GAYA DISTRICT PROFILE

Gaya is one of the thirty-eight administrative districts of Bihar. Gaya was notified as a district on October 3, 1865. Earlier , Gaya was a

part of the erstwhile district of Behar and Ramgarh. In 1976, Aurangabad and Nawada were partitioned off from the territory of Gaya and in 1986 Jehanabad was carved out. Gaya district is a part of Magadh division.

Gaya district is bounded by the districts of Jehanabad, Nawada and Aurangabad of Bihar and district Chatra of Jharkhand.

The river flowing through Gaya district is Falgu.

INTRODUCTION

Gaya has ancient mythological and historical significance. Gaya derives its name from the mythological demon Gayasur , whose body became so pious after he performed penance and received blessings from Lord Vishnu that he had the power to absolve the sins of those who touched him or looked at him, hence people flock to Gaya to perform funeral obsequies / Shraddha on his body to absolve the sins of their ancestors.

Gaya finds mentioned in the great epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. Lord Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana visited Gaya for offering “Pind-Daan” to Dashrath on the bank of river Niranjana, the former name of river Falgu.

Gaya is sanctified by Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religions. Gaya is surrounded by small rocky hills namely Mangala-Gauri, Shringa-Sthan, Ram-Shila and Brahmayoni on three sides and the river Falgu flows on the fourth side. Hindus perform Pind Daan ritual in Gaya on the bank of river Falgu for redeeming the souls of their ancestors.

Gaya has experienced the rise and fall of many dynasties such as Sisunaga, Nanda, Mauryan, Guptas, Pala and Khilji. It occupied an important place in the cultural history of India from the 6th century BC to the 18th century AD.

Bodh Gaya is the most holy place for the followers of the Buddhist faith from across the world. Ashoka visited Gaya and built the first temple at Bodh Gaya to commemorate the enlightenment of Gautam Buddha.

The all India session of Indian National Congress was held at Gaya in 1922 under the presidency of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Gaya town is the district headquarters of Gaya district. Gaya district comprise of 4 sub-divisions namely Gaya Sadar, Neemchak Bathani,

Sherghati and Tekari and has been divided into 24 blocks:

ADMINISTRATIVE

o Gaya Sadar o Manpur o Bodh Gaya o Wazirganj o Belaganj o Khizarsarai o Atri o Nimchakbathani

o Muhra o Sherghati o Amas o Mohanpur o Fatehpur o Barachatti o Imamganj o Dumaria

o Bankey Bazar o Dobhi o Tankuppa o Gurua o Paraiya o Tekari o Konch o Bathani

Total number of Panchayats in Gaya district: 332 Total number of villages in Gaya district: 2889

Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. The main crops are paddy, wheat, potato and lentils. The main vegetable market is in Kedarnath market.

Gaya has a large number of household industries like production of Agarbattis, production of Tilkut and Lai, stone craft, power looms and hand looms.

Gaya functions as a service centre for the surrounding towns and villages. Commercial activities are located along the important roads of the town.

Gaya has a large number of informal shops. There is no large scale industry or public sector undertakings in Gaya.

There are no minerals of economic importance.

ECONOMIC PROFILE

0

5000

10000

15000

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

8372 8802 9091 9526 10514 9832 10237 11311 11815

13404

Per Capita Gross State and District Domestic Product

Per Capita Gross District Domestic Product

Per Capita Gross State Domestic Product

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Govt. of Bihar

DEMOGRAPHIC

Population 4,379,383

Population density 880 per sq.km

Population growth 26%

Sex ratio 932 per 1000 male

Literacy rate 66.35%

Languages spoken Magahi and Hindi

GEOGRAPHIC

Coordinates Latitude: 24º 5' to 25º 10' North Longitude: 84º 4' to 84º 5' East

Temperature 49° C (Max.) 2° C (Min.)

Average rainfall 833 Mm

Area 4976 sq. km

Altitude 111 meters

INDUSTRIAL

Registered industrial units 7572

Registered medium & large units 3

Total industrial units 18000

No. of industrial areas 01

Types of industries Agro based, cotton textile, readymade garments & embroidery, wood/wooden based furniture, leather based, chemical/ chemical based, repairing & servicing, engineering unit, metal based.

Source: MSME – DI Patna, official website of district

Industries like production of agarbattis, production of Tilkut and Lai, stone crafting, power looms and hand looms run in Gaya district

The district has good scope for the MSMEs like red bricks, cement products, building materials, textile, readymade garments, stone crushing, rice mills, agro products, cattle feed, mechanical workshop, gate and grill fabrication, flour mills, mineral water, etc.

Gaya has good scope for the service industries like tourism and travel management, restaurants etc.

INVESTMENT

INDUSTRIAL PROFILE

There is one industrial area present in 30 acres of land in Gaya district There is no large scale industries/ public sector undertakings in the district . Industrial units in nearby areas are as follows:

M/s Daya Engineering Works (sleeper ) Ltd. M/s Nilkanth Chawal Udyog, Ahiyapur (konch) M/s Anant Pulses Pvt. Ltd. (Manish dal mill)

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1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Investment (Rs. Lakh)

Source: MSME – DI Patna

INDUSTRIES AT A GLANCE

Registered industrial units 7572

Total industrial units 18000

Registered medium & large units 3

Estimated avg. no. of daily workers employed in small scale industries

67800

Employment in large and medium industries 800

No. of industrial area 1

EXISTING MICRO & SMALL ENTERPRISES AND ARTISAN UNITS

Type of industry No. of Units Investment (Rs. Lakh)

Agro based 983 1152.97 Soda water 34 238.66 Cotton textile 900 5670.22 Woolen, silk & artificial thread based clothes 33 63.32 Readymade garments & embroidery 244 66.91 Wood/wooden based furniture 759 861.01 Paper & paper products 138 157.21 Leather based 592 122.41 Chemical/chemical based 737 658.78 Rubber, plastic & petro based 115 250.73 Mineral based 380 626.38 Metal based (steel fab) 388 373.95 Engineering units 862 872.39 Electrical machinery and transport equipment 18 117.3 Repairing & servicing 1021 566.78 Others 368 796.77 Total 7572 12595.79

Source: MSME – DI Patna

INFRASTRUCTURE

The largest industrial area of the district is spread over 30 acres . Types of industries running in Gaya district are:

Agro-based, soda water, cotton textile, woolen, silk and artificial silk based clothes, ready made garments and embroidery, wooden furniture, paper products, leather based, chemical based, rubber plastic and petro based, mineral based, metal based (steel fabrication) engineering machinery repairing and services.

Gaya district has good scope for service industries like tourism and travel management, restaurants, computer data processing, mobile phone repair and service, automobile servicing.

The district has good scope for MSMEs like red bricks, cement products, building materials, Agarbatti, Tilkut, handloom textile, readymade garments, stone crushing, rice mills, agro-products, cattle feed, mechanical workshops, gate and grill fabrication, flour mill, mineral water, simple chemical products, and leather shoe and chappal etc.

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY

Paddy, wheat, potato, lentils are the main agricultural crops.

The district has huge potential for setting up food processing industry, packaging industry.

Total cultivable barren land –3265 hectares.

AGARBATTI PRODUCTION INDUSTRY

Agarbatti subsector involves varied activities in the stages of pre-production, production, processing and marketing. Gaya district ranks second, after Bangalore, in production of raw Agarbatti.

Agarbatti produced in Gaya is exported to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Calcutta and Indore for aromatization with various fragrances.

STONE CRAFT

Patharkatti in Gaya district is the traditional stoneware centre of Bihar.

This area supplies in abundance the blue black pot stone from which artisans craft Buddhist icons, images and household articles like pestle and mortar Kharal (medicine grinder).

Stone craftsmanship has tremendous scope in the areas of architectural elements, interiors of houses and as outdoor furniture and fixtures.

LARGE SCALE INDUSTRY/ PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERTAKING

Micro & Small Enterprise

• Food processing industries • Packaging industries • Wood/ wooden based • Chemical/ chemical based • Cotton textile

Major Existing Clusters

• Tilkut manufacturing • Bronze metal cluster • Stone craft cluster

Potential Service Enterprises

•Automobile, servicing of electrical & electronic items •Computer hardware maintenance, printing •Hotel industries •Event management •Tourism, catering services, •Educational institutions etc.

IDENTIFIED CLUSTERS

•Principal products manufactured in the cluster- Semi finished Agarbatti without fragance, finished Agarbatti.

•No. of functional units in the cluster - 182 •Turnover of the cluster - Rs. 20-30 crore •Employment in cluster – 3500 - 4000

Agarbatti Manufacturing Cluster

Existing Major Clusters

Tilkut manufacturing: Tilkut is a sweet dish prepared from sesame seeds /Til. Gaya is famous for its Tilkut .There are about 40 registered units engaged in making Tilkut.

Bronze metal cluster: There are about 33 registered units at Bazirganj, Gaya.

Stone craft cluster: There are about 30 registered units at Patharkati, Gaya engaged in stone crafting.

Source: MSME – DI Patna

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE Ra

ilway

•Gaya connected to the three metropolises New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai through Important broad gauge routes.

• Gaya is the second most important station in Bihar after Patna.

Road

•NH2 / Grand Trunk road from Kolkata to Delhi pass through Gaya city. •Gaya is connected to Patna by NH 83 and to Nawada, Rajgir and Biharsharif by NH 82.

Airp

ort • Gaya has the

only operating international airport in Bihar and Jharkhand. It provides seasonal services for some South-Asian destinations.

• Nearest airport is international airport at Gaya.

EDUCATION

Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and since then places around Gaya such as Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali and Patliputra became the bastion of knowledge for the ancient world.

Gaya has a number of good educational institutions. Educational institutes :

No. of primary schools - 1944 No. of middle schools – 639 No. of secondary and senior secondary schools – 118 No. of colleges – 37 No. of technical university/ Medical college – 1

The Central University of Bihar has been established in Gaya. Magadh University in Gaya is the largest university of Bihar. There is an Officers’ Training Academy of the Indian Army at Gaya. Major educational institutions:

Kendriya Vidhalaya Nazareth Academy Gyan Bharti Spring Dales Hadi Hashmi High School Zila School Mahavir School

HERITAGE & TOURISM

Gaya is one of the major tourist attractions of India and is an important centre for religious tourism. Ghats and temples are lined on the banks of the sacred Falgu river. Hindus visit Gaya in September to participate in ‘Pitripaksha’-the annual festival of souls.

Vishnupad temple: It is the seat of final salvation. The footprint of Vishnu is marked on a block of basalt which symbolizes Lord Vishnu subduing Gayasur by placing His foot on the demon’s chest. The present-day temple was rebuilt in the 18th century by queen Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore.

Mahabodhi temple: Main monastery at Bodh Gaya was built by Emperor Ashoka to commemorate the place where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment and also preached his first sermon. Pilgrims visit Bodh Gaya during Vaishak Purnima which is celebrated as Buddha Purnima.

Mangla Gauri shrine: It is marked by two rounded stones that symbolize the breasts of the mythological Sati, the consort of Lord Shiva.

Jama Masjid: It is the largest mosque of Bihar. Gautam Buddha Wildlife Sanctuary: It was opened in Gaya in 1976.

Udyog Mitra, Dept. of Industries Govt. of Bihar Ground Floor, Indira Bhawan, RCS Path, Patna, Bihar 800 001. Tel : +91 612 2532695 Fax : +91 612 2532695 Email: info@udyogmitrabihar.com

Industries Department 2nd Floor, Vikas Bhawan, Bailey Road, Patna, Bihar 800 015

www.udyogmitrabihar.com