Dashrath Manjhi was born in 1934 into a poor labourer family in Gahlour village near Gaya

Gaya, India

Gaya is the second largest city of Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District.Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River , it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions...

 in Bihar

Bihar

Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

. Dashrath Manjhi was also known as Mountain Man.

Dashrath Manjhi's claim to fame has been the herculean task of single-handedly carving a 360 feet (109.7 m), 25 feet (7.6 m) and 30 feet (9.1 m) road by cutting a mountain of Gehlour hills with a hammer, chisel and nails working day and night for 22 years from 1960 to 1982. This passage reduced the distance between Atri and Wazirganj blocks of Gaya district

Gaya District

Gaya is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. The district is having a common boundary with the Jharkhand state in the south. Gaya city is its largest city and the district headquarters.-History:...

 from 75 km to just ten km, bringing him international acclaim. He died on August 18, 2007 at the age of 80 years. He was given a state burial by the Government of Bihar

Government of Bihar

The Government of Bihar, known locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Bihar and its 38 districts of its divisions...

.

In popular culture

In July 2010, director Manish Jha

Manish Jha

Manish Jha is an Indian film director and screenwriter, most known for his films, A Very Very Silent Film and Matrubhoomi-A Nation Without Women which won him critical acclaim.-Early life and education:...

 announced a film, Manjhi, based on the life of Dashrath Manjhi, the film is produced by Sanjay Singh, who previously produced Udaan

Udaan (2010 film)

Udaan is a 2010 Hindi film produced by Sanjay Singh, Anurag Kashyap, and Ronnie Screwvala; and directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. The film was officially selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard category at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.- Plot :17-year-old Rohan is expelled from the reputed...

(2010) and Manoj Bajpai

Manoj Bajpai

Manoj Bajpai , also credited as Manoj Bajpayee, is an Indian film actor, known for playing offbeat and unconventional roles. He first shot into fame with his breakthrough role in Ram Gopal Varma's 1998 film Satya.-Early life:...

is slated to play the lead.