# Sheikhpura district

Sheikhpura district is one of the thirty-eight districts in Bihar, India and a part of the Munger division with Sheikhpura as its administrative headquarters. Established on 31 July 1994 from the Munger district due to political efforts by Rajo Singh, it was the least populous district in Bihar as of the 2011 census. Shri Krishna Sinha, the first chief minister of Bihar, was born in Maur village, which is now situated in Barbigha block of this district.

## History

It is believed that during the Mahabharata era, a demoness named Hiḍimbā lived in the hillocks of Sheikhpura's eastern stretch. She married Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers, and they had a heroic son named Ghatotkacha. The hill was later named Girihinda after Hidimba where Giri means a hill in Sanskrit, and the village of Girihinda still exists today.
Sheikhpura also served as a significant administrative center during the Pallava reign. It is also believed that the Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri had the notable Dal Kuan (well) constructed there.
During the Mughal period, Sheikhpura was designated as a Thana. Under British rule, it became a Big Kotwali, and after independence, it was recognized as a Block. On 14 April 1983, Sheikhpura was established as a Subdivision. It was split from the Munger district into a separate district with headquarters in Sheikhpura on 31 July 1994 due to political efforts of Rajo Singh.

## Geography

The Sheikhpura district occupies an area of 689 square kilometres (266 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to the Solomon Islands' Kolombangara.

## Economy

Sheikhpura is one of the smallest districts of Bihar. The population of Shekhpura primarily depends on agriculture. Bonded labour may still occur. Small-scale mining operations of smaller hillocks with crushers is another of the main activities. In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Sheikhpura one of the country's 250 most-impoverished districts. It is one of the 36 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme.

## Politics

| District | No. | Constituency | Name | Party | Party | Alliance | Alliance | Remarks |
| Sheikhpura | 169 | Sheikhpura | Vijay Kumar Yadav | | RJD | | MGB | |
| Sheikhpura | 170 | Barbigha | Sudarshan Kumar | | JD(U) | | NDA | |

## Demographics

Religions in Sheikhpura district (2011) :
| Religion | Religion | Percent | Percent |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 93.68% | 93.68% |
| Islam | Islam | 5.92% | 5.92% |
| Other or not stated | Other or not stated | 0.40% | 0.40% |
According to the 2011 Census of India, Sheikhpura district had a population of 636,342, giving it a ranking of 516th in India. The district had a population density of 922 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,390/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 20.82%. Sheikhpura had a sex ratio of 926 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 65.96%. 17.13% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 20.60% and 0.10% of the population respectively.

### Languages

Languages in Sheikhpura district (2011)
At the time of the 2011 census, 56.90% of the population in the district spoke Hindi, 38.17% Magahi and 9.70% Urdu as their first language.