Dashrath Manjhi was born into a poor labourer family in Gahlour village near Gaya in Bihar, India. Hiswife, Falguni Devi, died due to lack of medical treatment because the nearest town with a doctor was 70 kilometres (43 mi) away from their village in Bihar. Dashrath therefore decided to carve a mountain through the road so as no one would face a similar scenario to him.