| Vaishali district | |
| Settlement Type: | District of Bihar |
| Total Type: | Total |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Hajipur |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Bihar |
| Subdivision Type3: | Division |
| Subdivision Name3: | Tirhut |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 10 December 1972 |
| Seat Type: | Headquarters |
| Seat: | Hajipur[1] |
| Parts Type: | Tehsils |
| Parts Style: | para |
| Area Total Km2: | 2036 |
| Elevation M: | 51 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Total: | 3,495,021 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Demographics |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Literacy |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 66.60% |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | 0.407[2] |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Sex ratio |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 1.895 ♂/♀ |
| Leader Title: | Educationist |
| Leader Name: | Shri Rajdeo Ray |
| Leader Title1: | Lok Sabha constituencies |
| Leader Name1: | Hajipur, Vaishali |
| Leader Title2: | Vidhan Sabha constituencies |
| Leader Name2: | Hajipur, Lalganj, Vaishali, Mahua, Raja Pakar, Raghopur, Mahnar, Patepur |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +05:30 |
| Demographics Type2: | Language |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics2 Info1: | Hindi |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Additional official |
| Demographics2 Info2: | Urdu |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Regional Languages |
| Demographics2 Info3: | Maithili |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Major highways |
| Blank Info Sec1: | NH 22, NH 31, NH 322 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 8441xx (Vaishali)[3] |
Vaishali district is a district of Mithila region in the Indian state of Bihar. It is a part of Tirhut division.[4] Vaishali is known for being the birthplace of Mahavira of the Jain religion. Hajipur, its largest city and district headquarters, is known for its banana forest. The district is connected via the NH-77 and NH-322 highways, Gandhi Setu and Jay Prakash Setu (JP Setu) Bridges over Holy Ganga River which connect the state capital Patna, the division headquarters Muzaffarpur, and the eastward district Samastipur.
See main article: Vaishali (ancient city). According to legend, Vaishali derives its name from King Vishala, a son of Ikshvaku who founded the city. Vaishali was the capital of the vibrant Licchavi republic and was closely associated with the early histories of both Buddhism and Jainism.[5] In that period, Vaishali was an ancient metropolis and the capital city of the republic of the Vajji confederation of Mithila, which covered most of the Himalayan Gangetic region of present-day Bihar. Magadha rulers of the Shishunaga dynasty shifted its capital from Pataliputra to Vaishali.
Vaishali became a district when it was split from Muzaffarpur in 1972.[6]
The Vaishali district occupies an area of 2036km2,[7]
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Vaishali one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 38 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[8]
According to the 2011 census Vaishali district has a population of 3,495,021,[9] roughly equal to the nation of Panama[10] or the US state of Connecticut.[11] This gives it a ranking of 86th in India (out of a total of 640).[9] The district has a population density of 1717PD/sqkm .[9] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 28.58%.[9] Vaishali has a sex ratio of 892 females for every 1000 males,[9] and a literacy rate of 66.60%. 6.67% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 21.12% and 0.07% of the population respectively.[9]
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 95.09% of the population in the district spoke Hindi and 4.80% Urdu as their first language. 69.88% of the population recorded their language as 'Other' under Hindi, while Hindi itself was only reported by 25.10%. The dialect of the region is Bajjika, variously regarded as a dialect of Maithili language.[12]
In 1997, the district became home to the Barela Salim Ali Zubba Saheni Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 2abbr=onNaNabbr=on.[13]
The Vaishali district (headquartered at Hajipur) is headed by an IAS officer of the rank of District Magistrate (DM).
The district has got 1414 villages under 290 Gram Panchayats and 30 territorial police stations.[14]
Vaishali district comprises three tehsils or Sub-divisions, each headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM):
These Tehsils are further divided into 16 Blocks, each headed by a Block Development Officer (BDO)
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