Personalities
Bihar GK · प्रसिद्ध व्यक्तित्व
📋Quick Overview
Bihar has been the birthplace of some of the greatest figures in human history — from empire builders like Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka, to mathematical genius Aryabhata, to India's first President Rajendra Prasad, and cultural icons like Bismillah Khan. These personalities span ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary eras.
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Aryabhata, born in Pataliputra (~476 CE), was the first to calculate the value of Pi (π ≈ 3.1416), proposed the heliocentric theory (Earth rotates on its axis), and calculated the length of the year as 365.25 days.
📖Famous Personalities — At a Glance
| Name | Field | Bihar Connection / Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| Chandragupta Maurya | Emperor | Founded Maurya Empire (321 BCE), capital Pataliputra |
| Ashoka (Ashoka the Great) | Emperor | Greatest Mauryan emperor; spread Buddhism worldwide from Pataliputra |
| Chanakya (Kautilya) | Scholar | Advisor to Chandragupta; wrote Arthashastra — treatise on governance |
| Aryabhata | Mathematician/Astronomer | Born Pataliputra (476 CE); concept of zero, pi calculation, heliocentric model |
| Vatsyayana | Scholar | Author of Kama Sutra; from Pataliputra (Gupta era) |
| Mahavira (24th Tirthankara) | Jain Founder | Born Kundagrama near Vaishali (599 BCE); attained moksha at Pawapuri |
| Sher Shah Suri | Emperor | Born Sasaram (Rohtas); defeated Humayun; Grand Trunk Road; Rupee coin |
| Rajendra Prasad | President | Born Zeradei (Siwan); India's 1st President (1950–1962) |
| Jayaprakash Narayan | Politician | Born Sitabdiara (Saran); 'Loknayak'; 1974 JP Movement |
| Ustad Bismillah Khan | Musician | Born Dumraon (Buxar); Shehnai maestro; Bharat Ratna (2001) |
| Sharda Sinha | Folk Singer | Born Supaul; 'Bihar Kokila'; Padma Bhushan (2018); Chhath songs famous |
| Bhikhari Thakur | Playwright | 'Bhojpuri Shakespeare'; born Saran; wrote Bidesia; social reformer |
📝Bharat Ratna & Padma Award Winners from Bihar
- •Rajendra Prasad: Bharat Ratna (1962) — India's first President, born Zeradei, Siwan.
- •Jayaprakash Narayan: Bharat Ratna (1999, posthumous) — 'Loknayak', born Sitabdiara, Saran.
- •Ustad Bismillah Khan: Bharat Ratna (2001) — Shehnai maestro, born Dumraon, Buxar.
- •Sharda Sinha: Padma Bhushan (2018) — 'Bihar Kokila', folk singer, Chhath Puja songs.