BHUMIHARS AND THEIR IMPACT ON BIHAR AND INDIA

We are all proud to be BHUMIHARS and rightly so.Let us examine our contribution towards our state and our country spanning a period of several millenia. Magadh was the greatest state of ancient India It was a great imperial superpower which dominated the ancient age of the Indian sub-continent. There were several factors which made Magadh so special.From time immemorial Magadh has produced fierce warriors,mighty conquerors, outstanding thinkers and gifted intellectuals. When we look in the Indian context we find that states like Rajasthan which have a great military tradition but minimal intellectual development.Similarly a state like Bengal which has produced several great intellectuals but has no military legacy. But in the case of Magadh if it produced Parashuram it also produced Valmiki, Chandragupta and Chanakya,Ashok and Mahavir and so on not to mention Ajatshatru and Buddha.Secondly Magadh had a great seat of learning like Nalanda.Therefore it produced the best intellectual capital in the world. But the most important factor was the presence of a great caste known as Magadh Brahmins which is today called BHUMIHAR. The ancient Bhumihars lived by a code of conduct.They were not only brilliant scholars but also outstanding soldiers.The greatest amongst them was Parashuram.He was the one who started this tradition which lives on to this day. In ancient Magadh Bhumihars either became great scholars or pursued careers in the military and rose to powerful positions. During the reign of Ashoka Buddhism became the state religion of India.Bhumihars who were holding high civil and military posts converted to Buddhism.This was only a tactical move.Pushyamitra,a Bhumihar went on to become the supreme commander of the Mauryan army. In a military coup the Mauryan rule was ended. Those Bhumihars which had earlier converted to Buddhism came back to the Vaishnav fold. The Bhumihars declared Buddha to be an incarnation of Vishnu.That was the beginning of the end of Buddhism in India. The next great dynasty which that ruled Magadh were the Guptas.In this era also Bhumihars excelled in every field. During the British rule Bhumihars tried to keep pace with the times.Today most IAS officers are produced by Bihar but during the British rule only a handful of Indians made it.One of the first ICS officers produced by Bihar was Shri Ambika Nandan Sinha in the year 1897. Even when our country was relieved of British rule the first Chief Minister of Bihar was a Bhumihar, Shri Krishna Sinha. Hence we have not only had an impact on our state but also our nation.We not only banished Buddhism but also championed the cause of Vaishnavism.Long live the BHUMIHARS.