Bihar, a state in northern India is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size. It is bounded by Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, Northern part of West Bengal to the east and by Jharkhand to the south. The economy of Bihar is largely service oriented, but it has a significant agricultural base too. The state also has a small industrial sector.

 

Bihar has one of the longest art traditions in the country. Mithila painting is a style of Indian painting practised in the Mithila and Darbhanga in Madhubani region of Bihar. The ancient University of Nalanda was renowned not only for its disciplines of Humanities and the Sciences but also for its artistic tradition. Bihar is the place where Buddhist religion flourished and as a state it continues to contibute to the Indian classical music producing musicians like Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan.