Muzaffarpur is a sub metropolitan city located in Muzaffarpur district in the Tirhut region of Bihar. It is the highest developing city in state of bihar and also defeat patna in this race. It also serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division. It is the forth largest city in Bihar after patna,gaya and Bhagalpur. It is also amongst the few cities in Bihar other than state capital Patna which fulfills nearly all the criteria to be called a Sub Metropolitan City. It is located at a distance of 68 kilometres from Patna. Muzaffarpur is famous for Shahi lychees and is known as the Lychee Kingdom. It is situated on the banks of the perennial Burhi Gandak River, which flows from the Someshwar Hills of Himalayas. The present city of Muzaffarpur came into existence in the 18th century and is named after Muzaffar Khan, a Revenue Officer during the British Raj. Muzaffarpur was created in 1875 for the sake of administrative convenience by splitting up the earlier district of Tirhut. The present district into existence in the 18th century, being named after Muzaffar Khan, an Amil (Revenue Officer) under British rule. It is surrounded to the north by Purbi Champaran and Sitamarhi districts, to the south by Vaishali and Saran districts, to the east by Darbhanga and Samastipur districts and to the west by Saran and Gopalganj districts. According to the Ramayana, Rajarsi ("wise king") Janaka, the father of Sita, ruled Videha, an area that once encompassed eastern Nepal and northern Bihar. Sitamarhi, a town in this region, ascribes to the Hindu mythological belief where Sita sprang to life out of an earthen pot at nearby Punaura dham, while Janaka was tilling the land from Haleshwar westwards. Sita was to become the wife of Rama, the central figure in the Ramayana. As per recorded history, a confederation of eight clans known as the Vajjis succeeded Videha, of which the Licchavis were the most powerful and influential. Even the powerful kingdom of Magadha had to conclude matrimonial alliances in 519 B.C. with the neighbouring estates of the Licchavis. Ajatashatru invaded Vaishali and extended his sway over Tirhut. It was at this time that Pataliputra modern Patna) was founded at the village Patali on the banks of the sacred river Ganges and Ajatashatru built a supposedly invincible fortress to keep vigil over the Licchavis on the other side of the river. Ambarati, 40 km from Muzaffarpur is believed to be the village home of Amrapali, the famous royal court dancer of Vaishali. Vaishali, a centre of religious renaissance, and Baso Kund, the birthplace of Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism and a contemporary of Gautama Buddha, continue to attract visitors from across international borders. From the visit of the Chinese traveller Xuanzang till the rise of the Pala Empire, Muzaffarpur was under the control of Harsha Vardhan. After 647 A.D. the district passed on to the local chiefs. In the 8th century A.D. the Pala kings continued to hold Tirhut until 1019 A.D. Later Chedi kings of Central India ruled till they were replaced by the Sena dynasty in the 11th century. Between 1210 & 1226, Ghias-u-ddin Iwaz, the ruler of Bengal, was the first Muslim invader of Tirhut. Though he could not succeed in conquering the kingdom, he extorted tributes. In 1323 Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq established control over the district. Nanyupa Deva, founder of the Simraon dynasty in the north-east part of Champaran, extended his power over the whole of Mithila and Nepal.[citation needed] During the regime of Harasimha Deva, the last king of the dynasty, Tughlaq Shah invaded Tirhut in 1323 and gained control over the territory. Tughlaq Shah handed over the management of Tirhut to Kameshwar Thakur. Thus, the sovereign power of Tirhut passed from the Hindu chiefs to the Muslims, but the Hindu chief continued to enjoy autonomy. By the end of the 14th century, the whole of North Bihar including Tirhut passed on to the Rajahs of Jaunpur and remained under their control for nearly a century until their defeat by Sikandar Lodi of Delhi. Meanwhile, Alauddin Husain Shah, the Nawab of Bengal, had become so powerful that he exercised his control over large tracts including Tirhut. The emperor of Delhi advanced against Husain Shah in 1499 and got control over Tirhut after defeating its Raja. The power of the Nawabs of Bengal began to wane, and with the decline and fall of Mahmood Shah, north Bihar including Tirhut formed a part of the Mughal Empire. Though Muzaffarpur with the entire north Bihar had been annexed, powerful chieftains continued to exercise effective control over this area till the days of Daud Khan, the Nawab of Bengal. Daud Khan had his stronghold at Patna and Hajipur, and after his fall a separate Subah of Bihar was constituted under the Mughal Empire, of which Tirhut formed a part. The East India Company, after the Battle of Buxar in 1764, controlled the whole of Bihar. The success of the insurgents at Delhi in 1857 caused grave concern to the English inhabitants in this district, and revolutionary fervor began to permeate the entire district. In 1908 the young Bengali revolutionary, Khudi Ram Bose, an 18-year-old, was hanged for having thrown a bomb at the carriage of Pringle Kennedy, whom he mistook for Kingsford, the District Judge of Muzaffarpur. After Indian independence in 1947, a monument to the bomb-thrower was constructed at Muzaffarpur. The Antarrashtriya Bajjika Parishad, during its 12th Bajjika Sammelan on 2 October 2004, in the presence of local MLA Bijendra Choudhary and MLC Devesh Chandra Thakur, unanimously passed a resolution to rename the city as Khudirampur. However, such a resolution has only a symbolic significance, as the change of name would require administrative approval. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's visits to Muzaffarpur district in December 1920 and in January 1927 had the political effect of arousing the population, and the district continued to play a prominent role in the country's freedom struggle. In 1972 both Sitamarhi and Vaishali districts were split off from Muzaffarpur. The significance of Muzaffarpur in Indian civilisation arises out of its position on the frontier line between prominent spiritual influences, and it is a meeting place of Hindu and Islamic culture and thoughts. Muzaffarpur fostered political leaders and statesmen alike, among whom were Rajendra Prasad, George Fernandes and Acharya Kriplani. The vernacular language of the region is Bajjika, as per the linguist George Grierson;[6] some people call it Vajjika, derived from the language of the Vajji confederation. The city was a major centre of the anti-emergency movement of Jai Prakash Narayan in the late 1970s. The politics of the city in the 1980s was greatly influenced by that movement, as was the rest of Bihar. The significance of caste in politics gained prominence in the 1990s and 2000s when the party of Lalu Prasad gained prominence in the state. MFP/Muzaffarpur Junction is a main railway junction, with two suburban stations, Ram Dayalu Nagar and Narayanpur Anant (Sherpur). It is well connected to major cities of Bihar like Patna, Bhagalpur, Gaya, and Darbhanga. Muzaffarpur is amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railways. It handles over 150 trains and about 1,00,000 passengers daily. Sonpur is the divisional headquarters all the trains passing through this route have stoppages here. Several electrified local passenger trains and express trains run from Muzaffarpur to neighbouring destinations. The following is a list of all the trains passing from Muzaffarpur Junction (as of 10 May 2012). The Muzaffarpur Junction railway station, is well connected to most of the major cities in India by the railway network and serves the city with numerous number of trains. Muzaffarpur is well connected to Patna, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Howrah, Chennai, Bangalore, Ajmer, Kanpur, Guwahati, Surat, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jammu, Vishakhapatnam, Raipur, Allahabad, Ranchi, Gwalior, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jaipur, Porbander, Kochi and other cities. It is also the originating station for many superfasts and express trains like Muzaffarpur - Anand Vihar Garib Rath Express, 12538/Bapudham SF Express, Sapt Kranti Express, Maur Dhawaj Express etc. Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express crosses the junction once a week. National Highway 57 (India) comes via Gorakhpur, Motihari and crosses Muzaffarpur and National Highway 57 (India) goes to Darbhanga, Purnia. The EAST-WEST CORRIDORS crosses Muzaffarpur thus connecting it to all the major towns and cities in India. The National Highway 77 (India) starting from Hajipur passes through Muzaffarpur and connects Muzaffarpur to Sitamarhi. Recently, the National Highway 102 (India) has been constructed which connects Muzaffarpur to Chhapra. The National Highway 28 (India) connects Muzaffarpur to Barauni. All 6 National Highways having junction here. Currently, a Ring Road is under construction all around Muzaffarpur and a new bridge over Burhi Gandak river. Bus, Taxi, Rickshaw, Auto Rickshaws, etc. are used for local transportation. The nearest airport is in Patna, whereas city own airport, Patahi Airport, is under construction. Muzaffarpur Airport (IATA: MZU, ICAO: VEMZ) is an under-construction civil airport at Muzaffarpur, in the state of Bihar, India. It was to be built for the arrival of Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. The airport is to be built over 102 acres, located five kilometers west of the city on State Highway 46. In a bid to give a boost to civil aviation sector and enhance air connectivity to Tier-II and Tier-III cities, the government has proposed to set up a low-cost airport here. The airport is located at an elevation of 174 feet (53 m) above mean sea level. It has one paved runway designated 10/28 which measures 3,990 (1,216 m) with asphalt surface.