DARBHANGA, Bihar

Main Attraction: Rambagh Palace

Darbhnga is the seat of the Maharaja of Darbhanga.The Maharajas of Darbhanga have traditionally been very great patrons of art and literature.The estate was conferred upon by Emperor Akbar.There are a number of palaces built by successive Maharajas, important among them being Rambagh Palace, Nargauna Palace, Anandbagh Bhawan and Bela Palace. Situated in Darbhanga town the gate of Rambagh Palace is a massive structure which attracts persons coming to the town.

Brief History

The district takes its name from its only town, Darbhanga - the district headquarters, which is said to have been founded by one Darbhangi Khan, about whom practically nothing is known. It is also held that the name Darbhanga has been derived from Dwar Banga or Dar-i-Banga meaning “ the door to Bengal “. This derivation does not appear to be very correct as the division between Bengal and Bihar has always been much further to the east. However, the linguistic and cultural affinity with Bengal may be said to commence from here.

Early History

According to the District Gazetteer of Darbhanga, there are practically no prehistoric sites in the district though remains of the earliest aboriginal population can be seen in some parts of the district. Darbhanga lay on the great lines of Aryan immigration at a time when other parts of Bihar were outside the pale of Aryan influence. According to a legend, Darbhanga formed a part of the territory in which the Videhas settled on their migration from Punjab. They were guided to the east of the Gandak river by Agni, the God of fire, and told to settle there. Settlements were accordingly established and the kingdom of Videha founded. The kingdom included a greater portion of the modern district of Darbhanga. The kingdom, in course of time, came to be ruled by a successive line of kings commonly known as Janaks. Of them, Janak Siradhvaja was the father of Sita. Prominent among them were Yajnavalkya who codified the Hindu Law and Gautam ( the husband of Ahilya ) who has valuable philosophical treaties to his credit. King Janak himself was a great philosopher and his ideas have been eternally enshrined in the Upnishads.

In the course of time, the Videhan monarchy is believed to have been replaced by a Sangha or federation in the form of a republic. The establishment of the vrijjian republic (of which Videha was a part) marks the beginning of the historic period. The centre of power had, however, shifted to Vaishali and the Lichchhavis were the most prominent among the different clans that constituted the federation. The ascendancy of the Vrijjian republic was checked by Ajat-shatru, the Emperor of Magadh, who subdued and extended his control over north Bihar. This control, however, extended only to an acknowledgement of suzerainty; the small republics that had constituted the federation continued to flourish. In fact the continuous history of the Lichchhavis up to the Gupta period can be traced, with some certainty, presumably Darbhanga, like other parts of Bihar, passed through religious upheavals in the 6th century B.C. when Gautam Buddha and Mahavir Vardhamana expounded their doctrines. That the second Buddhist council took place at Vaishali (in the 4th century B.C.) indicates that Buddhism had entrenched itself in the area at that time.

The Sisunaga and Nanda empires included the Darbhanga district. Under the Mauryas, the administrative hold was further tightened and their rule was marked with stability and prosperity. Ashoka had visited Vaishali. The Sungas (who came to power in 185 B.C) and the Kanvas also held sway over the district. From the time of the Kushanas till the rise of Guptas, the history of the district remains more or less uneventful.

Matrimonial alliances with the Lichchhavis enabled the Guptas of Magadh to regain control over north Bihar which came to be known as Tirabhukti. Vaishali was the administrative headquarters of the Tirabhukti region. The Chinese pilgrim, Fa-Hien visited north Bihar during the reign of Chandragupta II. He observed that Buddhism was no longer as flourishing as in the past. The earlier renown of Darbhanga as the place of philosophers continued in Gupta period as well. Kumarila Bhatt was a prominent philosopher. With the decline of the Gupta Empire, local autonomy reasserted itself. Later, Harashavardhana (606-648 A.D) annexed Darbhanga. Hiuen Tsang visited the area in 635 A.D. After the death of Harshavardhana, due to friction with a Chinese mission, Tirhut was invaded and occupied by the combined forces of Tibet and Nepal. They were, however, driven off by Adityasena (672 A.D.) After the fall of the later Guptas Yasovarman of Kannauj (700-740 A.D.) ruled over the area. Tirhut came under the Pala Kings of Bengal in the 9th century. The Karnata or Simraon dynasty was founded in 1097 by Nanyadeva who had to face conflict with the Senas of Bengal.

Medieval Period

Nanyadeva became very powerful and eventually succeeded in extending his domain over the whole of Mithila and Nepal. One of his sons ruled over Nepal while, Ganga Deva, reigned in Mithila. The latter is known to be the first ruler to have constituted fiscal divisions for revenue administration. His kingdom was divided into Parganas which in turn were split up into a number of panchayats. Ganga Deva is attributed to have built fortresses in the village Lahera Raja in Bahera police station. He is also said to have excavated two large tanks, known as Ganga Sagar near Darbhanga railway station. Narsingh Deva ascended the throne on the death of his father Ganga Deva. He quarrelled with his kingsman in Nepal as a result of which Mithila and Nepal were separated for ever. He was succeeded by his son Ram Singh Deva, who was a great scholar of Vedic literature and an able administrator. During his time several commentaries on the Vedas were compiled and a code of conduct was drawn up for the guidance of Hindus in their religious and social activities. 

Ram Singh Deva is credited with the introduction of the system of patwaris or village accountants for the maintenance of village records. Hara Singh Deva was the last ruler of the dynasty. He is known to have excavated several tanks in the district, and to have prepared records of the caste subdivisions of the Maithil Brahmins and the Karna Kayasthas. It was during his rule, that Tughlak Shah led a successful military expedition to Tirhut in 1329. The fort of Ram Singh Deva was besieged but he himself managed to escape to Nepal. With the fall of the Simraon dynasty, Tirhut was annexed by the empire of Delhi. Different rulers, prominent among them being Kameshwar Thakur, Bhogiswar Thakur, Kirti singh and the most important of them Shiva Singh were made incharge of the territory. The tenure of the rulers depended on the pleasure of the “Emperor”. The territory was brought under the direct administration of the Muslim Governors in 1532.

Though Darbhanga, along with other parts of north Bihar, was annexed to the Mughal Empire, the control was very loose and the local chiefs exercised great power. North Bihar had many Afghan settlers. Their number had increased owing to the large-scale immigration of those who had refused to serve the Mughals. They were turbulent, and when Daud Khan the Afghan king of Bengal, rose in revolt in 1574, he got a band of ready supporters in them. When the Mughal generals failed to control the rebellion. Emperor Akbar himself led a large army to crush the aspiration of Daud Khan. The Afghans were defeated and Bihar was lost to them. Akbar created a separate Subah of Bihar and placed it under Mughal Governor. Darbhanga thereafter remained a part of the Mughal Subah. There was no event of great significance during the next century and a half until the arrival of the Britishers in the country.

The decisive victory of the British in the battle of Buxar in 1764 gave them undisputed sway over the lower provinces of Bengal. As a consequence, Darbhanga along with other parts of Bihar, passed under the control of the British. The history of the district thereafter is merged with the history of the British rule in India. After assuming control over the territory, the British took steps to consolidate their authority. Mithila, the enlightened home of Hindu culture and learning, had been ravaged by the Muslim and the Mughal armies from time to time. 

During the period of transition from the old order to the rule of the East India Company, lawlessness increased. The British administrators took steps to establish law and order immediately and the responsibility devolved upon them. Besides the troublemonger in Mithila, they had also to deal with the incursions of the Nepalese. The troubles with Nepal culminated in the Indo-Nepalese war. After having concluded peace with Nepal, the British administrators had a comparatively quiet time till the

1857 movement.

In 1857 patriotic fervour raged high in Darbhanga as in many other district of Bihar. The success of the rebel forces over Captain Dunbar at Dinapore gave great impetus to leaders of the freedom movement. The disillusioned zamindars were secretly supporting the cause. The Nepalese came to the aid to the British and with their support they succeeded in controlling the movement. Nothing very significant happened in the district during the next fifty years. Though the East India Company had succeeded in arresting the National Movement of 1857, the country’s resolve to free itself from foreign domination continued. 

In the beginning the patriotic fervour found expression through the establishment of schools, and other social institutions. The Saraswati Academy was founded in 1901 at Darbhanga. The call for non-co-operation found adequate response in the district of Darbhanga and many people volunteered to serve the cause championed by Mahatma Gandhi. Use of swadeshi goods was encouraged and Khadi became very popular, in August, 1926 a Khadi exhibition was opened at Laheriasarai by Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Mahatma Gandhi also paid a visit to the district in connection with his mission to popularise Khadi.

Soon Darbhanga became the nerve-centre of political awakening. It played a very prominent role in the freedom movement and some of the most important leaders of Bihar during that time, such as Late Braj Kishore Prasad, Dharnidhar Prasad, etc. lived here. Though the popular agitation was suppressed at times, the movement continued and finally culminated in the independence of the country in 1947.