# Saharsa

Saharsa is located in the state of Bihar. It is a city, just beside the city of Darbhanga. Saharsa has many colleges.

## Understand

The region of Saharsa was influenced most by the Pala dynasty. At the starting, it was in the Mithila Kingdom. Saharsa flourished during the Gupta Empire and was sacked by the Mughals. It was acquired by the British when they took Bihar. Then after India's independence, it had been one of the main cities of Bihar. It was the district headquarters of Saharsa District, which also contained the Madhepura and Supaul Districts. After some time, they were divided. But Saharsa still remains one of the main cities of Bihar. Most of the people speak Maithili, a language that is used a lot in the Mithila Region, a region located in the state of Bihar and the southern parts of Nepal.

## Geography

It is in the plains, in the Kosi Division of Bihar, which also includes Madhepura and Supaul districts (Old Saharsa Districts). It is in the Kosi floodplain/drainage basin which is part of the Ganges' major drainage basin. The southern part of the city is sometimes flooded.

## Get in

The nearest airport is in Patna, around 200 km (120 mi) away. If you want to get nearer, you can also use the Darbhanga Airport, which is around 90 km (56 mi) away. Saharsa is well connected by train, however, having its own stations, such as Saharsa Junction.

## Get around

You can go around by car using SH 56, SH 66 and NH 27 and many other roads. You can also go by plane to Patna and Darbhanga Airport and you can also go to the railway stations of Saharsa if you want to go by train.

## See

* 25.903986.5781 Matsyagandha Lake. The U-shaped lake next to Matsyagandha Temple sometimes has boating services available. (updated Mar 2021)
* There are also many temples in Saharsa like Shri Ugratara Mandir, Mahishi also known as Tarasthan (because it is a temple for Goddess Tara in Hinduism).It is a Shakti Peeth.
* 26.526386.92692 Koshi Barrage (95 km N of Saharsa). A dam that was constructed close to the India-Nepal border. 3 km (1.9 mi) north of the dam is a freshwater wildlife reserve, where you will find the Gangetic Dolphin among other species. (updated May 2021)

## Do

You can take temple tours in Saharsa because there are a lot of temples in Saharsa (including Matsyagandha Temple and Ugratara Mandir)! The temples are very beautiful because of their architecture.

## Buy

You can buy vegetables and fruits at a very low cost compared to other cities. Saharsa is one of the cities of North Bihar which catch enormous groups of fish and sell more than half of their produce in Kolkata (that's one of the things North Bihar is famous for.) You can get lots of them such as Tengna Catfish at the markets of Saharsa.

## Eat

There are not a lot of restaurants at Saharsa but there are some from which you can get the taste of Saharsa. Some of the main foods of Saharsa are:
* Dahi chura — Made out of chura (crushed/beaten rice, also called poha), sugar, curd (called dahi), and milk. Sometimes some fruits(such as banana) and mithais (sweet dishes of India) are added. Popular all over Bihar.
* Litti-chokha - A dough ball made of whole wheat flour and stuffed with gram flour, pulses and mixed with herbs and spices, then baked over coal or wood and served with chokha which is a dish made up of mashed eggplant, tomato and potato .Also popular over Bihar.

## Drink

There are not much beverages in Saharsa, and drinking alcohol or any other harmful substance to drink is banned all over Bihar. But you get normal beverages such as Coca-Cola, Maaza(Mango juice company of India and marketed in Africa), Thumbs Up(Subsidiary of Coca-Cola, cola company of India), etc. are found in many shops all over Saharsa.

## Sleep

Actually there are many hotels in Saharsa, including Hotel Raj Darbar but sometimes "Hotel" actually means restaurant in Bihar. So, look out!