Katihar is a city situated in the eastern part of the state of Bihar in India. It is the regional headquarter of Katihar district. It is one of the important cities of Bihar. Also it's a main route of Delhi - Guwahati railway line. History Katihar is a part of the Mithila region. Mithila first gained prominence after being settled by Indo-Aryan peoples who established the Mithila Kingdom (also called Kingdom of the Videhas). During the late Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Kingdom of the Videhas became one of the major political and cultural centers of South Asia, along with Kuru and Pañcāla. The kings of the Kingdom of the Videhas were called Janakas. The Mithila Kingdom was later incorporated into the Vajjika League, which had its capital in the city of Vaishali, which is also in Mithila. Later it was dominated by Chaudhary family who were the biggest landlord of kosi commisionery and holds approx 15000 acre land in katihar district and 8500 acre in Purnia district. The founder of Chaudhary family was Taj Ali Chaudhary and his four sons Chaudhary khuda baksh , Chaudhary Qadir baksh ,Khan Bahadur Chaudhary Mohammad baksh and Elahi baksh. Transport Road Katihar is connected through road network to the neighbouring cities of Bihar. Interstate bus services are not available. A highway , however, connects it to Purnia, from where , and passes through or starts through. Air The nearest airport is located at Purnia Airport near Purnea (30 km), but it is a airforce station. The nearest commercial airport is located at Bagdogra Airport (160 km) near Siliguri (West Bengal). However, recently the government has announced to open an air force base airport in Chunapur, Purnea to be allowed to use for commercial use. However, it is not operational yet. Rail Katihar Junction is a major strategic Railway Junction under Northeast Frontier Railways which connects North East India with the rest of India. Education Katihar has many education institutions, including: The Boffo School Colonels Academy International School of East India Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Katihar Katihar Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandir (estd. in 1951; it used to be under WBBSE; now affiliated with CBSE) Kendriya Vidyalaya, Katihar Manipal public school SBP Vidya Vihar Scottish Public School, Katihar Government colleges D.S. College, Katihar Govt. Polytechnic, Katihar K.B Jha College, Katihar M J M Mahila College Sita Ram Chamaria College Other important institutes Katihar Medical College and Hospital