| Katihar | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | India Bihar#India3 |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Bihar##Location in India |
| Coordinates: | 25.53°N 87.58°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name1: | Bihar |
| Subdivision Name2: | East bihar |
| Subdivision Name3: | Katihar |
| Subdivision Type4: | Urban Agglomeration |
| Subdivision Name4: | Katihar |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Governing Body: | Katihar Municipal Corporation |
| Unit Pref: | graduate |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 50.46 |
| Elevation M: | 20 |
| Population Total: | 240,565 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Rank: | 117 |
| Population Demonym: | Katiharites |
| Demographics Type1: | Language |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Hindi[2] |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Additional official |
| Demographics1 Info2: | Urdu |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Regional |
| Demographics1 Info3: | Angika[3] Maithili,[4] Bengali[5] and Surjapuri language |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 854105 (Katihar Main),854109 (katihar north),854103 (katihar South),854107 (katihar west) [6] |
| Registration Plate: | BR-39 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Lok Sabha constituency |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Katihar |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | Vidhan Sabha constituency |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Katihar |
Katihar is a city situated in the eastern part of the state of Bihar in India. It is the headquarters of Katihar district and Katihar railway division. It is one of the important cities of Bihar. It is also a main stop on the Barauni–Guwahati line.
Katihar is a part of the Mithila region.[7] Mithila first gained prominence after being settled by Indo-Aryan peoples who established the Mithila Kingdom (also called Kingdom of the Videha's).[8]
During the late Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Kingdom of the Videha's became one of the major political and cultural centers of South Asia, along with Kuru and Panchal. The kings of the Kingdom of the Videhans were called Janakas.[9] The Mithila Kingdom was later incorporated into the Vajjika League, which had its capital in the city of Vaishali, which is also in Mithila.[10] Later it was dominated by Chaudhary family who were the biggest landlord of Kosi commissioner and holds approximately 15,000 acres of land in Katihar district and 8,500 acres in Purnia district. The founder of Chaudhary family was Taj Ali Chaudhary and his four sons Chaudhary Khuda Baksh, Chaudhary Qadir Baksh, Khan Bahadur Chaudhary Mohammad Baksh and Elahi Baksh.
Katihar is connected through road network to the neighboring cities of Bihar. Interstate bus services are not available. A highway, however, connects it to Purina, from where, and passes through or starts through. Katihar is near to Bhagalpur
The nearest airport is located at Purnia Airport near Purnia (30 km), but it is an Airforce station. The nearest commercial airport is located at Bagdogra Airport (160 km) near Siliguri (West Bengal). However, recently the government has announced to open an air force base airport in Chunapur, Purnia to be allowed to use for commercial use. However, it is not operational yet.
Katihar Junction is a major strategic Railway Junction under Northeast Frontier Railway which connects North East India with the rest of India.
See main article: List of institutions of higher education in Bihar. Katihar has many education institutions, including:
As per the 2011 census, Katihar Urban Agglomeration had a population of 240,565.[27] Katihar Urban Agglomeration includes Katihar (municipal corporation plus outgrowth) and Katihar Railway Colony (outgrowth).[28] Katihar Municipal Corporation had a total population of 225,982, out of which 119,142 were males and 106,840 were females. It had a sex ratio of 897. The population below 5 years was 31,036. The literacy rate of the 7+ population was 79.87 per cent.[29] Katihar is at 193rd rank in terms of its population among the top 200 cities of India as per the 2011 census.
Hinduism is major religion in Katihar city with 185,196 Hindus (76.9%) and 53,213 Muslims (22.1%). Other religions include 794 Christians (0.33%), 373 Sikhs (0.15%), 221 Jains (0.09%), 70 Buddhists (0.03%) and 960 (0.4%) not stated.[30]
The climate of Katihar is nearly moderate with widespread rainfall during the monsoons sometimes bringing flood to the adjoining rural areas of the Katihar District.