Chhapra
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Chhapra is the headquarters of Saran district in the state of Bihar, India.
Chhapra can be reached easily by either train or road. The state capital Patna is only 70 km away. The main language here is bhojpuri.
In festivals, besides Holi, Diwali and Id, there is Chhath Parv in which the Sun is worshiped.
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[edit] Economy
The main commercial site is the municipal chowk. Hathwa market is famous for selling cloth. On August 11, 2006, Union Rail Minister Lalu Yadav announced setting up of locomotive manufacturing unit in the district.
For more [1]
[edit] History
Chhapra has a long history from the era of Lord Rama. It was here that Lord Rama had released Ahilya from her stone statue status (due to the curse of her husband Gautam muni). Ramayan describes it as Ahilya-Uddhaar. This place is named as Gautam Sthan.
Chhapra is also the place where according to mythology when lord Shiva carried the dead body of "Sati" from the holy yagnakund of Daksh Prajapati, the trunk of Sati's body fell in "AMI" and the holy Shaktipeeth 'Ambika Sthan' was established. This place is famous among Hindus and popularly known as Ami. Shivpuran has the details about the same.
According to legend, at some time in the Satya Yuga, the king of gods Daksha performed a yagna(a ritualistic sacrifice named Vrihaspati) with a desire of taking revenge on Lord Shiva.
Daksha was angry because his daughter Sati had married the 'yogi' God Shiva against his wishes. Daksha invited all the deities to the yagna except for Shiva and Sati.
The fact that she was not invited did not deter Sati from attending the yagna. She had expressed her desire to attend to Shiva who had tried his best to dissuade her from going. Shiva eventually allowed her to go escorted by his ganas (followers).
But Sati, being an uninvited guest, was not given any respect.
Furthermore, Daksha insulted Shiva. Sati was unable to bear her father's insults toward her husband, so she committed suicide by jumping into the pyre.
This pyre is believed to be still present within the compound of "Ambika Sthan temple" in "Ami" situated on National highway number 19 around 50 kilometers away from Bihar’s Capital town Patna and about 28 kilometers from Chhapra town.
Devotees believe that their wishes get fulfilled as they worship in this temple. Around the year, specially during Dussehera, devotees from different places throng to this place which is well connected by rail (the nearest station, Dighwara, is 3 kilometres away) and by road from Patna.
Also around three kilometer from Ambika Sthan there is a small town, "Dighwara", which might had earlier known as as "Dirgh-dwara"(main gate)is said to be the maingate of King Daksh's yagna khetra(area), the father in law of Lord Shiva.
Mahadani King Mayurdvajh's palace's archeological remains are still found here, just on the bank of Ganga-Saryu sangam at Chirand area. Chapra also has maharshi Dadhichi's ashram. (Dadhichi was a great tapasawi, he has donated his bones to make Lord Indra's vajra to help them in fighting with asurs.)
[edit] COLLEGES
Jai Prakash Vishwavidyalaya (University),Chapra is one of the premier universities of Bihar. Serving the needs of higher and quality education of the people of Saran commisionary, it has completed its 14 years and has entered its 15th year. With 21 constituent colleges and 9 affiliated colleges, it is offering courses at the Under Graduate level and Post Graduate level in most subjects. With a student strength of thousands of students, J.P. University is amongst the largest universities of Bihar.
[edit] Schools
Among schools, Zila School, Visveswar Seminary, Saran Academy, Rajput School, Brahmin School and R.S.K.S. High School Khalpura are very good schools for boys whereas Govt. Girls' High School, Janak Yadav Girls High School and Arya Kanya Girls School are good schools for girls.
Apart from the government schools, there are many private schools like Children Delight School, V. D. Academy, Saran Academy etc.
[edit] Notable personages
After Independence, the first president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, belonged to Chapra district.
The all time great socialist leader in India and propounder of Sampoorna kraanthi [Total Revolution], Loknayak(People's leader) [[2]]Jayprakash Narayan, Majharul Haq, Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan, Pandit Ramavatar Sharma, Pandit kapil Dev Sharma and Bharat Mishra, and Dr. Harihar Nath Saran all belonged to the soil of Chhapra. This place had also given 6 Chief Ministers to Bihar State.
Great Bhojpuri poet and folk artist Bhikari Thakur who is known as Shakespeare of Bhojpuri is also a son of Chhapra(saran) district.
'Bidesia', the play entitled by Bhikari Thakur, has made history by its popularity.
Bhikari Thakur is the people's poet in Bhojpuri and in his poems are reflected the joys and sorrows, the toils and tears of the simple rural folk of his area.
Mithilesh Prasad Srivastava alias Natwarlal(in famous thug) also belongs to Chapra.
Among NRI's Sabita Singh[[3]], a daughter of Chhapra’s Mureka village, is judge of the District Circuit Court of Massachusetts in USA.
She is the first South Asian judge in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Sabita Singh is President of the North American South Asian Bar Association ("NASABA"), an organization of attorneys in the U.S. and Canada who originate from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other nations on the Indian Subcontinent.
Sabita Singh was born in small Mureka village of Chhapra district. She, along with her parents, visits Mureka once a year during winter time. Her grandfather was a senior lawyer in the Chapra district court.
See a Voice of America report on Sabita Singh on youtube[[4]].
Vikash Kumar, Founder & Chairperson of Passion financial Services, belongs to Chapra. BY :- MANISH KUMAR SINGH, BAHUARA PATTI,NAGRA, CHHAPRA
