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Motihari is the headquarters of Poorvi Champaran (East Champaran) district in the Indian state of Bihar.
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Geography
Motihari is located at [1]. It has an average elevation of 62 metres (203 feet).
Cultural heritage
Tallest Buddha Stupa in the world
Motihari is reported to have the tallest and the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world, following its discovery in 1998 through excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Rising to a height of 104 feet, and much reduced than its reported original height, it is still one foot taller than the famous Borobodur Stupa in Java. The Stupa is located near the town of Kasaria, 120 km from Patna, capital of Bihar. According to the National Informatics Centre of East Champaran (Motihari) publication, the Kesaria Stupa was 123 feet tall before the 1934 earthquake in Bihar. Originally the Kesaria Stupa was reported to have been 150 feet tall, 12 feet taller than the Borobodur stupa, which is 138 feet, according to the A.S.I. report. At present Kesaria Stupa is 104 feet and Borobodur Stupa is 103 feet. The height of ‘Sanchi Stupa ‘ a world heritage site is only 77.50 feet. Legend states that Buddha, on his last Journey, is reported to have spent a memorable night at Kesaria.
Mahatma Gandhi and Motihari
Motihari was the place where Mahatma Gandhi started his 'Satyagrah' (Quest/Search for Truth). According to the All India Congress Committee [2], the farmers of Champaran were forced to sow an Opium and/or Indigo on a certain portion of their farm plots. They then had to sell the same at a fixed price to the English Traders/Planters. This would cause losses and subsequent hardships to farmers.[3] Furthermore, these crops would render the soil infertile further increasing the woes of the helpless farmers.[4] [5]
Raj Kumar Shukla, a farmer in the region invited Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (who had only recently returned from South Africa) to come help them in their plight. Thus, Mahatma Gandhi decided to come to Motihari. On 10 April 1917,the AICC report states that "a large crowd of people of Champaran witnessed the greatest architect of Indian Freedom Struggle in Motihari." The British fearing unrest ordered him to leave the district. His refusal to do the same, led to his arrest. He was offered bail on the condition that he would leave the district. Gandhi reportedly refused to leave the district or put up bail. In his statement to the Court Gandhi reportedly said, "As a law-abiding citizen my first instinct would be, as it was, to obey the order served upon me. But I could not do so without doing violence to my sense of duty to those for whom I came. I feel that I could just now serve them by remaining in their midst. I could not therefore voluntarily retire. Amidst this conflict of duty I could only throw the responsibility of removing me from on the administration". Subsequently, sensing mass disapproval of his arrest he was released.
The AICC report further states that that it was in Champaran that the theory and practice of Satyagrah came to be associated for the first time with the fight for freedom. "Mahatmaji went about from village to village in Champaran preaching love and inspiring faith and confidence among the people. Here he felt that his efforts for the uplift of the masses could not have enduring results unless an urge was created within them. For this, it was necessary to educate them. On the 13th of November, 1917 Mahatma Gandhi opened his first school at Barharwa Lakhansen, a village at a distance of about 20 miles to the east of Motihari. Another school was opened by Gandhiji on the 20th of November in a village called Bhitiharwa. A third school was opened on the 17th of January, 1918 at Madhuban, which had among its teachers, Mahadeva Desai."
This was the first such experiment on a large scale undertaken in India. The Motihari refusal to obey the Magistrate’s order was a case of individual civil disobedience, though limited to small district. The struggle went on for a few months. All pressure was brought by giving agriculturists notices of forfeiture of lands, but thanks to the presence of Gandhiji and his constant movement in the district from place to place, the people were not only non-violent, but were also very firm and prepared for any amount of sacrifices for the common cause. The AICC report further states, "It is worth mentioning that the Satyagrah of Champaran was responsible for initiation in the service of the motherland of two volunteers Acharya Kripalani and Deshratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad. While Bihar’s indebtedness to Mahatma Gandhi is irretrievable not only for having succored her million from the tentacles of white planters but also for having breathed into her soul the new message."
A museum and a stone pillar has been laid down in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi's presence in Motihari. It also contains Gandhiji's courageous statement given before the Magistrate inscribed on a stone. According to Sri Chandra Bhusahan Pandey, National Informatics Center: East Champaran, Motihari,
- "The foundation stone of this Gandhi memorial pillar was laid on June 10, 1972 by the then Governor, Mr. D.K.Barooch, and it was dedicated to the nation by Mr. Vidyakar Kavi, a grandson, on 18 April 1978.... The 48 fect long Chunar stone pillar stands exactly on the place where Mahatma Gandhi was produced before the court of the then S.D.M., Motihari in violation of orders under section 144 Cr. P. C. as far back as April 18, 1917. Mahatma Gandhi first Satyagrah was experimented on this soil of Motihari in Champaran and so Champaran has been starting point of India’s independence movement launched by Gandhi ji."
Baikuntha Nath temple: The Baikuntha Nath temple is a very important temple in the east chmparan district located 25 Km north to the district headquarter, Motihari. It is located to 10 Km south to Areraj. Narkatia, Gamharia Kala and Bahadurpur are famous villages near that temple.
George Orwell
Interestingly, one of the greatest writers of twentieth century, George Orwell, author of famous books Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, was born in Motihari in 1903. His father Richard Walmesley Blair was a deputy posted in the opium department in Bihar. However, when he was one year old, George left for England with his mother and sister.
Until recently, the town of Motihari was largely unaware of its connection to Orwell. In 2003, Motihari discovered its role in Orwell's life when a number of journalists arrived in the city for what would have been Orwell's hundredth birthday. Local officials are making plans for the construction of a museum on Orwell's life.[6] [7]
Azizul Haque and Fingerprint Science
Azizul Haque (Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq) was one of the two Indian police officers who worked with Edward Henry in the development of fingerprint classification, known as Henry Classification System, still widely used in the world. "It was Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq who evolved a mathematical formula to supplement Henry's idea of sorting slips in 1024 pigeon holes, based on fingerpint patterns. Rai Bahadur Hem Chandra Bose made further contribution to the fingerprint science by evolving an extended system of subclassificaiton, a telegraphic code for finger impression and a system of single-digit classificaiton." (See Tewari RK, Ravikumary KV. History and development of forensic science in India. J. Postgrad Med, 46:303-308,2000.) Both Haque and Bose eventually received honorarium and recognition from the Government of India. At the time of final approval of the honorarium for Haque, the Home Department (Government of India) noted, "It appears from the information now received that he (Haque) was Sir Edward Henry's principal helper in prefecting the scheme and he actually himself devised the method of classification which is in universal use. he thus contributed most materially to a discovery which is of worldwide importance and has brought a great credit to the police of India." (Source:G.S. Sodhi and Jasjeet Kaur,The forgotten Indian pioneers of fingerprint science, CURRENT SCIENCE, 2005, VOL.88 (1):185-191.) [8] Upon retirement from the Police service in Bengal and Bihar, Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq settled in Motihari, and he is buried there.
Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census[9], Motihari has a population of 101,506 with 54% males, 46% females, and 15% of the population is under 6 years of age. Motihari has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the Indian national average of 59.5.
Motihari has many educational institutions. Zila Government School is one of the best secondary high schools of Bihar and was established in 1911. Other notable schools are M.J.K. Girls High School, Shantiniketan Jubilee School, a private school affiliated with New Dehli CBSE. There are also several colleges for higher learning such as M.S. College, Mahila College (college for females), an engineering college. Many people in northern Bihar attend these educational institutions.
There are several industries in Motihari sub-division, which comprise of small-scale industries such as a paper plant factory, a sugar mill, and some other small-scale industries. Motihari’s sugar mill is considered to be one of the biggest in Bihar. Motihari is well connected by road and rail. With educational institutions, mills and factories, and historical sites, and natural scenery of the surrounding country side bordering the foothills of the Himalayan range, Motihari is an attractive place for people to live, work, attend educational institutions, and it is also a delightful place for visiting. In surrounding villages of Motihari, most people's livelihood depends on agriculture and dairy. Motihari area is also famous for its Litchi fruit and Mitha Alua (sweet potato).
A lot of people are not aware that nearby Sugauli is historic for the signing of the Sugauli treaty there on December 2, 1815 and ratified by March 4, 1816, between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Nepal. This ended the second British invasion of the Himalayan kingdom during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816). The signatory for Nepal was Raj Guru Gajaraj Mishra aided by Chandra Sekher Upadhyaya and the signatory for the Company was Lieutenant-Colonel Paris Bradshaw. Under the treaty, territorial concessions were made by Nepal and parts of the kingdom were given to British India. The British appointed a representative in Kathmandu. Under the treaty, Britain could recruit Gurkhas for military service. Nepal also lost the right to deploy any American or European employee in its service (earlier several French commanders had been deployed to train the Nepali army).
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