DHANBAD

town, eastern Bihar state, northeastern India. It lies in the Damodar River valley near the Jharia coalfield and is an important agricultural-trade centre. The Indian School of Mines, affiliated with the University of Bihar, and the Central Fuel Research Institute are located there. The Damodar River, which crosses from east to west the region in which Dhanbad is sited, is flanked by irrigation tanks and fields of rice, corn (maize), and oilseeds. The nearby Jharia and Raniganj coalfields have helped make the region India's leading coal producer. Pop. (1981) town, 120,221; metropolitan area, 678,069.