About

Saharsa is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar. Saharsa town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Saharsa district is a part of the Kosi Division. Saharsa is located in the Mithila region, one of the earliest centres of Brahmanical civilisation in India. The name Saharsa originates from the Sanskrit word Saharsha meaning ‘laden with joy’. The city has a significant number of Maithili speakers. Alongside Maithili, Hindi and Urdu are widely understood and spoken.

A large part of the district in the past was subjected to annual floods and inundation by a host of rivers originating from the Himalayas. The sub terai was noted for rice cultivation before it was subjected to the vagaries of the unpredictable Koshi river.

Pre-historic period

Saharsa was part of Mithila and the history can be traced back to Raja Janak (in mythical accounts, the father of Sita, who later became wife of Lord Rama). Tantric scholars and devotees attach significance to the Chandi temple, which is said to form an equilateral triangle with the Katyayani temple near Dhamara Ghat and the Tara temple at Mahishi. During the Navaratri people from distant places visit the village to offer prayers to the goddess of power. The famous conversation between Mandan Mishra and Shankracharya took place in Mahishi in Saharsa.