The state of Bihar constitutes of thirty-seven districts, out of which the district of Saran is one. It is an element in the Saran Division. Chapra is the administrative headquarters of the district, from which the name Chapra District, another name for Saran District, has been derived. In Bihars Saran Division, a zamindari by the name of Hathwa Raj existed. The Bhumihar Brahmins had the rights over the zamindari. 391,000 people resided in the 1,365 villages which constituted this zamindari of Hathwa Raj. A yearly rent of about one million rupees used to generate from this.

Saran History

A section of the Kosala region was constituted in the olden days by the present day Saran Division. From the history of Kosala, the history of Sara Division can be derived because it is certain that they to be the same. The Kosala region contained in it some sections excluding the existing day Saran Division. The Kosala Empire had Panchala in its west, river Sarpika in the south, Gandak in the east and Nepal in the north as its border. The existing day regions of Faizabad, Gonda, Basti, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradeshs Deoria and Saran in Bihar were components of the Kosala Empire. Mention of Saran District in Ain-E-Akbari is there. According to what is written in Ain-E-Akbari, the province of Bihar was composed by six Sarkars, out of which Saran was one of such. In 1765, the East India Company was given the grant of Diwani. During this time period, eight Sarkars were in existence, out of which Saran and Champaran were two. Afterwards, a solitary entity was created by amalgamating Saran and Champaran.

In 1829, establishment of Commissioners Division took place, along with the inclusion of Saran in the Patna Division. In 1866, the status of a distinct district was given to it, after cutting it out from Champaran. In 1908, Tirhut Division was constructed, while Saran became an element in the Tirhut Division at the same time. Saran, Siwan and Gopalganj were the three sub-divisions till then. The status of full district was given to the former Saran Districts each sub-division. Thus after the division, Chapra became the administrative headquarters of the recently made Saran District.