgnli.gov.in. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  4. ^ Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.) (2010). "States and Union Territories: Bihar: Government". India 2010: A Reference Annual (54th ed.). New Delhi, India: Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India. pp. 1118–1119. ISBN 978-81-230-1617-7. {{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 18 February 1998. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2011. Amund Ringnes Island 5,255km2
  6. ^ Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Bihar". Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  7. ^ Jhala, Y. V.; Gopal, R.; Qureshi, Q., eds. (2008), Status of the Tigers, Co-predators, and Prey in India (PDF), TR 08/001, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi; Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2013
  8. ^ Jhala, Y. V., Qureshi, Q., Sinha, P. R. (Eds.) (2011). Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2010. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. TR 2011/003 pp-302
  9. ^ Apne Aur Sapne : Online PDF book at Archive.org
  10. ^ "Toys of India - Thigma Art". 8 February 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  11. ^ Editor (21 January 2022). "Kaniya Putri: An Organic Doll With A Beautiful Message... - E-Journal Times Magazine". journals-times.com. Retrieved 19 November 2025. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ Namita Azad: Revive the concept of dolls known as Kanyaputri Dolls from Champaran Bihar, Womenia Story, 6 March 2020, retrieved 19 November 2025
  13. ^ Smita, Juhi; Kumar, Manish; Sinha, Ritika; Kumari, Priti (20 January 2025). Social Entrepreneurs in Bharat. Amazon. ISBN 979-8-3083-0028-1.
  14. ^ "Sorry for the inconvenience". cgihamburg.gov.in. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  15. ^ "GNT Exclusive: Labubu और प्लास्टिक के बीच चंपारण की नमिता आज़ाद ने जिंदा की कन्यापुत्री गुड़िया की परंपरा, बिहार की खोई हुई संस्कृति को दे रहीं वैश्विक पहचान". Good News Today (in Hindi). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  16. ^ education.vikaspedia.in https://education.vikaspedia.in/viewcontent/education/childrens-corner/toys-of-india?lgn=en. Retrieved 19 November 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ^ "Blocks in Pashchim Champaran District, Bihar". www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Table A-02 Decadal Variation in Population Since 1901: Bihar" (PDF). census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  19. ^ "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Bihar". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  20. ^ a b c d e f "District Census Handbook: West Champaran" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  21. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Liberia 3,786,764 July 2011 est.
  22. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Oregon 3,831,074
  23. ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Bihar". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  24. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "Bhojpuri: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Champaran".
  • West Champaran Official website
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Champaran_district&oldid=1332206445"