Munger

Munger (historically written Monghyr) is one of Bihar’s oldest riverine towns, set on the southern bank of the Ganga. Local district history links the region’s antiquity to early Aryan settlements of the “Madhya-desa” and connects it with Mod-Giri/Moda-Giri mentioned in the Mahabharata, showing how early tradition remembers it as an important monarchical centre in eastern India.

Over centuries, Munger’s strategic value came from controlling a key Ganga corridor. Its most visible symbol is the Munger Fort, built on a rocky hillock by the river and associated with multiple dynastic phases; historical accounts place the town under Delhi Sultanate influence in the 14th century and later under Mughal-era politics. In the 18th century, the fort gained fresh importance under Mir Qasim, who strengthened defences and used Munger as a base during conflict with the East India Company; after the Company’s victory (1764), the fort gradually lost its earlier glory.

In the modern era, Munger grew as an administrative and market hub for the surrounding plains, while the fort area also became known for cultural and spiritual institutions, keeping the city’s layered past alive beside the Ganga.