Raghopur, Vaishali

The creation and history of the Raghopur island are much older than previously thought, as recently Harappan-type bricks[1] from Raghopur Diara were discovered. While digging for piling work to build a house at the Diara, around 10  km north of Patna, the landowner came across thousands of large bricks. He used some and kept the rest as samples out of curiosity. On 4 April 2017, the director of the state archaeological directorate, Atul Verma, visited the area and checked the samples. Vijay Kumar Choudhary, archaeologist and executive director of the Bihar Heritage Development Society, confirmed Harappan bricks [2] had the proportions of 1:2:4 in terms of thickness, width, and length. He said the state archaeological directorate's move was a step in the right direction to establish that human settlements existed in the area. Raghopur Diara is situated between Chechar in the north and Didarganj in the south, places of archaeological importance. Chechar in Vaishali is a Neolithic site, while remains from the Mauryan period have been found during excavations at Didarganj in Patna.

Surrounded by the Ganges on all sides, Raghopur consists mainly of alluvial soil. Every year this area gets submerged by water due to flooding by the Ganges. This has been helpful to Raghopur in that flooding also brings a new layer of soil, making the area fertile.

As of the 2001 India census,[3] Raghopur had a population of 187,722. Males constitute 54% of the population. Raghopur has an average literacy rate of 33%. The villages in Raghopur include Paharpur, Jurawanpur, Fatehpur, Birpur, Chaksingar, Rampur, and Shiv Nagar. Among all, Birpur is the largest village in this block.

The nearest towns to Raghopur are Patna and Hajipur. The nearest railway stations are Khoosarupur Fatuha and Bankaghat. The nearest airport is in Patna. There is only one seasonal road link (Pipa pul) that connects it to Patna, Fatuha. Apart from that, boats are a primary method of reaching the area.

Agriculture is the main source of income for inhabitants of this river island. The main crops include wheat, rice, maize, and tobacco. The Raghopur people have a long tradition of joining the army; the majority of the service class is in the defense forces. There are no industries situated in this area because of inaccessibility and poor transportation.

Raghopur has many government schools till 12th level. Higher education is not available, causing many students to migrate from the area and settle in Patna or Hajipur.