In 1866 Champaran was made into a district with Motihari as its headquarters. On 1 December 1977, the Champaran district was divided into two districts - Purbi Champaran (East Champaran) and Paschimi Champaran (West Champaran). Motihari and Bettiah became headquarters of East Champaran district and West Champaran district respectively. The municipality of Motihari was established in 1879. Though no authentic data is available, one of the oldest structures in Motihari appears to be the Briksha Sthan Math, a temple of the guardian deity of Motihari, dating back to 1805. During the British era, the town flourished and it became one of the important centers in North Bihar
