Sasaram

Sasaram
—  city  —
Sasaram Location of Sasaram in Bihar and India
Coordinates	24°57′N 84°02′E
Country	India
State	Bihar
District(s)	Rohtas
Population	131,042 (2001)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 101 metres (331 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 821115
Website	rohtas.nic.in/

Sasaram (Hindi: सासाराम, Urdu: ساسارام), sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is the administrative headquarters of the Rohtas district in the Indian state of Bihar.

It is one of the oldest cities in India^{[citation needed]}, and is famous for production of stone chips and for the local quarrying industry. Languages spoken in this region are Bhojpuri, Hindi, and Urdu; local religions include Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism.

Etymology

According to legend, Sahastrabahu lived near here during the age of Ramayana, and was later killed by the warrior-sage Parsuram. The name of the city may come from a combination of the names of these two figres. Some historians believe that the name comes instead from Nikulakashakabasu, an ancient king, and Parsuram.

History

Sasaram is the birthplace of the Afghan king Sher Shah Suri, who ruled over Delhi, much of northern India, what is now Pakistan, and eastern Afghanistan for five years, after defeating the Mughal Emperor Humayun. After his death, he was followed as king by his son Islam Shah, then Adil Shah, and finally by the Hindu king Hemu, or Hem Chandra Vikramaditya. Many of Sher Shah Suri's practices were adopted by the Mughals and the British Raj including taxation, administration, and the building of a paved road from Kabul to Bengal.

Sher Shah Suri Tomb, Sasaram

Sher Shah Suri's 122 feet (37 m) red sandstone tomb, built in the Indo-Afghan style stands in the middle of an artificial lake at Sasaram. It borrows heavily from the Lodhi style, and was once covered in blue and yellow glazed tiles indicating an Iranian influence. The massive free standing dome also has an aesthetic aspect of the Bhuddhist stupa style of the Mauryan period. The tomb of Sher Shah's father Hasan Khan Suri is also at Sasaram, and stands in the middle of green field at Sherganj, which is known as Sukha Rauza.

Sasaram also has a baulia, a pool used by the emperor's consorts for bathing.

The Rohtasgarh fort

.

The fort of Sher Shah Suri at Rohtasgarh is in Sasaram. This fort has a history dating back to 7th century AD. It was built by Raja Harishchandra in the name of his son Rohitashwa, and houses the Churasan temple, Ganesh temple, diwan-e khas, diwan-e-aam, and various other structures dating back to different centuries. The fort also served as the headquarters of Raja Man Singh during his reign as the governor of Bihar and Bengal under the regime of Akbar. The Rohtaas fort in Bihar should not be confused with another fort of the same name, near Jhelum, Punjab, in what is now Pakistan. The Rohtaas fort in Sasaram was also built by Sher Shah Suri, during the period when Humayun was exiled from Hindustan.

Haji Begum who fought against British in 1857 belongs to muhalla pathan toli Sasaram is alone woman in Bihar known as Jhansi ki rani of Bihar. She was a land lady at Sasaram having 52 villages near the town. Her family members till live at muhalla pathan toli of sasaram.The sword of Haji Begum is protected at the house of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan muhalla pathan toli Sasaram.

Sasaram is the site of the Maa Tara Chandi Temple, and of the Kaimur mountain. There are also two waterfalls; the Manjhar Kund and Dhua Kund. A fair is organized at these places every year, after a day of Raksha Bandhan. The two waterfalls have enough capacity to generate 50-100 MW of electricity, if utilized properly.

Rohtas, south of Sasaram, is known to have been the residence of one Satyawadi Raja Harischandra, and is named for his son, Rohitashwa. Sasaram is also famous for the Samrat Ashok pillar (one of the thirteen laghu shilalekh), situated in a small cave of Kaimur hill, near Chandan Shaheed. Samadhi of Shree Shree 108 Swami Paramgayanand Puri Ji Maharaj is situated in Parampuri (raipurchoure) 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Sasaram, and is also known as Navlakha Ashram.

Babu Nishan Singh who was the general of Babu Kunwar Singh's army fighting against the British during the 1857 GADAR freedom struggle, came from Sasaram.

Jainath Bhawan is a grand mansion built by a magistrate named Babu Harihar Prasad Verma, and his wife Uma Devi Verma, in 1945. The mansion is named for Babu Jainath Prasad, who was a Zamindar and the first lawyer to practice in English. A secondary school founded by Uma Devi Verma, named Harihar Uma Madhyamik Vidyalaya, still runs at the Meyari Bazar, although it is now administered by the government.Currently jawahar prasad is the mla of sasaram. Main hotels in this city are: hotel gopal sher shah hotel

Geography

Sasaram is located at 24.95°N 84.03°E / 24.95; 84.03. It has an average elevation of 101 metres (331 ft).

Connectivity and transportation

Sasaram is well connected both by road and railway. The NH2 (Grand Trunk Road) passes through the city. The main mode of local transportation are buses operated by both private operators and the state government. The private buses are more frequent and connect to most of the local bazaars. However, some remote areas still use horse carts and bullock carts. Around 40% of the villages in Sasaram district have only unpaved roads.

Sasaram has a railway station which is located in the centre of the city on the Grand Trunk Road. The railway route through Sasaram is the Grand Chord line of Indian Railways, connecting Kolkata and New Delhi, and has three railway tracks running in parallel.Sasaram station is about 100 kilometres (62 mi), or two and a half hours journey from Varanasi, and a similar distance from BodhGaya, the most sacred place in Buddhism. Trains run from Sasaram to Kolkata, New Delhi, and Bombay. The trains which stop in Sasaram include the Kalka mail, Purushottam Exp, Mahabodhi Exp, Kolkata Mail, Jodhpur Exp, and Chambal Exp.Also a weekly AC train has been started from Sasaram to Anand vihar(New Delhi) in July 2011 {22409- Sasaram - ANVT AC Express}. There is lot of construction works going on in the city and soon it will be a model city of Bihar as we are expecting.

Education

Bihar has among the lowest rates of literacy in India, and Sasaram shares this trend. Due to the lack of sources of employment, students of higher education often choose to migrate to other cities in search of employment. There are four government colleges, but no university, and most of the students prefer to go to more developed cities, such as Patna and Varanasi, for higher education. However, there has been increase in literacy rate under the governance of Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar and Sasaram is the second most literate city in Bihar, which in turn has made Rohtas the most literate district in Bihar.

Educational establishments in Sasaram include:

• • Narayan Medical College and Hospital Colleges
  • Mahatma Phule Medical College and Hospital(under construction). This college is totally dedicated to civilians.

  Mr.kameshwar singh is the founder of this medical college. This is situated in norh of sasaram, at village muradabad,uchitpur.
  This medical college will be unique.   

• • Sri Shankar Mahavidyalaya
  • S P Jain College
  • Shershah College
  • Rohtas Mahila MahaVidyalaya
  • Rohtas Vidhi MahaVidyalaya
• High Schools
  • Sri Shankar Rajkiya Inter College
  • Town High school
  • Rama Rani Jain High School (for girls)
  • High School Rameshwar Ganj
  • High School Chaukhandi Path

A lack of quality education in the government run schools has led to the opening of many private schools in the city. There are more than fifty such schools for primary and secondary education. Some of the better known private schools include the following:

• ABR FOUNDATION SCHOOL
• St. Michael's Academy,Fazalganj
• Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Academy
• Rajendra Vidyalaya
• Maa Sharde Siksha Mandir Karan Sarai.
• DAV Sasaram
• Bal Vikas Vidyalaya
• St. Paul's school (www.stpaulsschool.org.in)
• Bal Bharati
• St. Xavier
• Bright Career Academy

Places to see

At Sasaram, there is a most popular temple,Tara chandi,situated in kaimur pahari

IT and e-governance

The eKiosk (Sahaj Vasudha Kendra, Jamuhar) i.e. CSC

SAHAJ Vasudha Kendra, the first Comman Service Centre, or eKiosk, in Rohtas District was inaugurated in Jamuhar village on 15 August 2008. The centre is currently planning to start a Block information Centre, e-district plan, and SWAN.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Sasaram had a population of 131,042. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Sasaram has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 58%. In Sasaram, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

The closure of the industries of the Dalmia group, at Dalmianagar resulted in widespread unemployment. Sasaram's economy is mainly driven by agriculture and related industries like rice polishing. Canal irrigation system is also very prominent in this area. Because of the fertile land around the town it is a local trading center for food grains, agricultural products, and agricultural equipment. The region is also known as Dhan Ka Katora, meaning "a bowl of food grains". The rice grown near Sasaram is sold in the markets of Kolkata and New Delhi. The only significant industry is rock quarrying.

External links

• Sasaram travel guide from Wikitravel