and the whole Magadha region came to be called Bihar. Before that the residence of the Muslim governors of Bihar remained at Bihar Sharif until 1541 CE. Patna became a central place and Bihar Sharif lost its importance. However, Bihar Sharif continued to be enriched with buildings by the Muslims, and its sacred tombs have been visited by pilgrims for many centuries till modern day. In 1867, the city was officially declared a municipality. Geography Bihar Sharif is located from Patna, the capital of Bihar state (via 30 and 20). It is situated at the foot of Bari Pahari (Hiranya Parbat) and on the bank of the Panchanan (Panchane) River. The land around Bihar Sharif is very fertile, with alluvial soil deposited by several rivers. These local rivers include the Mahane, the Panchane – which divides west of Pawapuri into the Goithwa, Soyaba and smaller rivers – the Zerain, and others. To the west is the Paimar River, a tributary of the Ganges. Economy Agricultural trade and Education are the two main economic activities of Bihar Sharif, with crops including cauliflower, potato, mustard seed and other vegetables, which are exported to neighbouring states. The region is well known for extensive production of vegetables. Tourism to nearby sites like Nalanda, Rajgir and Pawapuri also boosts the city's economy, as do footwear and garments manufactured by household industries. The locality of Sohsarai in the city hosts an extensive textile market, which is known as "Mini Surat". the city had a major beedi cigarette industry which employed 15,000 people, mainly Muslims and some lower-caste Hindus. In recent years the city has changed from a trade-based economy to an education hub. Bihar Sharif is one of four cities selected in Bihar state among the 100 Indian cities to developed as smart cities under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission. It figured in amongst the ambitious 100 smart cities list to receive funding in the fifth round of the smart cities project in January 2018. Demographics India census, Bihar Sharif had a population of 297,268, up from 231,972 in 2001 and around 130,000 in 1981. The sex ratio was 916 females per 1000 males, with a slightly higher ratio of 927 females per 1,000 males among children. The overall literacy rate was 75.30%, with male literacy at 80.80% and female literacy at 69.28%. Religion According to the 2011 census, 65.86% of the city's