| Sonepur | |
| — town — | |
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| Coordinates | |
| Country | India |
| State | Bihar |
| District(s) | Saran |
| Parliamentary constituency | Saran |
| Assembly constituency | Sonepur |
| Population | 33,389 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
See Sonepur (disambiguation) for similar names.
Sonepur is a town in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the banks of the River Gandak in Saran district in the Indian state of Bihar.
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The town is located at at an altitude of 42 metres (137 ft). It is the divisional headquarters of the East Central Railway of the Indian Railways. It hosts one of the world's largest animal fairs (Asia's largest maweshi mela which starts on Kartik Poornima). It is on the confluence of four rivers.
Domesticated animals had been the sole source of all economic activities since ancient times, explaining why the animal fair has been organised.
The river Gandak must have been the route of the movement of Budha and his followers from Nepal Tarai to Magadh that is why many of the stupas and similar structures, including Ashokas pillars, are found on the banks of the river. The location of Pathar ki Maszid just opposite the meeting point of the gandak, that is southern bank of the ganga, shows the Muslim influence of trade and commerce in medieval times. The current township Patna is just the modern version of the makeshift headquartrs of military establishments of old Patnacity which in turn was later version of Patliputra, the capital of Marya Empire.
Of the seven railway stations in the world having the longest railway platforms, five are in India, Sonepur being the one with the second longest platform in the world at 2,415 ft (736 m). It is connected by two rivers, Ganges and Gundak.
As of 2001[update] India census,[1] Sonpur had a population of 33,389. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Sonepur has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 70%, and female literacy is 48%. In Sonepur, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Amitendra Nr. Singh, Kanchan Ghar.
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