Bhagalpur
—  city  —
Bhagalpur
Coordinates: 25°15′N 87°0′E / 25.25°N 87°E / 25.25; 87Coordinates: 25°15′N 87°0′E / 25.25°N 87°E / 25.25; 87
Country	India
State	Bihar
District	Bhagalpur
Urban Agglomeration	Bhagalpur
Government
• Mayor	Veena Yadav (As of 18 February 2012 (2012 -02-18)[update])
Population (2011)
• Total	350,000(approx)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Postal Index Number	812 xxx
STD Code	0641
Vehicle registration	BR 10 XXXX
Website	bhagalpur.bih.nic.in

Bhagalpur (Devnagri :भागलपुर Tirhuta :ভাগলপুর) is a municipality situated in the planes of the Ganges river basin at the height of 141 feet above sea level in Bihar, India. It is the third largest city of Bihar, covers an area of 2569.50 km² and lies between 25.07'N - 25.30'N Latitude and between 86.37'E - 87.30'E Longitude. It is the administrative headquarters of the Bhagalpur district. Bhagalpur is acclaimed the world over for its silk products and it is known in India as the "Silk City", famous for its Tussar Silk & Tussar Saree. Bhagalpur is the distorted form of Bhagdatpuram (meaning city of Good Luck) as it was called during the flourishing of the Anga Kingdom, and has been the seat of power since Bhagalpur also known as Silk City.

[edit] Overview

It is a city of historical importance on the bank of Ganges river, situated 220 km east of Patna and 410 km north west of Kolkata.Bhagalpur is the 2nd largest city after patna in bihar. The city was referred to as one of the biggest trade centers in eastern India by the 7th century Chinese travellers Hsüan-tsang and Fa-Hien. The city had a big harbour on the River Ganges at place called Champanagar (another name for Bhagalpur), now called Champanala, which flows on the western boundary of the present city near Nathnagar. During an archaeological excavation, many boats and coins of the Middle and Far East were found at the same place. Bhagalpur is well connected by rails and roadways.

The silk industry in this city is hundreds of years old and its inhabitants have been producing silk for generations. Located here are the Silk Institute and Agricultural University, the Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur College of Engineering, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, and Homeopathic colleges. Recently, in 2010, Bihar Agricultural University was set up in Sabour, Bhagalpur. Bhagalpur Mango are one of the best in india.

The Gangetic plains are very fertile and the main crops include rice, wheat, maize, barley, and oilseeds. The economy of Bhagalpur is dependent mainly on agriculture and small businesses.

[edit] History

It is supposed to have concurrent to Patliputra or Patna. Bhagdattpuram fin the gods to churn the ocean to procure amrit. The serpent, Vasuki offered to serve as the rope and has left behind an impression of the coil on the granite hill. It is believed that Panchjanya, the conch shell used in the Mahabharat was discovered here in the "Shankh Kund". The Puranas also refer to the hill. It is believed to have been visited by Vishnu as Madhusudana (the destroyer of Madhu the Demon). It is said that Vishnu covered Madhu under the hill after defeating him to death. Kalidasa's Kumarasambhava refers to foot marks of Vishnu on the slopes of Mandara. The hill is replete with relics of bygone ages. Apart from inscriptions and statues, there are numerous rock cut sculptures depicting various images of Hindu Gods. The hill is equally revered by the Jains who believe that their 12th Tirthankara attained nirvana at the summit. The area around Mandara Hill is laced with a landscape of extraordinary splendour. The 800 feet high granite hill is a sight to see in the daylight. It is a popular picnic spot for people living in the area. The religious festival of "Vish-hari Puja" or "the worship of the Snake Queen" or "Manasa Devi, said to be a daughter of lord Shiva and Queen of Snakes" traces its roots back hundreds of years and is still celebrated every year with thousands of believers and snake charmers offering milk to the Nag (the Snake King) and Nageen (The Snake Queen).

References to Bhagalpur can be found in Indian epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata where Bhagalpur has been described as the kingdom of Anga. Ancient cave sculptures from Emperor Ashoka's reign, from 274 to 232 BC are found in the neighbourhood and at Sultangunj, 20 km west of Bhagalpur, a temple from the Gupta period still exists in Bhagalpur. The tomb of Suja, brother of Moghul emperor Aurangzeb, in the heart of the town is reminiscent of the city's association with the Mughal period.

The ruins of ancient Vikramshila University are located 44 km east of Bhagalpur. The royal university ranks next to Nalanda, and owes its origin to Dharmapala, the devout Pala king who called himself Paramasaugata (chief worshipper of the Buddha) and was a great patron of Mahayana Buddhism. It was the medieval center to the conservation and propagation of Buddhist education, established by King Dharampal of Bengal at the end of the 8th century.

Bhagalpur formed a part of the ancient Sanskrit kingdom of Anga, said to be ruled by king Karna of Mahabharata who was well known for his charity. In later times it was included in the powerful Hindu kingdom of Magadha, or Behar, and in the 7th century it was an independent state, with the city of Champa as its capital. It afterwards formed a part of the Mohammedan Kingdom of Gaur, West Bengal, and was subsequently subjugated by Akbar, who declared it to be a part of the Delhi empire. Bhagalpur passed to the East India Company by the grant of the emperor Shah Alam II in 1765.

Bhagalpur was one of most important trade centers in Bengal Presidency in British India.

The city and the district was notorious for its criminal activities and lack of human safety, both of which peaked during 1970s leading to 1980 Bhagalpur blindings. The communal violence that broke out in and around Bhagalpur in October 1989 continued for about two months and nearly 1200 lives lost. It has emerged as one of the most economically and socially stable districts of Bihar in present times.

The Jain temple at Nathnagar is important pilgrimage centre for Jains. Budha nath Temple is ancient Shiva Temple on the bank of Ganges. Sultanganj (about 25 km West) is an important religious center for Hindus from where holy water of Ganges is carried and offered at Deoghar.Bhagalpur also have Dargha of Shawaz Rahmat-ulla near Bhagalpur Railway Station One of the most popular place of Muslims.

[edit] Economics

Bhagalpur is biggest city of Bihar and primarily has an agrarian economy. The economic growth of the city has stagnated since the independence itself . Today the city's primary employer is the public sector with little private sector involvememt. This has resulted in widespread migration of people for the search of jobs to other parts of the country. The silk industry in this city is more than 200 years old and a whole clan exists that has been producing silk for generations. Bhagalpur is well known for its sericulture, manufacture of silk yarn and weaving them into lovely products. This silk is of a distinct and special type. It is known as Tussah or Tusser Silk.The silk is very famous in world. Silk weaving is an age-old traditional household industry of Bhagalpur.The Government developed a handloom park in this beautiful city. In Bhagalpur the weavers service centre (GOI) was established in the year 1974, with a view to develop handloom silk industry in the state of Bihar. The silk industry has faced stiff competition from machine made fabric. Due to this, the industry is almost at the verge of a collapse. The government is now trying to renovate this sector. Bhagalpur silk home furnishing made ups are slowly becoming popular in the overseas markets. Bhagalpur is fast developing city in Bihar and also growth in concurrent mall culture.In Bhagalpur city there are many Malls are underconstruction like GTM Mall,FM1 Mall etc. The upper echelon of the city is fully dedicated towards its full development,the later being constrained by a number of factor like unavailability of airport etc.. Bhagalpur supports the second largest economy in Bihar after the capital city Patna.

[edit] Demography

As of the 2011 India census,^[1] Bhagalpur city has a population of 398,138 with a metro population of around 0.41 million, while the district as a whole has a population of 3 million. It is Second largest city in Bihar in terms of urban population next only to Patna . Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Bhagalpur has an average literacy rate of 81.16%, while the male literacy rate is 85.38% with women at 76.31%.

[edit] Culture

Chhath Puja,Laxmi Puja, Kali Puja,Shababraat, Eid-ul Fitr,Eid-ul Zoha, Muharram and Dussehra are the major festivals in Bhagalpur. Bihula & Bishahari puja is specially celebrated in Bhagalpur

Bhagalpur Hotels :-

• Hotel Bhawana International
• Hotel Rajhansh International
• Hotel Sai International ***star
• Shiva Hotel
• Panchwati Hotel
• Sriyash Regency ***
• Mahavir Hotel
• Saba Hotel

[edit] Education

The higher education in city includes various institutes related to medical education, engineering education, arts and science education and agriculture university.

• University*
• Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur
• Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur
• Bhagalpur College of Engineering
• Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Bhagalpur
• T. N. B. College, Bhagalpur
• Sunderwati Mahila College
• Marwari College, Bhagalpur
• B.N. College, Bhagalpur
• Muslim Minority College, Bhagalpur
• Zila School, Bhagalpur (BIEC)
• Durga Charan High School, Bhagalpur (BIEC)
• Jhunjhunwala Girls High School, Bhagalpur (BIEC)
• Mount Assisi School, Bhagalpur. (ICSE)
• Saint Joseph's School, Bhagalpur.(ICSE)
• St. Paul's School, Bhagalpur. (ICSE)
• Delhi Public School, Bhagalpur.(CBSE)
• Mount Carmel School, Bhagalpur.(ICSE)
• Saint Teresa's School,Bhagalpur.(ICSE)
• D.A.V Public School,Bhagalpur. (CBSE)
• Urdu Girls High School, Bhagalpur
• Navyug Vidyalaya, Bhagalpur. (CBSE)
• Holy Family School, Bhagalpur (ICSE)
• S.K.P.Vidya Vihar, Bhagalpur (CBSE)
• Vikramshila School, Tilkamanjhi
• Muslim High school (BIEC)
• C E Academy
• G.R.S.S.Vidya Mandir, Champanagar,BGP(CBSE)
• K N H Medical College and Hospital, Mayagunj, Bhagalpur
• A.R.D.S.Vidya Mandir (CBSE)
• R.H.M.T.B.High School Barari
• Christ Church Girl's High School
• Nav Joyti Veedyapeet, Bhagalpur(residencial)
• Techno Mission International School (CBSE)
• Sir Syed Urdu School

[edit] Language

According to the reports of Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Maithili and its dialect Angika is spoken by the majority of population in Bhagalpur.^[2]

[edit] Print Media

• Dainik Jagran (Hindi),
• Hindustan Dainik (Hindi),
• Aaj (Hindi),
• Prabhat Khabar (Hindi),
• Nayi Baat (Hindi)
• Times Of India (English),
• The Telegraph (English)
• Hindustan Times (English)

[edit] Radio and FM

• All India Radio, Bhagalpur
• FM, 90.4 FM Active
• FM 104.4 Radio dhamal

[edit] Web Media

www.angvani.com, The First Online Newspaper of Bhagalpur since 2007.

[edit] Telecom

GSM Service: BSNL, Airtel, Aircel, Vodafone, Idea, Tata-Docomo, Reliance-GSM, Uninor, S-Tel.Etisalat

CDMA Service: Tata Indicom, Reliance India Mobile(RIM), MTS, Virgin.

Broadband service: BSNL, BSNL Leased line, Sify.

Wireless Broadband: Tata Photon Plus^[3]

Other services: BSNL Landline, BSNL WLL. 3G service currently provided by BSNL, Reliance, Airtel, Idea & Aircel

[edit] Places of interest

In Bhagalpur there are many tourist place near this city are :-

• Jain Temple (Champanagar)
• Mehershi mehi aashram, Kuppa Ghat (Bank of the Ganges river)
• Khanquah Shahbazia, Maulanchuck, Bhagalpur, A great Sufi and Islamic Scholar at the time of ruler - Aurangzeb.
• Bihar Agriculture University
• Manas-Kamna Temple,Karnagarh (Nathnagar)-Area known be the place of Karna(of Mahabharata) Palace.
• The Shiva Temple at Budhanath
• Ajgaivee Nath Shiv Mandir, Sultanganj
• Gurdwara Sri Guru singh Sabha,Bhagalpur
• Rabindra Nath Bhavan (Tillha Kothi)
• Sandish Compound
• The Residence of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyaya
• Lajpat Park
• Central Jail,Near Airport
• The Dargah (tomb) of Ghuran Sah Pir Baba
• Vikramshila Setu
• Vikramshila University (Ancient) & Museum
• Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary
• Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udhyan (park)
• Rajmahal Fossil Sanctuary(Near Sahibganj)
• Udhuwa Bird Sanctuary (Near Barharwa)
• Vishhari Sthan (Snake Temple), Champanagar
• Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower), Made in British Time
• Bateshwarnath (near Kahalgaon)
• Fulwaria shiv mandir (8 km south from city)estb 1893 from brahman smaj
• Mandar Hill Parwat by which SAGAR-MANTHAN was done and it is 52 km away from Bhagalpur
• Temple of goddess TELDIHAYA (goddess durga) is popular and it is 30 km away from Bhagalpur.
• GONU-DHAM temple's distance from bhagalpur is only 8 km, This is MIRACULOUS temple of Lord SHIV.
• Temple of goddess DURGA and KALI at village Mukhariya distance from Bhagalpur is 5 km south
• Chandika Sthan Temple of Maa Chandika at village Rampurdih distance from Bhagalpur is 13 km;west & south.
• Old Kali Temple in Bahwalpur village South form Nathnagar Rly. Station nearby Thana Nathnagar,it is 05 km from Bhagalpur
• Durga Temple in Tetri near Naugachhia
• Durga Temple in Bhramarpur near Thana Bihpur.
• Old Kali Temple Lakhpura (50 km. from Bhagalpur).
• Shahjangi Peer Dargah (tomb)

[edit] People from Bhagalpur

• Anand Mohan Sahay General Secretary in INA with Netaji. Taken Responsibility in INA for men-force & Training. After Independence He give services for Nation as a Indian Ambassador in seven different Countries.
• Tilka Manjhi First Santhal Freedom fighter.
• Kadambini, daughter of Braja Kishore Bose, headmaster of Bhagalpur School, was one of the first women graduates from Bhagalpur.
• Suchitra Bhattacharya, acclaimed Indian novelist was born in Bhagalpur on 10 January 1950.
• Ashis Nandy is an Indian political psychologist, a social theorist, and a contemporary cultural and political critic. A trained sociologist and clinical psychologist, his body of work covers a variety of topics, including public conscience, mass violence, and dialogues of civilizations.
• Pritish Nandy is a poet, painter, journalist, politician, television personality, animal activist and film producer.
• Neha Sharma is a Hindi & South-Indian movie actress. She has been born and brought up in Bhagalpur, and was educated from Mount Carmel School. She starred with Emran Hashmi in her first Bollywood flick 'CROOK' which was released in October, 2010.
• Nandalal Bose - Born in Bhagalpur, Bihar in December 1882, Nandlal Bose rose to become one of modern India's most important artists.
• Deepak Saha - Born in Bhagalpur, Deepak has received many national and international awards for his contribution towards society as CEO of Jaiprabha Mahila Vikas Kendra.

People who have lived here for brief periods:

• Rabindra Nath Tagore occupied Tillha Kothi close to the University Campus for a considerable period. Parts of the Nobel winner Gitanjali was written in Tilla Kothi.
• Hassan Imam MD, a teacher and mathematician given a very new diversion in mathematics.
• Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, an eminent Bengali novelist. He received his early education while residing at his maternal uncle's house in Bhagalpur and it was there that he wrote his famous novel Devdas. He spent 20 years of his life in Bhagalpur and a significant portion of his novels were either written in Bhagalpur or based on his experience in Bhagalpur.
• Ashok Kumar(Bengali: অশোক কুমার; 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001) was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly (Bengali: কুমুদলাল কুঞ্জিলাল গাঙ্গুলি) in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He broke from the theatrical style then common in Indian film towards a more naturalistic method. Given his versatility and proven brilliance over five decades, he is considered by many to be one of the finest ever Indian actors. The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1988 and the Padma Bhushan in 1998 for his contributions towards Indian cinema.
• Saurabh Tiwary, Indian cricketer, ODI player & member of Mumbai Indians IPL.
• Gurmeet Choudhary, The lead actor in NDTV Ramayana has his origins in Bhagalpur
• Ghorghat Dargah (Perr Baba) Near Gangania Station

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• www.angdesh.com, History & Culture of Angdesh.
• www.angvani.com, The First Online Newspaper of Bhagalpur since 2007.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bhagalpur

• The old Bhagalpur city
• Bhagalpur News
• Official Bhagalpur District Website

For Real was an American R&B and soul quartet, that formed in 1993.^[1] In the latter part of that decade they were nominated for a Grammy, Billboard Music Award, and Soul Train Music Award.

[edit] Biography

For Real secured their recording contract by accident. "We were picking up our manager from the airport. So we decided to greet him with an acappella song. Someone from A&M records just happened to be in the airport and heard them perform. Not long after, they were signed," said Latanyia Baldwin.^[2]

The band released their debut album, It's a Natural Thang, with production from Brian McKnight on A&M Records in 1994, and it became a critical success, including a rare four stars from Rolling Stone Magazine.^[3] Their first single, "You Don't Wanna Miss" hit #28 on the Billboard chart, courtesy of a danceable new jack swing remix by Steve "Silk" Hurley, which was featured in the song's video. A second single, "Easy To Love," peaked at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album scored another chart hit with the a cappella love song, "You Don't Know Nothin'," which was written and produced by Mervyn Warren, and which peaked at #27. The song peaked at #54 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1995.^[4] The album sold over one million copies worldwide, and peaked at #80 on the Billboard 200.

In 1995, the band appeared in Italian Vogue, modeling mens suits. They toured alongside Stevie Wonder,^[5] and lent their voices to the Martin Scorsese film project Grace of My Heart. The foursome also forayed into acting with appearances in the film Shake, Rattle and Rock! starring Renée Zellweger and Howie Mandel^[6] on Showtime.

They also hit the US Top 20 with the single "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" featuring Aaliyah, TLC, En Vogue, BlackGirl, SWV, and Vanessa Williams from the movie Panther. They also recorded a duet with Stevie Wonder called "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", which appeared on the Marvin Gaye tribute album, Inner City Blues: The Music Of Marvin Gaye.^[7] For Real also recorded songs for the soundtracks of the films Waiting to Exhale and Fled respectively.

After a label change from A&M to Dallas Austin's Arista imprint Rowdy Records in 1996, For Real struck again with the Austin-produced, 60s-leaning single "Like I Do," from their second album Free. "Like I Do" hit #10 on the Billboard singles chart, the video also earned a Billboard nomination for Best R&B Clip, the album made the Top 100, and nearly 400,000 copies in the US, the album's next and last single was the Diane Warren-penned pop ballad "The Saddest Song I Ever Heard" which hit #65 on the Top 100 singles chart. The band performed "Saddest Song" on the TV show All That. Free included production from top R&B/pop producers like Babyface, Mario Winans, and Jon B.

The band also recorded three songs ("I Do", "Born to Love That Boy" and "Unwanted Number") and appeared in the critically acclaimed film Grace of My Heart. The films soundstrack won a Satellite Award in 1997.^[9][10]

In January 1997, the band won an American Music Award for their work on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, in Summer 1997, the group earned a Soul Train Award nomination for Album Of The Year (By A Group, Band Or Duo) for "Free".

In 1999, Wendi Williams lent her voice to the Emmy winning film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, with Halle Berry, in which Berry plays a singer but Williams is behind her singing voice.^[11]

In 2002, their song "Love Will Be Waiting At Home", appeared in the movie, Two Can Play That Game, that starred Vivica A. Fox and Morris Chestnut.

In 2009, CoryLavel began to work with Josina Elder on her new album.

[edit] Discography

• It's a Natural Thang (1994)
• Free (1996)

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• SingingFool.com Streaming music videos for "Like I Do" and "The Saddest Song I Ever Heard"
• Allmusic^{[dead link]} Discography, biographies, and pictures
• IUMA Group photos, lyrics, message board, audio streams, and bio.
• Google Album info, photos, and lyrics