Identify the region from where Europeans got best shora (Saltpetre) and opium –

Key Fact(s)

The Bihar region of eastern India was the most important source of high-quality saltpetre (shora) and opium for European powers during the early modern period. Areas around Patna, Benares, and the middle Ganga plain were especially renowned for saltpetre, a crucial ingredient in gunpowder.

European companies such as the Dutch, English, and French established factories in this region to secure supplies. Opium cultivated here later became central to British trade with China. Control over Bihar’s production zones gave Europeans significant military and commercial advantages. Thus, Bihar emerged as a strategic economic region in colonial trade networks.