Interesting facts about Muzzafarpur - a historical constituency called the 'The Land Of Litchi'

Bihar voted with a open heart in the third phase of Assembly elections which took place on 28 October. Significantly, the voter turnout surpassed the polling figures of the last assembly elections which took place in the year 2010.

As the state prepares for another head-on collision between the NDA and the grand alliance on 1 November, here is a look at Muzzafarpur -- an interesting constituency that goes to vote in the fourth phase of elections.

Electoral Round-up

• The assembly seat of Muzaffarpur currently belongs to Suresh Kumar Sharma of BJP, who won 42,301 votes in the assembly elections held in 2010. He beat his closest competitor, LJP's Mohammad Jamal, by a whopping 46,439 votes.
• A total of 2,68,689 people in Muzaffarpur assembly constituency have the right to cast their votes. 1,45,996 of the voters are males and 1,22,679 are females.

Historical relevance

1) Located on the Burhi Gandhak River, the present city of Muzaffarpur came into existence in the 18th century and was named after Muzaffar Khan, an Amil (Revenue Officer) under the British rule.

Photo: Licchavis dynasty coins.(Photo: Wiki Commons)

2)The recorded history of the Muzaffarpur district dates back to the rise of Vrijjan Republic. The Vrijjan Republic was a confederation of eight clans of which the Licchavis were the most powerful and influential. The powerful kingdom of Magadh also concluded matrimonial alliances in 519 BC with the neighbouring estates of the Licchavis.

A painting depicting the meeting of Amrapali with Lord Buddha.(Photo: Wiki Commons)

3)Ambarati, located 40 km from Muzaffarpur, is believed to be the home of Amrapali, the famous court dancer of Vaishali.

File Photo: King Harsha Vardhan

4) From 606 AD to 647 AD, Muzaffarpur was under the control of Maharaja Harsha Vardhan, a powerful sovereign of North India. During this period, Chinese scholar and traveller Hiuen Tsang also visited India.

Khudi Ram Bose. (Photo: Wiki Commons)

5) In 1908, young Bengali revolutionary Khudi Ram Bose was hung for throwing a bomb at the carriage of Pringle Kennedy who was actually mistaken for Kingsford, the District Judge of Muzaffarpur. After Indian independence in 1947, a memorial to Bose was constructed at Muzaffarpur.

6) In 1972, both Sitamarhi and Vaishali districts were removed from Muzaffarpur.

File Photo: Jai Prakash Narayan

7) The city was a major anti-Emergency movement bastion for Jai Prakash Narayan in the late-1970s.

8) Muzaffarpur is also called 'The Land Of Litchi'. It is famous for its delicious Shahi litchi and China litchi. It also home to the National Litchi Research Centre which was established in 2001.

Tourist attractions

1)Rajkhand is a village located at a distance of about 5 km from the Aurai Block Headquarters in Muzaffarpur. This village is popular for its old Bhairav Nath Temple where an annual cattle fair is organised during the Mahashivratri festival.

2) Baba Garibnath Temple, situated in the centre of the Muzaffarpur town, is one of the most famous Lord Shiva temples.

3)The famous Chaturbhuj Temple is situated in Muzaffarpur. In 1303, in a village called Turki, a huge idol of Lord Chaturbhuj was found. Locals took to worshipping the god with a lot of devotion but it seems the lord desired something else.