Motihari

Motihari is the headquarters town of East Champaran (Purbi Champaran) in north Bihar, set on the fertile plains close to the Nepal frontier and historically linked with the wider Champaran region. Under British rule, Champaran was made a district in 1866 with Motihari as its headquarters, establishing the town as an administrative centre and a focal market for the surrounding countryside. Motihari later gained municipal status in the late nineteenth century.

Motihari holds a special place in India’s freedom struggle. In April 1917, Mahatma Gandhi arrived here at the request of Raj Kumar Shukla to examine the forced indigo cultivation system (tinkathia). The Champaran Satyagraha that followed is widely remembered as Gandhi’s first successful satyagraha in India and a landmark in mass political mobilization.

After independence, the old Champaran district was reorganized and split into East and West Champaran in 1972, with Motihari continuing as the headquarters of the eastern district. In cultural memory, Motihari is also known internationally as the birthplace of writer George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair).

Today, features like the Moti Jheel lake, district offices, and colleges keep Motihari a lively regional hub for governance, education, and trade across north Bihar.