Rohtas district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar State. It is a part of Patna Division, and has an area of 3850 km⊃2;, a population of 29,59,918 (2011 census). The language spoken in this district is Bhojpuri. The administrative headquarters of the district, Sasaram, is a place of historical importance. Another important symbol of national pride are the parallel bridges built over the Sone River– one for road and another for railway. The road bridge (Jawahar Setu over Sone was the longest (3061 m) in Asia until it was surpassed by the Mahatma Gandhi setu (5475 m) over the river Ganga at Patna. Nehru Setu, the railway bridge is the second longest railway bridge in India. It is also home to the Rohtasgarh fort, which was one of the strongest forts in the medieval age. The present district of Rohtas formed a part of the Magadh Empire since 6th B.C. to 5th Century A.D. under the pre Mauryans. Rohtas District was created in 1972 for the sake of administrative convenience by splitting up the earlier district of Shahabad. Bhojpur and Buxar districts on north, on the south Plamu and Garwah districts, on the east Aurangabad and part of Gaya district and on the west Kaimur district surround Rohtas.
The district is famous for agricultural purposes mainly in the productivity of paddy and wheat crops and also known as Bowl of rice (Dhan ka Katora) in the State of Bihar. Rohtas has a fairly good system of road communication. The Grand Trunk Road traverses within the district. It serves as the main road link between Kolkatta and Delhi. It has undoubtedly been this high diversity within its boundaries that has so often made Rohtas in the frontier line of Indian civilization.