Saran district is one of 38 districts in Bihar. Located in the east of the state, it is also known as Chhapra district and has three subdivisions: Chhapra, Marhaura and Sonepur. The etymological origins of Saran are contested between two different viewpoints.
The first camp believes the version supplied by the British Army officer and archaeologist Sir Alexander Cunningham (1814-1893). He ascribed it to the Hindi word for asylum, sharan, due to the presence of a Ashoka Pillar in the area. However, it is more popularly believed that the word derives from sarangaranya, which means 'deer forest'.