Chhapra

Chhapra is a city and headquarters of Saran district in the state of Bihar, India. Chhapra is situated near the junction of the Ghaghara River and The Ganges River. Chhapra was the headquarter of district called Saran. Later, the district was divided into three separate districts: Chapra, Siwan, and Gopalganj.

Chhapra grew in importance as a river mart in the 18th century when the Dutch, French, Portuguese, and English established saltpeter refineries there. It was constituted a municipality in 1864. The town has major rail and road connections with the rest of India.

Various hypothesis have been put forward about the origin of the name Saran(Chhapra). General Cunningham suggested that Saran was earlier known as SARAN or asylum which was a name given to a stupa (Pillar) built by emperor Ashoka. Another view holds that the name SARAN has been derived from SARANGA- ARANYA or the deer forest, the district being famous for its wide expanses of forest and deer in prehistoric times.