page_title: Bihar
section_title: Ancient period
hierarchical_section_title: Bihar / History / Ancient period
caption_attribution_description: Valmiki escribe el Ramayana
context_page_description: Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the third-largest state by population and twelfth-largest by territory, with an area of 94,163 km². It is contiguous with Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Bengal to the east, and with Jharkhand to the south. The Bihar plain is split by the river Ganges, which flows from west to east. Three main cultural regions converge in the state: Magadh, Mithila, and Bhojpur. Bihar is also the world's third-most populous subnational entity.
  On 15 November 2000, southern Bihar was ceded to form the new state of Jharkhand. Only 11.3% of the population of Bihar lives in urban areas, which is the lowest in India after Himachal Pradesh. Additionally, almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, giving Bihar the highest proportion of young people of any Indian state. The official language is Hindi, although other languages are common, including Maithili, Magahi, Bhojpuri and other Bihari languages.
  In ancient and classical India, the area that is now Bihar was considered a centre of power, learning, and culture.
context_section_description: Chirand, on the northern bank of the Ganga River, in Saran district, has an archaeological record from the Neolithic age (c. 2500–1345 BC). Regions of Bihar – such as Magadha, Mithila and Anga – are mentioned in religious texts and epics of ancient India.
  Mithila gained prominence after the establishment of the Videha Kingdom.  During the late Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Videha became one of the major political and cultural centers of South Asia, along with Kuru and Pañcāla. The kings of the Videha Kingdom were called Janakas. Sita, a daughter of one of the Janaks of Mithila is mentioned as the consort of Lord Rama, in the Hindu epic Ramayana, written by Valmiki. The Videha Kingdom later became incorporated into the Vajji confederacy which had its capital in the city of Vaishali, which is also in Mithila. Vajji had a republican form of government where the king was elected from the rajas. Based on the information found in texts pertaining to Jainism and Buddhism, Vajji was established as a republic by the 6th century BCE, before the birth of Gautama Buddha in 563 BCE, making it the first known republic in India.
  The Haryanka dynasty, founded in 684 BC, ruled Magadha from the city of Rajgriha (modern Rajgir). The two well-known kings from this dynasty were Bimbisara and his son Ajatashatru, who imprisoned his father to ascend the throne. Ajatashatru founded the city of Pataliputra which later became the capital of Magadha. He declared war and conquered the Vajji. The Haryanka dynasty was followed by the Shishunaga dynasty. Later, the Nanda Dynasty ruled a vast tract stretching from Bengal to Punjab.
  The Nanda dynasty was replaced by the Maurya Empire, India's first empire. The Maurya Empire and the religion of Buddhism arose in the region that now makes up modern Bihar. The Mauryan Empire, which originated from Magadha in 325 BC, was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, who was born in Magadha. It had its capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna). Mauryan emperor Ashoka, who was born in Pataliputra (Patna), is often considered to be among the most accomplished rulers in world history.
  The Gupta Empire, which originated in Magadha in 240 AD, is referred as the Golden Age of India in science, mathematics, astronomy, commerce, religion, and Indian philosophy. Bihar and Bengal was invaded by Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty in the 11th century.
  [[File:Ravi Varma-Shakuntala columbia.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Kalidasa's Sanskrit play Abhijñānaśākuntalam|alt= It is one of the legacies of the Gupta Empire
caption: Maharshi Valmiki composing Holy Ramayana
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