Nurtured by The Kosi, pampered by the mellifluous Mahananda,showered gracefully by Lord Indra, abuzz with sweet Maithili and portrayed beautifully by Renu , Purnia, no doubt, qualifies itself to be called Poor Mans Darjeeling. It is the oldest district in the state of Bihar . In 1912, Bihar and Orissa were carved as separate provinces out of the old Bengal Province and Purnia became the district of the new provincial unit. Before the state reorganization in 1956, Purnia was contiguous to East Pakistan . The area of this district was about 4239 square miles. Buchanan Hamilton the first historian-geographer of India visited Purnia in 1801-10. -By-Batulda-Student