Bihari culture
In this struggle between competing Hindi and Urdu, the potential claims of the three large mother tongues in the region – Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magahi were ignored.
Bihar has also produced some prominent poets and authors who write in various regional languages: In 1984, Satish Anand had evolved a new 'Bidesia Style' for modern Indian theatre.
[13] Some other traditional Bihari forms of theatre include those centred around Raja Salhesh, and the festival of Sama Chakeva originating from the Mithila region of Bihar.
Jat Jatin Dance of the Mithila region of Bihar is supposed to be performed on moonlit nights during the monsoons.
The painting was usually done on walls during festivals, religious events, and other milestones of the life cycle, like birth, Upanayanam (the sacred thread ceremony), and marriage.
[20] Common scenes illustrate deities like Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati from ancient epics.
Facing persecution from the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, these artisans found refuge, via Murshidabad, in Patna during the late 18th century.
The style's subject matter evolved to include scenes of Indian daily life, local rulers, festivals, and ceremonies.
The Pillars of Ashoka, Masarh lion and Didarganj Yakshi are estimated to be at least 2000 years old, and were carved out of a single piece of stone.
Many statues, ranging from Hellenistic gods to various Gandharan lay devotees, are combined with what are thought to be early representations of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas.
Mandar Hill features the unique image of Lord Vishnu, from the Gupta period, in his man-lion incarnation.
[28] Important features of the architecture during this period included walled and moated cities with large gates and multi-storied buildings, which consistently used arched windows and doors.
[32] Bihar was largely in ruins when visited by Xuanzang, and suffered further damage at the hands of Mughal raiders in the 12th century.
Strips or cane reeds painted in vivid colours are commonly found in homes of the people of Bihar.
A special container called a "pauti," woven out of Sikki Grass Craft in the north, is a sentimental gift that accompanies a bride when she leaves her home after her wedding.
Bihari cuisine is eaten mainly in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, as well as in the places where people originating from the state of Bihar have settled: Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius, South Africa, Fiji, some cities of Pakistan, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Jamaica, and the Caribbean.
It is highly seasonal; watery foods such as watermelon and sharbat made from the pulp of the wood-apple fruit is consumed mainly in the summer months, while dry foods such as preparations made of sesame seeds and poppy seeds are consumed more frequently in the winter months.
Fish dishes are especially common in the Mithila region of North Bihar due to the number of rivers, such as the Sone, Gandak, Ganges and Koshi.
Dairy products are consumed frequently throughout the year, including dahi (yogurt), spiced buttermilk (known as mattha), ghee, lassi and butter.
Dishes for which Bihar is famous include Litti (cuisine), Chokha, Kadhi bari, Ghugni, Khichdi, Bihari kebabs, Champaran meat, Machhak Jhor (fish curry), Makhana.
Hindu Goddess Sita, the consort of Lord Rama, is believed to have been born in Sitamarhi district in the Mithila region of modern-day Bihar.
Further, the ritual bathing and worship of the Sun God is performed twice: once in the evening and once at dawn, usually on the banks of a flowing river, or a common large water body.
[47] Other local festivals celebrated with fervour in Bihar include: This is a 15-day fair held on the bank of River Falgu at Gaya during Pitru Paksha every year.
[48] Shravani Mela is an important month-long ritual observance, held along a 108-kilometre route linking the towns of Sultanganj and Deoghar (now located in the state of Jharkhand.)
Pilgrims, known as Kanwarias, wear saffron-coloured clothes and collect water from a sacred Ghat (river bank) at Sultanganj.
[54] In 1962, a well-received Bhojpuri film, Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo ("Mother Ganges, I will offer you a yellow sari"), was released, directed by Kundan Kumar.
[58] This success was quickly followed by several other very popular films, including Panditji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoi ("Priest, tell me when I will marry," 2005, directed by Mohan Prasad) and Sasura Bada Paisa Wala ("My father-in-law, the rich guy," 2005).
Additionally, both films, made on extremely small budgets, earned back more than ten times their production costs.
The industry now supports an awards show[60] and a trade magazine, Bhojpuri City,[61] and now produces over one hundred films per year.
Many of the major stars of mainstream Bollywood cinema, including Amitabh Bachchan, have recently worked in Bhojpuri films.
