Bihar: What went wrong? and what changed?

Abstract

Bihar as a political entity, either as a kingdom, or as a state within the republic of India, has its own identity from the time written records were available (Thapar 1966; Rangarajan 1992). Noted historian, Romila Thapar, describes the history of ancient India as the history of ancient Bihar. Many achievements that India became renowned for, in education, governance, society, or religion, have their roots in Bihar. Significant achievements of Bihar in trade and economic engagement within the state and outside of the Indian sub-continent emerge from a past that appears to have left no living legacy in today’s Bihar--a past so alien as to be either simply forgotten or treated as being completely incredible.