MUZAFFARPUR, Bihar

Main Attraction: Litchi Orchard

The litchi crop, which is available from May to June, is mainly cultivated in the districts of Muzaffarpur and surrounding districts, in an area of about 25,800 hectare producing about 300,000 tonnes every year. Litchi is exported to big cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and to other countries. India's share in the world litchi market is very low. The names of the litchi produced in Muzaffarpur are Shahi and China. The fruits are known for excellent aroma, colour and quality. Its cultivation was started in India in the eighteenth century in the state of Tripura through China. Muzaffarpur is holding the top place in Bihar where the productivity of this fruit is 12 metric tonne per hectare. The Sahi variety of litchi of this place is famous throughout the world. Besides this it has some other important varieties also which are grown here. Litchi plantation requires a special type of climate which is not available in many parts of the country. Recently Litchi Research Centre has been established at Muzaffarpur by the Central Government to promote its quality and trade.

Brief History

The district of Muzaffarpur forms part of the North Bihar plains and is located centrally in Tirhut Division. The old Muzaffarpur district was created in 1875 for the sake of administrative convenience by splitting up the earlier district of Tirhut. It was named after its principal city, Muzaffarpur, founded in the 18th century by Muzaffar Khan, an amil (revenue farmer). After formation of Sitamarhi and Vaishali distircts (which earlier were subdivision of Muzaffarpur district) in the year 1972 as a result of reorganisation of districts in the State, Muzaffarpur district now has 2 subdivisions, viz., Muzaffarpur East and Muzaffarpur West consisting of 9 and 7 development blocks respectively.

The district is bounded on the north by Purba Champaran, Sheohar and Sitamarhi districts, on the south by the district of Vaishali, and part of Saran district, on the east by the district of Darbhanga and Samastipur (part) and on the west by Saran and Gopalganj districts. The headquarters of both the subdivision are located in Muzaffarpur town which is the principal city and also the headquarters of the district.

The name of the district, as stated earlier, has been derived after its principal city, Muzaffarpur. The earlier part of the history of the district as described in the 1961 District Census Handbook mentions that little is known about the original inhabitants of this ancient land of North Bihar. Glimpses of its early history can, however, be had from the accounts and legends preserved in the Vedic literature. According to an account, the Videhas of Aryan stock accompanied by Agni, the God of fire, marched eastwards from the banks of the river Saraswati. On reaching the banks of Gandak they were told by Agni to settled to the east of that river, which they did. They cleared the marshes and took up cultivation. They also founded a powerful kingdom which later came to be ruled by the great king Janak, whose daughter Sita was married to Lord Rama. The kingdom of Janak, known as Mithila, was the most progressive of the contemporary kingdoms. The court of the king of Mithila was a great centre of learning to which scholars from different parts of the country were drawn. Yajnavalkya, the famous swage who undertook the revision of Yajurveda, was the chief priest of king Janak.

The recorded history of the district dates back to the rise of the Vrijjian Republic which replaced the Videhan monarchy. The centre of power also shifted from Mithila to Vaishali, the capital of the Republic, which is identified with the modern Basarh in Hajipur subdivision. The Vrijjian Republic was a confederation of eight clans, of which the Lichchhavis were the most important. They gradually gained strength and came in conflict with the powerful kingdom of Magadh. Bimbisar (Circa 519 B.C.), the founder of Magadh imperialism, had secured his position by concluding matrimonial alliances with the neighbouring Estates of the Kosalas and the Lichchhavis. But after he was assassinated by his son Ajatshatru, Vaishali was invaded and Ajatshatru extended his sway over Tirhut. It was at this time that the foundation of Patliputra (the modern Patna) was laid at the village Patali on the banks of the river Ganga. Ajatshatru built a fortress here to keep watch over the Lichchhavis on the other side of the river.

Medieval period

There is a great dearth of material on the history of North Bihar from the visit of Hiuen Tsang till the rise of the Pala dynasty. During Hiuen Tsang’s visit, Muzaffarpur was under the control of Harsha, a powerful sovereign of North India (606-647 A.D.) After his death, the district passed on to the local chiefs. In the 8th century A.D,. Gopala the first of the Pala Kings, became the ruler of Bengal. He extended his authority over Bihar in about 750 A.D. The Palas continued to have their hold over Tirhut until 1019 A.D. when the Chedi kings (of Central India) established their sway. They were replaced towards the close of the 11th century by the rulers of the Sena dynasty. Mithila became the north-western province of their kingdom. Lakshman Sena was a powerful king of this dynasty. His reign is still commemorated in some parts of North Bihar by the use of the Lakshman Sena era, the first year of which corresponds to 1119-20 A.D. (probable year of the coronation of Lakshman sena). 

Muslim Period

Ghias-ud-din Iwaz, the Governor of Bengal between 1211 and 1226, was the first Muslim invader in Tirhut. He subdued the Raja of Tirhut and extorted tributes from him. Iwaz, however, could not succeed in conquering the kingdom. It was only in 1323 that Ghias-ud-din Tughlak succeeded in establishing his sway over the district. The history of Muzaffarpur will not be completed without a reference to the Simraon dynasty which was founded by one Nana or a Nanya Deva about the time Ghias-ud-din Iwaz invaded Tirhut. Nana established himself at Simraon in the north-east part of Champaran and eventually succeeded in extending his power over the whole of Mithila and Nepal. It is said that one of his sons ruled over Nepal, while another, Ganga Deva, reigned over Mithila. He is considered to be the first to have constituted fiscal divisions for revenue administration in Bihar. His kingdom was split up into Parganas which in turn comprised of several Panchayats. While a Choudhary or headman was appointed to collect revenue from each Pargana, the Panchayats were elected to settle disputes. Narsimha Deva succeeded his father, Ganga Deva as the ruler of Mithila. He quarrelled with his kinsman, the ruler of Nepal, with the result that Mithila and Nepal were separated for ever. Ramasimha of this dynasty was an able administrator and a great patron of Vedic literature. During his period numerous commentaries on Vedas were compiled and a code of conduct was drawn for the guidance of the Hindus in this religious and social life. He is also credited with the introduction of the system of Patwaris or village accountants who were paid ten rupees per month from the village funds. 

Harasimha Deva, grandson of Ramasimha Deva was the last king of the dynasty. It was during his regime that Tughlak Shah invaded Tirhut in 1323. He seized the fort of the king who fled away to Nepal. With the fight of Harasimha Deva the Muslim emperors of Delhi gained control over the territory. Tughlak Shah made Kameshwari Thakur incharge of Tirhut and thus was founded the Thakur dynasty which ruled over Tirhut till the early years of the 16th century. Though sovereignty had passed on to the Muslims, the Hindu chiefs enjoyed complete autonomy and their possessions remained undisturbed.

The whole of North Bihar appears to have passed to the kings of Jaunpur towards the close of the 14th century. It remained under them for about a hundred years until Emperor Sikandar Lodi of Delhi defeated the king of Jaunpur and retrieved the territory. Meanwhile, the king of Bengal, Hussain Shah, had become quite powerful. He extended his power over large tracts in Bihar. Hence, after his victory over the king of Jaunpur, the Emperor advanced against Hussain Shah in 1499. Hussain Shah found it difficult to resist the imperial forces and offered to withdraw from Bihar, Tirhut and the Sarkar Saran, provided the Emperor agreed do desist from interfering with his possessions in Bengal. The terms were agreed to and a treaty was accordingly concluded at Barh. Having thus got control over Tirhut, Siknadar Lodi marched with his forces to establish his authority. He defeated the Raja of Tirhut who was let off after a handsome ransom was realised from him. The treaty, however, could not last long. The kings of Bengal after trading Tirhut in the early 16th century made Alauddin, the Governmor of Tirhut. The power of kings of Bengal waning and, with the fall of Mahmood Shah, North Bihar became a part of the Mughal Empire. But though Muzaffarpur, and with it the entire North Bihar, had been annexed, the control was tenuous and petty chieftains continued to be powerful. The whole of North Bihar contained a large number of Afgan settlers whose numbers had increased owing to the immigration of those who had refused to serve the Mughals defeated Daud Khan, who had his strong hold at Patna and Hajipur. After the fall of the Afghan king, a separate Subha of Bihar was constituted and placed under a Mughal Governor. Tirhut formed part of this Subah.

English Period

The victory of the English in 1764 in the battle of Buxar gave them control over the whole of Bihar. After establishing their authority the English took steps to strengthen their hold. In course of time they emerged as rulers and succeeded in subduing the entire district. But when they wanted to extend their authority over Nepal, the Gurkhas proved a hard not to crack. They retaliated by seizing about 200 villages between 1787 and 1813. Th English complained of raids from Nepal in 1815 also. All this lad to the Nepal war which eventually ended with the establishment of peace with Nepal. There was no vent of great consequence in the district after the conclusion of treaty with Nepal until the Movement of 1857.

The success of the insurgents at Delhi caused great concern to the English inhabitants in the district. The entire district and the Indian forces stationed in it were already indignant, and at an opportune moment the 12th Irregular Cavalry revolted, seized the mail and attacked the treasury, jail and administrative offices. But the arrival of Gurkha troops from Nepal enabled the English to crush India’s first attempt to gain independence. Revolutionary fervour was, however, beginning to permeate the country. Muzaffarpur also played its role and was the site of the famous Bomb case of 1908. A bomb was thrown at the carriage of Pringle Kennedy, a leading member of the Muzaffarpur Bar. He was actually mistaken for Kingford, the District Judge of Muzaffarpur. Kingford had inflicted very deterrent punishment on young Bengali revolunaries while he was the Chief Presidency Magistrate of Calcutta, and the bomb was actually mean for him. Khudi Ram Bose, a boy of barely 18 years, was hanged for throwing the bomb. After independence, a memorial to this young

patriot was constructed at Muzaffarpur.

The political awakening in the country in the period after the First World War stimulated nationalist movement in the Muzaffarpur District also. The Congress gave a call for non-co-operation with the Government in all matters. The visit of Mahatma Gandhi to Muzaffarpur in December, 1920 and again in January, 1927 had immense effect in arousing the latent feelings of the people. There was encouraging response and numerous persons came forward to serve the cause of the nation under the inspiring leadership of the Mahatma. The district continued to play a prominent role in the country’s struggle for freedom. On the 15th of August, 1947, when the country became independent, the occasion was celebrated with great enthusiasm at Muzaffarpur.