Bhagalpur is the third largest city of Bihar and the 38th largest Hindi speaking city of India with a total population of 4,00,000. Highest employment in Bhagalpur District is in Agriculture, Handloom and in the Construction Industry with 73% Agricultural workers, 22% workers in Industry and Services and 5% Household workers. Located on the banks of the River Ganga, Bhagalpur is a good agricultural belt and the main crops cultivated on the surrounding Gangetic plain include rice, wheat, maize, barley and oilseeds. The river is home to the Gangetic dolphin, the National Aquatic Animal of India and the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary is established near the town of Bhagalpur. Bhagalpur has been associated with the silk industry for hundreds of years, and is famous for its Tussar Silk & Bhagalpuri Sarees. The Silk Institute and Agricultural University located in the city also support the handloom weavers. The name Bhagalpur is etymologically derived from Bhagdatpuram (meaning city of Good Fortune), as it was known during the flourishing period of the Anga Kingdom. Bhagdatpuram, as per Hindu mythological texts, was the place where the gods (devtas) and the demons (asuras) churned the ocean to procure the elixir (amrit), with the serpent Vasuki, offering to serve as the rope for the churning. Kalidasas Kumarasambhava refers to the foot marks of Vishnu on the slopes of Mount Mandara, the hill used for the churning. This granite hill which is about 50 km south of Bhagalpur is replete with relics of bygone ages. Apart from inscriptions and statues, there are numerous rock cut sculptures depicting various images of Hindu Gods. The hill is equally revered by the Jains who believe that their 12th Tirthankara attained nirvana at the summit. The city was referred to as one of the largest trading centres in India by the 7th century Chinese travellers Xuanzang and Faxian. At that time the city had a large harbor at Champanagar, now known as Champanala on the Ganges which flows through the western boundary of the present city near Nathnagar. Bhagalpur was transferred to the East India Company through a grant of the emperor Shah Alam II in 1765 and it remained as one of the most important trade centers of the Bengal Presidency during the British rule in India.
