Mokameh
Encyclopedia
Mokama is a city and a municipality
in Patna district
in the India
n state
of Bihar
. It is located 90 KM east of Patna
and is on the rail route connecting Kolkata
and New Delhi
via Patna
. It is said that Mokama (मोकामा) was on the route of the armies moving along the river Ganga during the Mughal or British periods.
It was their place of resting or Mukam (मुकाम) which means destination in Hindustani
. So the name Mokama came into being over the years.
. Traveling through the city, one can hardly see anything, other than crop fields. Main crops are, Lentils, Chickpea
, mustard
and vegetables. Papaya
is also grown here. However, major portion of the Diara and Tal lands remain submerged for 3 months, giving an impression of sea.
Mokameh, once was developing as a market and a trading place. But it has suffered because of rise of local criminals and huge hafta
s demanded by them.
Mokama boasts of factories of McDowell's and Bata Shoes
, along with Bharat Wagon and Engineering
.
and NH 31
. Rajendra Setu
located near Mokama connects it to North Bihar. However the neighbouring areas lacked any kind of road until recently. Due to the present condition of the roads the largest and the best mode of transport in Mokameh is rail
.
, Mokama had a population of 96,441. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Mokama has a literacy rate of 96%, higher than the national average of 69.5%: male literacy is 99%, and female literacy is 93%. In Mokama, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.AUNTA is the most developed
village of MOKAMA block. This is only village in mokama which is known as
ADARSH GRAM. There are so many industries in Aunta. There is a CRPF training centre at Mokamaghat.
Families are very traditional, and often large. However, as people are getting education, they are becoming liberal. Marriages are generally arranged and they involve a large sum of dowry
, although illegal. Bride
and groom meet only after marriage
. Caste system is ingrained in the social fabric of the place in the same way as it exists in other parts of Bihar. Consequently caste based politics plays an important role in the life of the people here.
The continuously diminishing infrastructure and unemployment have forced the people to migrate to other parts of India for better opportunities.
The common attire of the people includes dhoti
, kurta
and gamchha
, a large rectangular cotton cloth on their shoulders or tied round heads. Women dress in sarees.
The most awaited and widely celebrated festival is Chhath
, a festival where people worship the setting and the rising Sun in the month of October/November. About 1.5 km west form mokama station lies a famous pilgrim place named Baba Parsuram Mandir. Sherpur village is a very peaceful & well educated place in Mokama block.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Patna district
Patna District
Patna district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, with Patna as the district headquarters. Patna district is a part of Patna division...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. It is located 90 KM east of Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
and is on the rail route connecting Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
and New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
via Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
. It is said that Mokama (मोकामा) was on the route of the armies moving along the river Ganga during the Mughal or British periods.
It was their place of resting or Mukam (मुकाम) which means destination in Hindustani
Hindustani language
Hindi-Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language and the lingua franca of North India and Pakistan. It is also known as Hindustani , and historically, as Hindavi or Rekhta...
. So the name Mokama came into being over the years.
Geography
Mokama is situated on the southern banks of the Ganges. The landscape here is absolutely plain. Here the land strip along the north of Ganges is called Diara which submerges in Ganges during monsoons, On the south of Mokameh is the "Tal" region which also gets submerged with the backwaters of the Ganges during the monsoons.Localities
Some of the important localities in Mokama municipality are Sakarwar Tola, Moldiar Tola, Kowabhonk and Chintamanchak.Economy
Not surprisingly, the main occupation is agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Traveling through the city, one can hardly see anything, other than crop fields. Main crops are, Lentils, Chickpea
Chickpea
The chickpea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae...
, mustard
Mustard plant
Mustards are several plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis whose small mustard seeds are used as a spice and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into the condiment known as mustard or prepared mustard...
and vegetables. Papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
is also grown here. However, major portion of the Diara and Tal lands remain submerged for 3 months, giving an impression of sea.
Mokameh, once was developing as a market and a trading place. But it has suffered because of rise of local criminals and huge hafta
Hafta
Hafta is the word for week in Hindi, Persian and Turkish languages.Hafta is also slang for the protection money collected periodically by gangsters and corrupt policemen. It is named so because the most common collection period is one week. The practice is highly prevalent in India and a refusal...
s demanded by them.
Mokama boasts of factories of McDowell's and Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production...
, along with Bharat Wagon and Engineering
Bharat Wagon and Engineering
Bharat Wagon and Engineering Limited is a Public Sector Undertaking of the Government of India and is a subsidiary of Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam . Established in 1978, BWEL is the largest rail wagon manufacturer in India...
.
Transport
Mokama is connected to all the major cities of India by rail and road. Maokama is the junction point of NH 82National Highway 82 (India)
National Highway 82 is a National Highway in India entirely within the state of Bihar. NH 82 runs for linking Gaya to Mokameh and passes through Bihar Sharif. - See also :* National Highway* List of National Highways...
and NH 31
National Highway 31 (India)
National Highway 31 is an important National Highway in India. It provides gateway to the states in North-East India. This long National Highway starts in Barhi, Jharkhand at the NH 2 and generally traverses in Northeast direction passing through Jhumri Tilaiya, Koderma, Nawada, Bihar Sharif,...
. Rajendra Setu
Rajendra Setu
Rajendra Setu across the Ganges was the first bridge to link North Bihar and South Bihar.The road-cum-rail bridge near Mokama in Patna district was inaugurated by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of India. It is about long and carries a two lane road and a double line railway track...
located near Mokama connects it to North Bihar. However the neighbouring areas lacked any kind of road until recently. Due to the present condition of the roads the largest and the best mode of transport in Mokameh is rail
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Mokama had a population of 96,441. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Mokama has a literacy rate of 96%, higher than the national average of 69.5%: male literacy is 99%, and female literacy is 93%. In Mokama, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.AUNTA is the most developed
village of MOKAMA block. This is only village in mokama which is known as
ADARSH GRAM. There are so many industries in Aunta. There is a CRPF training centre at Mokamaghat.
People and Culture
Most people speak Magadhi here, a dialect called Magahi locally. However, it changes considerably across a couple of Kilometres.Families are very traditional, and often large. However, as people are getting education, they are becoming liberal. Marriages are generally arranged and they involve a large sum of dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
, although illegal. Bride
Bride
A bride is a woman about to be married or newlywed.The word may come from the Proto-Germanic verb root *brū-, meaning 'to cook, brew, or make a broth' which was the role of the daughter-in-law in primitive families...
and groom meet only after marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. Caste system is ingrained in the social fabric of the place in the same way as it exists in other parts of Bihar. Consequently caste based politics plays an important role in the life of the people here.
The continuously diminishing infrastructure and unemployment have forced the people to migrate to other parts of India for better opportunities.
The common attire of the people includes dhoti
Dhoti
The dhoti or pancha is the traditional men's garment in the in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A similar garment is worn in some rural areas of Punjab province in Pakistan, but the use is fast declining...
, kurta
Kurta
A kurta is a traditional item of clothing worn in Afghanistan, Pakistan , Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It is a loose shirt falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer, and is worn by both men and women...
and gamchha
Gamchha
A gamchha is a thin, coarse, traditional cotton towel found in India and Bangladesh that is used to dry the body after bathing or wiping sweat. The term "gamchha" derives from the Bengali গা মোছা , which means "wiping body"...
, a large rectangular cotton cloth on their shoulders or tied round heads. Women dress in sarees.
The most awaited and widely celebrated festival is Chhath
Chhath
Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to the Hindu Sun God, Surya, also known as Surya Shashti. The Chhath Puja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. The Sun, considered the god of energy and of the life-force, is...
, a festival where people worship the setting and the rising Sun in the month of October/November. About 1.5 km west form mokama station lies a famous pilgrim place named Baba Parsuram Mandir. Sherpur village is a very peaceful & well educated place in Mokama block.