Vaishali district

Vaishali District is a in ,. It is named after the. The history of Vaishali district is thus very ancient, and finds mention in the Indian classic, as well as in and  tradition.

Ancient Vaishali
Vaishali derives its name from of the  age. Even before the advent of and, Vaishali was the capital of the vibrant an   since before the birth of  (c. 599 BC), which suggests that it was perhaps the first republic in the world, similar to those later found in . In that period, Vaishali was an ancient  and the  of the republic of the Vaishali state, which covered most of  Gangetic region of present-day  state, India. Very little is known about the early history of Vaishali. records 34 s of Vaishali, the first being Nabhaga, who is believed to have his  over a matter of  and believed to have declared: "I am now a free tiller of the soil, king over my acre." The last among the 34 was Sumati, who is considered a contemporary of, father of the god,.

Numerous references to Vaishali are found in texts pertaining to both and, which have preserved much information on Vaishali and the other . Based on the information found in these texts, Vaishali was established as a republic by the, prior to the birth of in , making it the world's first republic.

In the republic of Vaishali, Lord was born. delivered his last sermon at Vaishali and announced his there. Vaishali is also renowned as the land of (also spelled as Amrapali), the great Indian, who appears in many s, as well as in. Ambapali became a disciple of.

A kilometre away is, the coronation tank. The sacred waters of the tank anointed the elected representatives of Vaishali. Next to it stands the Japanese temple and the Vshwa Shanti Stupa built by the  sect of Japan. A small part of the Buddha's relics found in Vaishali have been enshrined in the foundation and in the chhatra of the Stupa. Near the coronation tank is Stupa 1 or the Relic Stupa. Here the Lichchavis reverentially encased on of the eight portions of the Master's relics, which they received after the Mahaparinirvana. After his last discourse the Awakened One set out for, but the s kept following him. Buddha gave them his alms bowl but they still refused to return. The Master created an illusion of a river in spate which compelled them to go back. This site can be identified with Deora in modern village, where  later built a stupa. , the favourite disciple of the Buddha, attained Nirvana in the midst of the Ganga outside Vaishali.

Current-day Vaishali
Vaishali district is a part of and    is the district headquarters. The district of Vaishali came in to existence on 12/10/1972. Earlier it was the part of old Muzzafarpur district. The district covers an area of around 2036 km² and the is around two million. is the main activity and, , , and  are the major.

Headquarters: Hajipur Area: 2,036 km? Population: Total: Rural: Urban: Subdivisions: Hajipur, Mahnar, Mahua Blocks: Mahnar, Sahadai Buzurg, Vaishali, Bidupur,, Raghopur, Lalganj, Hazipur, Mahua, Jandaha, Patepur, Sahdeibuzurg, Razapakar, Bhagwanpur, Chehrakala, Premraj, Patedhi-Belshar, Desari, Taiyyopur Sarai, Manibhakurahar Agriculture: Banana, Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Lentils. Industry: Sugar Factory Rivers: Ganges and Gandak.