Raj Darbhanga
Encyclopedia
Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Royal Family of Darbhanga, were a family of Zamindar
s and rulers of territories that are now part of Mithila
and Darbhanga district
, Bihar
, India
. Their seat was at the city of Darbhanga
. The estate of Darbhanga Raj was estimated to cover an area of 2410 square miles (6,241.9 km²), incorporating 4,495 villages within 18 circles in Bihar and Bengal
and employing over 7,500 officers to manage the estate. It was the largest zamindari in India and was the best managed estate at the time of abolition of Zamindari. The Raj Darbhanga trace their origin to Mahesh Thakur at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
. Tughlaq had attacked and taken control of Bihar, and from the end of the Tughlaq Empire until the establishment of the Mughal Empire
in 1526 there was anarchy and chaos in Bihar. Emperor Akbar (ruled 1556–1605) realized that taxes from Mithila could only be collected if there was a Brahmin
king who could ensure peace in the Mithila region. The Brahmins were dominant in the Mithila region and Mithila had Brahmin kings in the past.
Emperor Akbar summoned Rajpandit (Royal Priest) Chandrapati Thakur to Delhi from Garh Mangala (now in Madhya Pradesh
) and asked him to name one of his sons who could be made caretaker and tax collector for his lands in Mithila. Chandrapati Thakur named his middle son, Mahesh Thakur, and Emperor Akbar declared Pandit Mahesh Thakur as the caretaker of Mithila on the day of Ram Navami in 1577 AD. A poet has written about this event:
The family and descendants of Mahesh Thakur gradually consolidated their power in social, agrarian, and political matters and came to be regarded as kings of Madhubani
. Darbhanga became the seat of power of the Raj Darbhanga family from 1762. They also had a palace at Rajnagar Bihar
situated in Madhubani district
. They bought land from local people. They became known as a Khandavala family (the richest landlord). This family was not regarded as kings by the British Raj
but they were allowed to use the prefix Maharaja
, and later Maharajadhiraj, by the British. There is no documentation for this as it was a verbal commitment. Although the British never granted them formal status as a ruling princely state
, they had all the trappings of a princely state.
For a period of twenty years (1860–1880), Darbhanga Raj was placed under Ward of Court by the British government. During this period, Darbhanga Raj was involved in litigation regarding succession. This litigation decided that the estate was impartible and succession was to be governed by primogeniture.
The estate of Darbhanga Raj was estimated to cover an area of 2410 square miles (6,241.9 km²). It had an indigo
concern in Sarahia and Bachaur in Muzaffarpur district
, Pandaul in Madhubani District, and Gonswara in Purnea district. Raj Darbhanga started several companies. Newspaper & Publication Pvt. Ltd. published newspapers and periodicals such as The Indian Nation
, Aryavarta, and Mithila Mihir. The Walford company was a chain of automobile dealterships having branches at Calcutta, Guwahati, and Imphal. The family owned Ashok Paper Mills, Pandaul Sugar Factory, Sakri Sugar Factory, and others. Darbhanga Raj contained 4,495 villages under 18 circles in Bihar and Bengal and employed over 7,500 officers to manage the estate. Darbhanga Raj was said to be the best managed estate at the time of abolition of Zamindari.
Raj Darbhanga had several Palaces in Darbhanga: Rambagh Palace, Lakshmeshwar Vilas Palace, Nargona Palace, Bela Palace, and at Rajnagar in Madhubani District. Raj Darbhanga had properties at almost every prominent city in British India.
Raj Darbhanga under Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh
(1858–1898) and Maharaja Rameshwar Singh became a model estate in India. Several works pertaining to famine relief, road construction, and canal and bridge construction were carried out. Raj Darbhanga came to be known for its benevolent management. During the Bihar famine of 1873–74
Maharaj Lakshmeshwar Singh contributed Rs.300,000.00 towards relief works.
The Maharajas of Darbhanga were devoted to Sanskrit
traditions and maintained an orthodox viewpoint of religion and caste. However, their views did not prevent them from having a broader nationalistic outlook. Even though the Royal Family of Darbhanga's contribution to the Indian independence movement
is ignored, the Maharajas of Darbhanga, while maintaining their loyalty to the British government, were major financial supporters of the Indian National Congress
. In a letter dated 21 March 1947 Mahatma Gandhi acknowledged his friendship with the royal family of Darbhanga and said Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Bahadur was as a son to him.
After the independence of India from British rule in 1947, the Government of India initiated several land reform actions and the Zamindari system was abolished. The fortunes of Darbhanga Raj dwindled.
The last Maharaja of Darbhanga Raj was Maharaja Bahadur Sir Kameshwar Singh, K.C.I.E. He died heirless.
to Pandit Mahesh Thakur by Emperor Akbar. The supporters of the theory that Raj Darbhanga was a kingdom argue that it was held by privy council that the rulership was a heridatory one with succession governed by primogeniture. The supporters argue that by the end of the eighteenth Century, the Sarkar of Tirhut was practically an independent kingdom until the conquest of Bengal and Bihar by the British.
The opponents of the theory argue that Raj Darbhanga was never a kingdom but was a zamindari with all the trappings of princely state
. The rulers of Raj Darbhanga were the largest land owners in India, and thus were called Raja, and later Maharaja and Maharajadhiraja. However they were never given the status of ruling prince. Further, after conquest of Bengal and Bihar, the British Raj initiated permanent settlement, and the Raja of Darbhanga was recognised only as a Zamindar.
The references in this article to the Estate of Darbhanga as Raj Darbhanga or the ruler thereof as King of Darbhanga or Maharaja Darbhanga is not meant to comment of on this controversy but to present the facts and history in a manner as generally understood in the region of Darbhanga.
riding the waves. The second insignia was a Ganges river dolphin inside a six pointed star. The third insignia was a variation of second one with the fish curved upwards.
Gandhi, in an interview during his visit to Bihar in 1947, said that the Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was an extremely good person and like a son to him.
For earlier dynasties ruling Mithila region, see Kings of Mithila
.
Roper Lethbridge
said about Lakshmivilas Palace: "The new Palace at Darbhanga, with its immense stables, its botanical and zoological gardens, and its many beautiful surroundings, is well known in England by the sketches that have appearerd in the London illustrated papers."
Dharbanga Raj had several Palaces in other towns in India.
in 1885. Raj Darbhanga was one of the major donors to the party despite maintaining his proximity to the British Raj. Among his beneficiaries were stalwarts of the independence movement such as Dr Rajendra Prasad
, Abul Kalam Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Mahatma Gandhi
. During British rule, the Congress Party wanted to hold their annual convention in Allahabad but they were denied permission by the Government to use any public place for this purpose. The Maharaja of Darbhanga bought an area and allowed Congress to hold their annual convention there. The annual convention of Congress of 1892 was held on December 28 on the grounds of Lowther Castle, purchased by the then Maharaja of Darbhanga. The area was leased to the Indian National Congress by the Maharaja to thwart any attempts by British officials to deny the Indian National Congress a place to hold their annual conventions.
The Kings of Raj Darbhanga were Brahmins by caste. Mithila was a centre of knowledge from time immemorial, and the kings promoted knowledge, arts, and crafts in every possible manner. This has had a profound effect on society of Mithila. Even today, a person's social standing is considered more by his knowledge than by any wealth he has acquired.
The Maharajas of Darbhanga and Darbhanga Raj were looked upon as the embodiment of Mithila and the Maithili language
by people in the region. The Maharaja was the hereditary head of Maithil Mahasabha, a writers' organisation. Maharaja and Raj Darbhanga played a prominent role in the revival of the Maithili language and its literature.
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was a nationalist, and espoused the cause of the Hindi language along with Maithili. This caused anguish to the leaders of the Maithili movement. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh called for the people to start using Devanagari
script rather than tirhuta script for writing in Maithili. Today, people write Maithili using the Devanagari script and efforts are being made to revive the Tirhuti script. In 1931, the then Maharaja of Darbhanga, Kameshwar Singh Bahadur, made an endowment of Rs. One lakh
to Patna University to create a Maithili development fund. This had the desired result of a spurt in literary activities and publications, and ultimately the language came to be recognized in the field of higher education in 1937.
The views of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh did not gain popularity with the people except for the call to use the Devanagri script. He effectively became the leader of a small elite group having a pan-nationalistic agenda rather than a popular king of the masses. He lost in the general election in Bihar in 1952 despite being one of the biggest philanthropists and progressive-minded kings in pre-independence India.
A former Secretary of Maithil Mahasabha said Darbhanga Kameshwar Singh "was a great nationalist, one of the founders of Indian National Congress. Now he worked for national integration. So he removed the claim of Maithili itself and fought for Hindi. We have a script of our own, but when he established a printing press here [in Darbhanga], he established a Hindi printing press. A great contribution to national integration but a loss for Mithila."
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh published Mithila Mihir, a Maithili periodical, starting in 1908. Mithila Mihir was published by Newspaper and Publications Pvt. Ltd, by one of the companies owned by Raj Darbhanga. Publication of Mithila Mihir was continued until the 1980s and intermittently thereafter. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh made a provision in his will for its continued publication.
The kings of Darbhanga were of the Brahimin caste. Shiva
and Kali
were the main deities of the royal family. Even though they were deeply religious, they were also secular in their outlook. The palace area in Darbhanga has three tombs of Muslim saints and a small mosque. The walls of fort at Darbhanga was designed to leave an area so that the mosque is not disturbed. The tomb of a Muslim saint is located next to Anandbagh Palace.
As part of their attempt to reintroduce old Hindu customs such as the study of Vedas
and Vedic rites, the Maharaja reintroduced Samavedic study by inviting a few well-versed Samavedins from south India to teach there.
Maharaja Rameshwar Singh established and was general president of Sri Bharat Dharma Mahamadal, a neo-conservative Hindi organization that sought to make Hindu scriptures available to all castes and women. He was one of the main patrons of Agamanusandhana Samiti, an organisation with the objective of publishing Tantric texts in English and other languages.
Most of the Hindu population in Mithila region follow the Mithila School of Hindu personal law, a set of laws governing the religious, personal, and cultural aspects of society. Hindu personal law varies from region to region. Under the Mithila school of Hindu personal law, a person can only marry someone who is seven generations removed from their father's side and five generations removed from their mother's side.
A system of keeping the genealogical trees was maintained by people known as Panjikaar. They maintained geneacological records of every Brahmin family in Mithila. Any Maithil Brahmin could approach the Panjikaars and get the list of eligible spouses for their children. The list authenticated that the prospective spouse was not within prohibited degrees of relationship.
During the days of the Raj, a Shrotriya Brahmin had to apply to the Maharaja of Darbhanga for approval of an intended marriage, giving details of the bride and groom along with a certificate from the Panjikaar stating that the bride and groom were not within the prohibited degrees of relationship. The priest would get the marriage formalized only after the Maharaja's approval was received. Records of every marriage were kept by Raj Darbhanga. This also served as a register of marriages amongst Shrotriya Brahmins. The Parnami System became defunct after the death of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Bahadur in 1962.
struck northern Bihar on 15 January 1934. The earthquake destroyed many cities, towns, and villages. Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur
were the most affected towns. Darbhanga town was almost completely destroyed. It is estimated that over 1,500 people lost their lives in Darbhanga and over 2,000 in Muzaffarpur. Most of the buildings destroyed were made of mud. However, it also destroyed buildings made using modern construction technologies. Lakshmeshwar Vilas Palace was rendered uninhabitable. Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) was completely destroyed and was never rebuilt. Rambagh Palace also suffered extensive damage.
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was not in Darbhanga at the time earthquake struck. He immediately returned to Darbhanga when he heard the news. A survey was authorised by Maharaja Kameshwar Singh investigating the cause of the collapsed buildings. The report stated the major factor that led to the death of many people was the fact that the buildings were constructed in narrow lanes and the people could not reach any open space. They therefore got trapped in the falling debris. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh planned to make Darbhanga a modern city with proper town planning and infrastructure to prevent such large scale casualty in the future. With his active support, the Darbhanga Improvement Act was passed which constituted a trust for replanning the congested areas in the town of Darbhanga.
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh created a taskforce for acquisition of land for subsequent improvement of Darbhanga. However, this act was misunderstood by the people as an indirect method of acquiring their property for his own personal gain. This led to massive protests and Maharaja Rameshwar Singh finally abandoned the plan.
After the earthquake, Raj Darbhanga constructed several major buildings in town. The Lakshmeshwar Vilas Palace and Rambagh Palace were rebuilt. A new Palace named Nargona was constructed for Maharaja Kameshwar Singh. Bela Palace was built for the Maharaja's younger brother. The Raj Palace Grounds was a major scene of construction activities. The Raj Head Office Building (now housing the head office of L. N. Mithila University), the European Guest House, Indra Bhawan, Printing Press, Indian Guest House, and Chowringhee were also constructed into an integrated complex. Staff quarters were constructed near the Palace Grounds using the latest construction technology. These staff quarters were connected by wide roads and were surrounded by open space.
Raj Darbhanga initiated several public benefit programmes to help people rebuild their houses as well as the general infrastructure of city. Tower Chowk was built as a market hub of Darbhanga.
, Patna University, Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University, Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital
, Lalit Narayan Mithila University
, Aligarh Muslim University
, and many other educational institutions in India.
Maharaja Rameshwar Singh Bahadur was a major donor and supporter of Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya for starting Banaras Hindu University
; he donated Rs.5,000,000 start-up funds and assisted in the fundraising campaign. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was also the Pro-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University.
Maharaja Rameshwar Singh donated Darbhanga House (Navlakha Palace) at Patna
to Patna University. The Maharaja played an important role getting Maithili introduced as a subject in Patna University, and in 1920, he donated Rs.500,000.00 to establish Patna Medical College Hospital, the single highest contributor.
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh donated his ancestral house, Anand Bag Palace, on 30 March 1960, along with a rich library and land surrounding the palace to establish Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University. Nargona Palace and the Raj Head Office were donated in 1972 to the Government of Bihar. The buildings are now part of Lalit Narayan Mithila University. Raj Darbhanga donated 70,935 books to Lalit Narain Mithila University for its library.
Raj School in Darbhanga was founded by Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur. This school was established to provide the English medium of education and to introduce modern teaching methods in Mithila. Several other schools were also opened throughout Raj Darbhanga.
Raj Darbhanga was a major donor to Calcutta University, and the central library building of Calcutta University is called the Darbhanga Building.
In 1951, Mithila Snatkottar Shodh Sansthan (the Mithila Post-Graduate Research Institute), located at Kabraghat, was established on the initiative of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, first President of India. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh donated a building along with 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land and a garden of mango and litchi trees located beside the Bagmati river in Darbhanga to this institution.
The Maharajas of Darbhanga were the main patrons, trustees, and financiers of Mahakali Pathshala, a school established by Mst. Gangabai in 1839 for promoting education for women. Similarly many colleges like Bareilly College
, Bareilly
received substantial donations from Maharajas of Darbhanga.
Maharani Rameshwari Bhartiya Chikitsa Vigyan Sansthan at Mohanpur is named after the wife of Maharaja Rameshwar Singh.
from the late 18th century. The kings of Raj Darbhanga were great patrons of music, art, and culture. Several famous musicians were associated with Raj Darbhanga. Prominent amongst them were Ustad Bismillah Khan, Gauhar Jaan
, Pandit Ram Chatur Mallik, Pandit Rameshwar Pathak
, and Pandit Siya Ram Tiwari. Raj Darbhanga was a main patron of Dhrupad
, a vocal style in Hindustani classical music. A major school of Dhrupad today is known as Darbhanga Gharana. Today there are three major gharanas of Dhrupad in India: Dagar Gharana, Mishras of Bettiah Raj
(Bettiah Gharana), and the Mallicks of Darbhanga (Darbhanga Gharana).
According to S. M. Ghosh (quoted in 1896) Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh was a good sitar
player.
Ustad Bismillah Khan was a court musician of Raj Darbhanga for several years. He had spent his childhood in Darbhanga.
Gauhar Jaan
gave her first performance before the Maharaja of Darbhanga in 1887 and was appointed as court musician. Pandit Rameshwar Pathak, one of the foremost Sitar players of the early 20th century, was court musician in Raj Darbhanga.
Raj Darbhanga supported Murad Ali Khan, brother of Nanhe Khan of Gwalior. Murad Ali Khan was one of the foremost sarod
players of his time. Murad Ali Khan is credited with being the first person to use metal strings and metal fingerboard plates on his sarod, which has today become the standard.
Kundan Lal Sehgal was a friend of Raja Bisheshwar Singh, younger brother of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh. Whenever the two met the Bela Palace at Darbhanga witnessed long sessions of conversations and renditions of ghazal
s and thumri
s. K. L. Sehgal attended the marriage of Raja Bahadur, and took out his harmonium and sang "Babul Mora Naihar Chhuto Hee Jaye" at the wedding.
Raj Darbhanga had its own symphony orchestra and police band. There was a circular structure in front of Manokamna Temple, which was known as the Band Stand. The band use to play music there in the evening. Today the floor of bandstand is the only part still extant.
Newspaper & Publications Pvt. Ltd.
Newspaper & Publications Pvt. Ltd. published two newspapers from Patna, Bihar. The Indian Nation
was an English daily newspaper while Aryavarta was a Hindi daily newspaper. It also published Mithila Mihir, a periodical in the Maithili language, and The Dove, a monthly magazine in English. During their heyday, the two newspapers almost had a monopoly in Bihar. The company is no longer publishing any newspapers or magazines.
Walford
Walford was a chain of automobile dealerships. It had showrooms at Kolkata, Guwahati, and Imphal.
Darbhanga Aviations
Raj Darbhanga had four Douglas DC-3 aircraft (2 No.s of C-47A-DL and 1 No. of C-47A-DK) and ran an airline, Darbhanga Aviations, from 1950 to 1962. These airplanes were purchased from the United States Air Force. One of these planes (Registration number VT-DEM) was destroyed in an accident near Calcutta in 1954. This plane was on scheduled domestic service out of Calcutta, India, when it crashed on takeoff. The No.1 engine of the plane caught fire immediately after takeoff from Calcutta runway 19R. The aircraft failed to gain height, stalled, and crashed into some trees 3330 feet (1,015 m) past the end of the runway. Two of the eight passengers and all three crew members aboard were killed. The six surviving passengers were all critically injured. Although the engine fire was the primary cause of the crash, the pilot was also cited for a delay in feathering the engine and for the extreme nose-up altitude of the plane during takeoff.
The second airplane, bearing registration No. VT-AYG, crashed on 24 May 1962 near Rajshahi in Bangladesh. The cause of the crash has been attributed to fatigue failure of the no.1 engine, forcing the crew of the DC-3 to continue on a single engine (no. 2). The remaining engine lost power due to overheating, resulting in crash of the aircraft.
The third aircraft (registration No. VT-DEM) was taken over by the Indian Air Force.
The fourth aircraft (registration No.VT-AZX) was sold to Kalinga Airlines.
Raj Darbhanga maintained two airstrips at Darbhanga and Madhubani. The airstrip at Darbhanga is now under control of the Indian Air Force, while the airstrip at Madhubani is under control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Ashok Paper Mills
Ashok Paper Mills manufactured newsprint. It was later taken over by Government of Bihar, and is now closed.
Sakri Sugar Factory and Pandaul Sugar Factory
Both these factories were nationalized and taken over by Government of Bihar.
Rameshwar Jute Mills
The jute mills located in outskirts of Calcutta were sold to the Birlas in 1960.
British India Corporation
The British India Corporation was a large business with several mills and factories in Kanpur and other parts of north India. The controlling stake was held by the Maharaja of Darbhanga.
Octavius Steel
This organisation was a large Calcutta managing agency with interests in engineering, tea, sugar, and other products. The Maharaja of Darbhanga had a large financial stake in this company.
Thacker Spink & Co (P) Ltd
This Calcutta-based publishing house was owned by the Darbhanga Raj and it published many books.
Darbhanga Investments Private Ltd
This company was the investment arm of Raj Darbhanga, and held shares of various companies, including companies of the Tata Group.
Darbhanga Dairy Farm (P) Ltd
This was a dairy farm owned by Darbhanga Raj. The company held dairy farms in Darbhanga and Jamshedpur.
Darbhanga Marketing Ltd
This was a Calcutta based marketing company. It is now a part of KK Birla Group.
Tirhoot State Rly
This company promoted a railway line in north Bihar. The first railway line in north Bihar between Darbhanga and Bajitpur on the banks of the Ganges opposite Barh was built in 1874 at the prompting of the Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh under auspices of Tirhoot State Railway. In 1874, Tirhoot State Railway opened meter gauge rail lines to Samastipur and Darbhanga.
s, one for broad gauge railway tracks and the other for meter gauge railway tracks. These railroad cars are presently lying in a dilapidated condition at the Barauni
railway yard.
Raja Bishweshwar Singh was one of the founding members of the All India Football Federation
, the prime governing body for football in India. Raja Bahadur, along with Rai Bahadur JP Sinha, were the Honorary Secretaries of the federation upon its inception in 1935.
The first flight over Mount Everest in took place in 1933. This expedition was organised by military officers, supported by public companies, and hosted by the Maharajah of Darbhanga Kameshwar Singh Bahadur along with the Raja of Banaili.
The Full Bench of Patna High Courts struck down the reform laws for being ultra vires and hence unconstitutional due to their being in violation of Article 14 (Right to Equality) and Article 19 (reasonableness) of the Indian Constitution. The High Courts did not go into the question of Article 31 (Right of Property, now removed from the Indian Constitution). However, this decision combined with decisions of the other High Courts was seen as reactionary and anti-reform. While the decision of the Full Bench of Patna High Court was in appeal, the Constitutional (First Amendment) Act of 1951 was introduced which excluded scrutiny by the Courts of acquisition of property by the state. The courts were excluded from entertaining writs under article 14, 19 and 31 and ousted the Court's jurisdiction to judicial review of land reform measures.
Subsequently, when the appeal in Sir Kameshwar Singh (Darbhanga) v State of Bihar was heard in the Supreme Court of India, it was held that due to the amendment the jurisdiction of the Court's review was only limited to the question of the quantum of compensation and did not affect the Court's jurisdiction to review the acquisition on the question of public purpose.
This case and a few other cases resulted in the right to property being struck from the fundamental rights available to Indians. Thus, Raj Darbhanga indirectly contributed to the abolition of the right of property in India.
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
s and rulers of territories that are now part of Mithila
Mithila
Mithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
and Darbhanga district
Darbhanga District
Darbhanga district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in eastern India, and Darbhanga town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Darbhanga district is a part of Darbhanga Division...
, 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....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Their seat was at the city of Darbhanga
Darbhanga
Darbhangā is a twin city and a municipal corporation and the capital city of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India. It is one of the most important districts of North Bihar situated in the very heart of Mithilanchal. According to the latest 2011 census, the...
. The estate of Darbhanga Raj was estimated to cover an area of 2410 square miles (6,241.9 km²), incorporating 4,495 villages within 18 circles in Bihar and Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
and employing over 7,500 officers to manage the estate. It was the largest zamindari in India and was the best managed estate at the time of abolition of Zamindari. The Raj Darbhanga trace their origin to Mahesh Thakur at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
History
North Bihar was under a state of lawlessness at the end of the empire of the Tughlaq dynastyTughlaq dynasty
The Tughlaq dynasty of north India started in 1321 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq. The Tughluqs were a Muslim family of Turkic origin...
. Tughlaq had attacked and taken control of Bihar, and from the end of the Tughlaq Empire until the establishment of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
in 1526 there was anarchy and chaos in Bihar. Emperor Akbar (ruled 1556–1605) realized that taxes from Mithila could only be collected if there was a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
king who could ensure peace in the Mithila region. The Brahmins were dominant in the Mithila region and Mithila had Brahmin kings in the past.
Emperor Akbar summoned Rajpandit (Royal Priest) Chandrapati Thakur to Delhi from Garh Mangala (now in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
) and asked him to name one of his sons who could be made caretaker and tax collector for his lands in Mithila. Chandrapati Thakur named his middle son, Mahesh Thakur, and Emperor Akbar declared Pandit Mahesh Thakur as the caretaker of Mithila on the day of Ram Navami in 1577 AD. A poet has written about this event:
The family and descendants of Mahesh Thakur gradually consolidated their power in social, agrarian, and political matters and came to be regarded as kings of Madhubani
Madhubani District
Madhubani District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Madhubani town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Madhubani district is a part of Darbhanga Division. The district occupies an area of 3501 km² and has a population of 3,570,651...
. Darbhanga became the seat of power of the Raj Darbhanga family from 1762. They also had a palace at Rajnagar Bihar
Rajnagar Bihar
See Rajnagar for disambiguationRajnagar Bihar is the nearest town to Madhubani, which is famous for ruins of the Navlakha Palace See Rajnagar for disambiguationRajnagar Bihar is the nearest town to Madhubani, which is famous for ruins of the Navlakha Palace See Rajnagar for disambiguationRajnagar...
situated in Madhubani district
Madhubani District
Madhubani District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Madhubani town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Madhubani district is a part of Darbhanga Division. The district occupies an area of 3501 km² and has a population of 3,570,651...
. They bought land from local people. They became known as a Khandavala family (the richest landlord). This family was not regarded as kings by the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
but they were allowed to use the prefix Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
, and later Maharajadhiraj, by the British. There is no documentation for this as it was a verbal commitment. Although the British never granted them formal status as a ruling princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
, they had all the trappings of a princely state.
For a period of twenty years (1860–1880), Darbhanga Raj was placed under Ward of Court by the British government. During this period, Darbhanga Raj was involved in litigation regarding succession. This litigation decided that the estate was impartible and succession was to be governed by primogeniture.
The estate of Darbhanga Raj was estimated to cover an area of 2410 square miles (6,241.9 km²). It had an indigo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
concern in Sarahia and Bachaur in Muzaffarpur district
Muzaffarpur District
Muzaffarpur District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Muzaffarpur town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Muzaffarpur district is a part of Tirhut Division....
, Pandaul in Madhubani District, and Gonswara in Purnea district. Raj Darbhanga started several companies. Newspaper & Publication Pvt. Ltd. published newspapers and periodicals such as The Indian Nation
The Indian Nation
The Indian Nation was an independent nationalist daily newspaper published by Newspaper & Publications Pvt. Ltd. from Patna, capital of Bihar state, India. The newspaper started publication in 1931. The publication was briefly suspended in 1932 and resumed in 1943.The Indian Nation virtually held a...
, Aryavarta, and Mithila Mihir. The Walford company was a chain of automobile dealterships having branches at Calcutta, Guwahati, and Imphal. The family owned Ashok Paper Mills, Pandaul Sugar Factory, Sakri Sugar Factory, and others. Darbhanga Raj contained 4,495 villages under 18 circles in Bihar and Bengal and employed over 7,500 officers to manage the estate. Darbhanga Raj was said to be the best managed estate at the time of abolition of Zamindari.
Raj Darbhanga had several Palaces in Darbhanga: Rambagh Palace, Lakshmeshwar Vilas Palace, Nargona Palace, Bela Palace, and at Rajnagar in Madhubani District. Raj Darbhanga had properties at almost every prominent city in British India.
Raj Darbhanga under Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh
Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh
Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga was the King of Darbhanga in State of Bihar, India. He was best known as one of the most munificent of living philanthropists of his time...
(1858–1898) and Maharaja Rameshwar Singh became a model estate in India. Several works pertaining to famine relief, road construction, and canal and bridge construction were carried out. Raj Darbhanga came to be known for its benevolent management. During the Bihar famine of 1873–74
Bihar famine of 1873–74
The Bihar famine of 1873–1874 was a famine in British India that followed a drought in the province of Bihar and the neighboring provinces of Bengal and the North-Western Provinces and Oudh; it affected an area of and a population of 21.5 million...
Maharaj Lakshmeshwar Singh contributed Rs.300,000.00 towards relief works.
The Maharajas of Darbhanga were devoted to Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
traditions and maintained an orthodox viewpoint of religion and caste. However, their views did not prevent them from having a broader nationalistic outlook. Even though the Royal Family of Darbhanga's contribution to the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
is ignored, the Maharajas of Darbhanga, while maintaining their loyalty to the British government, were major financial supporters of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. In a letter dated 21 March 1947 Mahatma Gandhi acknowledged his friendship with the royal family of Darbhanga and said Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Bahadur was as a son to him.
After the independence of India from British rule in 1947, the Government of India initiated several land reform actions and the Zamindari system was abolished. The fortunes of Darbhanga Raj dwindled.
The last Maharaja of Darbhanga Raj was Maharaja Bahadur Sir Kameshwar Singh, K.C.I.E. He died heirless.
Controversy over royal status
The origin of the royal family of Darbhanga is traced to a grant of the Sarkar of TirhutTirhut
Historically Tirhut refers to the Indo-Gangetic plains lying north of the Ganges River, in the Indian state of Bihar. The geographical area known as Tirhut corresponds to the ancient region of Mithila. Tirhut, a densely populated area of India, has alluvial plains and several rivers pass through...
to Pandit Mahesh Thakur by Emperor Akbar. The supporters of the theory that Raj Darbhanga was a kingdom argue that it was held by privy council that the rulership was a heridatory one with succession governed by primogeniture. The supporters argue that by the end of the eighteenth Century, the Sarkar of Tirhut was practically an independent kingdom until the conquest of Bengal and Bihar by the British.
The opponents of the theory argue that Raj Darbhanga was never a kingdom but was a zamindari with all the trappings of princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
. The rulers of Raj Darbhanga were the largest land owners in India, and thus were called Raja, and later Maharaja and Maharajadhiraja. However they were never given the status of ruling prince. Further, after conquest of Bengal and Bihar, the British Raj initiated permanent settlement, and the Raja of Darbhanga was recognised only as a Zamindar.
The references in this article to the Estate of Darbhanga as Raj Darbhanga or the ruler thereof as King of Darbhanga or Maharaja Darbhanga is not meant to comment of on this controversy but to present the facts and history in a manner as generally understood in the region of Darbhanga.
Insignia
Raj Darbhanga used several insignias. One of the insignia was a Ganges river dolphinGanges and Indus River Dolphin
The South Asian River Dolphin is a freshwater or river dolphin found in India, Nepal and Pakistan which is split into two sub-species, the Ganges River Dolphin and Indus River Dolphin...
riding the waves. The second insignia was a Ganges river dolphin inside a six pointed star. The third insignia was a variation of second one with the fish curved upwards.
List of Kings of Raj Darbhanga
- Raja Mahesh Thakur (died 1558).
- Raja Gopal Thakur. He was the eldest son of Raja Mahesh Thakur. He was king for a short time only as he died suddenly.
- Raja Parmanand Thakur. He was the second son of Raja Mahesh Thakur. He ruled for a brief period before abdicating in favour of his younger brother Raja Subhankar Singh.
- Raja Subhankar Thakur (died 1607). He was the fifth son of Raja Mahesh Thakur.
- Raja Purushottam Thakur (ruled 1607 to 1623). He was the son of Raja Shubhankar Thakur. He was killed in 1623.
- Raja Narayan Thakur (ruled 1623 to 1642).
- Raja Sundar Thakur (ruled 1642 to 1662) (died 1662).
- Raja Mahinath Thakur (ruled 1662 to 1684) (died 1684).
- Raja Nirpat Thakur (ruled 1684 to 1700) (died 1700).
- Raja Raghu Singh (ruled 1700 to 1736) (died 1736). Raja Raghu Singh obtained a lease for the whole of Sarkar Tirhut including Darbhanga and MuzaffarpurMuzaffarpurMuzaffarpur Town is a town in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division....
at an annual rent of Rs.100,000, which was a huge amount at that time. The annual revenue of Sarkar Tirhut in 1685 was Rs.7,69,287. During reign of Raja Raghu Singh, Nawab Mahabat Jung, Nawab Subahdar of Behar, was jealous of the wealth of Raja Raghu Singh and imprisoned his family at Patna. Raghu Singh escaped capture and succeeded in getting the estate back along with a large grant from the Mughal Governor on the condition that he "do justice, relieve distress, and put the country in flourishing condition." This condition was fulfilled by Raja Raghu Singh and subsequent Maharajas of Darbhanga. He built a mud fort at Bhawara near Madhubani. - Raja Bishnu Singh (ruled 1736 to 1740) (died 1740).
- Raja Narendra Singh (ruled 1740 to 1760) (died 1760). Raja Narendra Singh died without issue. He adopted Raja Pratap Singh, great-great-grandson of Narayan Thakur, son of Raja Shubhankar Thakur, younger brother of Raja Sundar Thakur, as his successor.
- Raja Pratap Singh (ruled 1760 to 1776) (died 1776). Raja Pratap Singh built Rajbari at Darbhanga and shifted the capital to Darbhanga from Bhawara.
- Raja Madho Singh (ruled 1776 to 1808) (died 1808). He was a younger brother of Raja Pratap Singh and succeeded him upon his death. In 1776, Raja Madho Singh received a grant of land at Dharampur in Purnea district from Shah Alam IIShah Alam IIShah Alam II , also known as Ali Gauhar, was a Mughal emperor of India. A son of Alamgir II, he was exiled to Allahabad in December 1759 by Ghazi-ud-Din, who appointed Shah Jahan III as the emperor. Later, he was nominated as the emperor by Ahmad Shah.Shah Alam II was considered the only and...
, Mughal Emperor of India. Raja Madho Singh had a long dispute with the British government over revenue payments and the extent of his rights over the land. - Maharaja Chhatra Singh Bahadur (ruled 1808 to 1839) (died 1839). He was the second son of Raja Madho Singh. He was the first in the family to hold the title of Maharaja Bahadur. Maharaja Chhatra Singh made over his estate and title to his eldest son Maharaja Rudra Singh Bahadur on the grounds of old age in 1839. He died a few days later after the coronation of Maharaja Rudra Singh Bahadur.
- Maharaja Rudra Singh Bahadur (ruled 1839 to 1850) (died 1850). After the death of Maharaja Chhatra Singh Bahadur, the younger brothers of Maharaja Rudra Singh Bahadur were involved in a long litigation for succession to the estate. It was ultimately held by the High Court of Calcutta that the ordinary Hindu Law of Succession can not apply in this case and the Raj Darbhanga family would have to follow the family custom or Kulachar. Maharaja Rudra Singh Bahadur, being the eldest son of Maharaja Chhatra Singh Bahadur, was declared to be Maharaja of Darbhanga. This permanently settled the issue of succession and thereafter the succession was based upon primogeniture.
- Maharaja Maheshwar Singh Bahadur (ruled 1850 to 1860) (died 1860). Maharaja Maheshwar Singh Bahadur ruled for ten years. He expired in October 1860, leaving behind two sons, Lakshmeshwar Singh and Rameshwar Singh, both of whom became Maharajas of Darbhanga.
- Maharaja Lakshmeshwar SinghMaharaja Lakshmeshwar SinghMaharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga was the King of Darbhanga in State of Bihar, India. He was best known as one of the most munificent of living philanthropists of his time...
Bahadur (ruled 1860 to 1898) (born 25 September 1858, died 17 December 1898). Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh was a philanthropist. His statue (by Edward Onslow FordEdward Onslow FordEdward Onslow Ford , English sculptor, was born in London. He received some education as a painter in Antwerp and as a sculptor in Munich under Professor Wagmuller, but was mainly self-taught....
) was installed in Calcutta in 1904 at Dalhousie Square as a tribute to him. Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur was only two years old his father's death so Raj Darbhanga was placed under Ward of Court. He was the first Maharaja of Darbhanga to receive a western education, from a British tutor, Mr. Chester Mcnaughton. Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur took over the reins of Raj Darbhanga on 25 September 1879 after attaining his majority. He devoted himself to public works and was recognized as one of the greatest nobles and philanthropists of India at that time. He was made a Knight of the British Empire on 22 June 1897. - Maharaja Rameshwar Singh Bahadur (ruled 1898 to 1929) (born 16 January 1860, died 3 July 1929). Maharaja Rameshwar Singh Bahadur became Maharaja of Darbhanga after the death of his elder brother Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur, who died without issue. He was appointed to the Indian Civil Service in 1878, serving as assistant magistrate successively at Darbhanga, Chhapra, and Bhagalpur. He was exempted from attendance at the Civil Courts and was appointed a Member of the Legislative Council of Bengal (MLC of Bengal) in 1885. He was a Member of the Council of IndiaCouncil of IndiaThe Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India.The original Council of India was established by the Regulating Act of 1773 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governor-General at Fort William...
of the Governor General of India in 1899 and on 21 September 1904 was appointed a non-officiating member representing the Bengal Provinces, along with Gopal Krishna GokhaleGopal Krishna GokhaleGopal Krishna Gokhale, CIE was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society...
from Bombay Province.
- He was president of Bihar Landholder's Association, president of the All India Landholder's Association, president of Bharat Dharma Mahamandal, a member of Council of State, a trustee of Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, president of the Hindu University Society, M.E.C. of Bihar and Orissa, and Member of the Indian Police Commission (1902-03). He was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind medal in 1900. He was the only member of the India Police Commission who dissented with a report on requirements for police service, and suggested that the recruitment to the Indian Police Services should be through a single exam only to be conducted in India and Britain simultaneously. He also suggested the recruitment should not be based on colour or nationality. This suggestion was rejected by the India Police Commission. Maharaja Rameshwar Singh was a TantricTantraTantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
and was known as Siddha Tantric. He was considered a Rajarsi (sage king) by his people.
- Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Bahadur (ruled 1929 to the independence of India in 1947) (born 28 November 1907, died 8 November 1962). He was member of the Council of State 1933–1946, member of the Constituent Assembly 1947–1952, and the Member of Parliament (Rajya SabhaRajya SabhaThe Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
-Upper House) 1952–1958 and 1960–1962. He was the first person in India to get a bust of Mahatma Gandhi made by celebrated artist Clare Frewen SheridanClare Frewen SheridanClare Sheridan , was an English sculptress and writer who is known primarily for creating busts for famous sitters, and writing diaries recounting her worldly travels...
, niece of Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. The bust was presented to the viceroy of India, Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of LinlithgowVictor Hope, 2nd Marquess of LinlithgowVictor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow KG, KT, GCSI, GCIE, OBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor-General and Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943.-Early life and family:...
, to be displayed in Government House (now Rashtrapati Bhawan). This was acknowledged by Mahatma Gandhi in a letter to Lord Linlithgow in 1940.
Gandhi, in an interview during his visit to Bihar in 1947, said that the Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was an extremely good person and like a son to him.
For earlier dynasties ruling Mithila region, see Kings of Mithila
Kings of Mithila
Mithila was capital of Videha kingdom in ancient India situated between foothills of Himalayas and River Ganges. Videha Kingdom is erroneously more popularly known as Mithila Kingdom. The ancient region of Mithila is today split into adjacent part of two countries – India and Nepal. Mithila was...
.
Palaces
Darbhanga has several palaces that were built during the Darbhanga Raj era.- Nargona PalaceNargona PalaceNargona Palace is situated at Darbhanga in State of Bihar, India. This Palace was the last palace to be built in Raj Darbhanga.- History :The city of Darbhanga was one of the major cities to be destroyed in killer earthquake of 1934 that rocked northern part of Bihar. Almost the entire city had...
- Nargona Palace was constructed after the 1934 Bihar earthquake1934 Bihar earthquakeThe 1934 Bihar earthquake was one of the worst earthquakes in India's history. Some 30,000 people were said to have died. Munger and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed. This 8.4 magnitude earthquake occurred on January 15, 1934 at around 2:13 PM and caused widespread damage in the northern...
. It was built using the best technology available at the time for prevention of damage resulting from earthquakes. It has been donated to Lalit Narayan Mithila UniversityLalit Narayan Mithila UniversityThe Lalit Narayan Mithila University was started in 1972. The university initially started functioning from the Mohanpur House at Sara Mohanpur village of Darbhanga–Sakri route. In 1975, it was shifted to the campus belonging to Raj Darbhanga.The university is in Darbhanga town, popularly...
. - Lakshmivilas Palace - This palace was severely damaged in the 1934 earthquake and was rebuilt. This palace was donated to Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit UniversityKameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit UniversityKameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University is a state university located at Darbhanga, Bihar, India, dedicated to the teaching end promotion of Sanskrit.-History:...
.
Roper Lethbridge
Roper Lethbridge
Sir Roper Lethbridge C.I.E was a British academic and civil servant in India and a Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1892.-Early life and education:...
said about Lakshmivilas Palace: "The new Palace at Darbhanga, with its immense stables, its botanical and zoological gardens, and its many beautiful surroundings, is well known in England by the sketches that have appearerd in the London illustrated papers."
- Ram Bagh Palace - It is situated inside the fort and is the oldest palace in Darbhanga. It is still owned by members of Raj Darbhanga family. It is presently in a dilapidated condition.
- Bela Palace - Built for Raja Bishweshar Singh (Raja Bahadur), younger brother of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh, it is the best preserved palace. It was taken by the Central Government and is being used as a Postal Training College.
- Dilkhush Bag - It is one of two palaces situated inside Darbhanga Fort. It is almost in ruins.
- Moti Mahal - Moti Mahal was destroyed in the earthquake of 1934. It was not rebuilt. Only one room of Moti Mahal exists today.
Dharbanga Raj had several Palaces in other towns in India.
- Navlakha PalaceNavlakha PalaceNavlakha Palace ), also called Naulakha Palace ) is situated in town of Rajnagar near Madhubani in Bihar. This Palace was built by Maharaja Rameshwar Singh of Darbhanga. This Palace suffered extensive damage during the earthquake of 1934 and was not rebuilt thereafter. Now this palace is in ruins....
complex at Rajnagar, in Madhubani District of Bihar - Palace at Bhouara near Madhubani; leased to the police department
- Darbhanga House at New DelhiNew DelhiNew Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
situated at 7 Man Singh Road, New Delhi. The adjoining property of 25 Akbar Road, in front of the present Congress party headquarters, also belonged to Raj Darbhanga. - Darbhanga House at 42 Chowringhee Street, KolkataKolkataKolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. A greenhouse given to the Agri-Horticultural Garden at Alipur, Kolkata, by the royal family of Darbhanga is also called Darbhanga house, but it was not a residential house. - Darbhanga Mansions at Carmichael Road, Mumbai. All the land of Income Tax Colony on Pedder Road, Mumbai belonged to the royal family. The Income Tax Colony is also called "Darbhanga House".
- Darbhanga House at Ranchi - It now houses the head office of Central Coalfields Limited.
- Navlakha Palace, also called Darbhanga House, at PatnaPatnaPaṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
. It was donated to Patna University and now houses postgraduate departments of Patna University. It has a Kali Temple in its complex. - Darbhanga House at Kaithu, Shimla (currently houses the Loretto Convent School) and Kalyani House at ChharabraChharabraChharabra, a small village situated approximately 8250 feet above sea level, 13 km from Shimla, India, on National Highway 22 , has summer retreat of President of India, summer residence of Governor of Punjab, a five star luxury hotel, a boarding school, and a helipad even though the...
, ShimlaShimlaShimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
(now houses the Himalayan International School) - Darbhanga Palace at Darbhanga Ghat, VaranasiVaranasi-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
- Darbhanga House and Darbhanga Castle at AllahabadAllahabadAllahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
- Darbhanga House at Darjeeling
- Darbhanga House in Delhi at Darbhanga Lane
Major temples constructed by Raj Darbhanga
- Kankali Mandir, Rambagh, Darbhanga
- Madheshwar Mandir, Darbhanga
- Shyama Temple, Darbhanga
- Manokamna Mandir, Darbhanga - This is a small temple dedicated to the God Hanuman. It is an intricately carved temple built entirely of white marble.
- Raj Rajeshwari Kali Mandir, Muzaffarpur
- Kali Mandir, Navlakha Palace, Patna
- Ram Mandir, Bans Phatak, Varanasi
- Ram Sita Mandir, Ahiari Village, Darbhanga District- Built in 1817 by Maharaja Chhatra Singh Bahadur
- Temple Complex at Darbhanga - Temples were constructed by Raj Darbhanga at the site where the Maharajas of Darbhanga were cremated. There are several temples in the complex. Until the 1980s jackals would come to the complex every evening and were offered food by the priests of the temples. Due to the rapid urbanisation of Darbhanga, especially in the area around these temples, the jackals do not come to the complex any longer.
- Lakshmeshwari Tara Mandir, Darbhanga
Indian Independence Movement
Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur was one of the founders of the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
in 1885. Raj Darbhanga was one of the major donors to the party despite maintaining his proximity to the British Raj. Among his beneficiaries were stalwarts of the independence movement such as Dr Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was an Indian politician and educator. He was one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and serving as the first president of independent India...
, Abul Kalam Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. During British rule, the Congress Party wanted to hold their annual convention in Allahabad but they were denied permission by the Government to use any public place for this purpose. The Maharaja of Darbhanga bought an area and allowed Congress to hold their annual convention there. The annual convention of Congress of 1892 was held on December 28 on the grounds of Lowther Castle, purchased by the then Maharaja of Darbhanga. The area was leased to the Indian National Congress by the Maharaja to thwart any attempts by British officials to deny the Indian National Congress a place to hold their annual conventions.
Mithila society and Maithili language
The Maharajas of Darbhanga and Darbhanga Raj were looked upon as the embodiment of Mithila and the Maithili language
Maithili language
Maithili language is spoken in the eastern region of India and South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar, Jharkhand,parts of West Bengal and South-east Nepal...
by people in the region. The Maharaja was the hereditary head of Maithil Mahasabha, a writers' organisation. Maharaja and Raj Darbhanga played a prominent role in the revival of the Maithili language and its literature.
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was a nationalist, and espoused the cause of the Hindi language along with Maithili. This caused anguish to the leaders of the Maithili movement. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh called for the people to start using Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
script rather than tirhuta script for writing in Maithili. Today, people write Maithili using the Devanagari script and efforts are being made to revive the Tirhuti script. In 1931, the then Maharaja of Darbhanga, Kameshwar Singh Bahadur, made an endowment of Rs. One lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
to Patna University to create a Maithili development fund. This had the desired result of a spurt in literary activities and publications, and ultimately the language came to be recognized in the field of higher education in 1937.
The views of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh did not gain popularity with the people except for the call to use the Devanagri script. He effectively became the leader of a small elite group having a pan-nationalistic agenda rather than a popular king of the masses. He lost in the general election in Bihar in 1952 despite being one of the biggest philanthropists and progressive-minded kings in pre-independence India.
A former Secretary of Maithil Mahasabha said Darbhanga Kameshwar Singh "was a great nationalist, one of the founders of Indian National Congress. Now he worked for national integration. So he removed the claim of Maithili itself and fought for Hindi. We have a script of our own, but when he established a printing press here [in Darbhanga], he established a Hindi printing press. A great contribution to national integration but a loss for Mithila."
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh published Mithila Mihir, a Maithili periodical, starting in 1908. Mithila Mihir was published by Newspaper and Publications Pvt. Ltd, by one of the companies owned by Raj Darbhanga. Publication of Mithila Mihir was continued until the 1980s and intermittently thereafter. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh made a provision in his will for its continued publication.
Maithil Brahmins
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh caused great upheaval in Maithil Brahmin society when he went to England in spite of the traditional prohibition against going abroad. The Maithil Brahmin society was divided into two groups by this event, the Swadeshi and the Vilayati. The Swadeshi ("country's own") were those who called for a boycott of the Maharaja since he had broken the age-old tradition and had gone abroad. The Vilayati ("foreigners") were the group who supported the Maharaja's visit to England. For many years, the Maithil Brahmins were divided on this issue. Later everyone accepted the visit of the Maharaja to England as a progressive breakthrough for the society as a whole.Religion
The Maharajas of Darbhanga were devoted to Sanskrit traditions and were supporters of orthodox Hindu practices in both caste and religion.The kings of Darbhanga were of the Brahimin caste. Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
were the main deities of the royal family. Even though they were deeply religious, they were also secular in their outlook. The palace area in Darbhanga has three tombs of Muslim saints and a small mosque. The walls of fort at Darbhanga was designed to leave an area so that the mosque is not disturbed. The tomb of a Muslim saint is located next to Anandbagh Palace.
As part of their attempt to reintroduce old Hindu customs such as the study of Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
and Vedic rites, the Maharaja reintroduced Samavedic study by inviting a few well-versed Samavedins from south India to teach there.
Maharaja Rameshwar Singh established and was general president of Sri Bharat Dharma Mahamadal, a neo-conservative Hindi organization that sought to make Hindu scriptures available to all castes and women. He was one of the main patrons of Agamanusandhana Samiti, an organisation with the objective of publishing Tantric texts in English and other languages.
Parmangi system
Parmangi was a unique system for pre-approval of intended marriage partners prevalent among Shrotriya Brahmins.Most of the Hindu population in Mithila region follow the Mithila School of Hindu personal law, a set of laws governing the religious, personal, and cultural aspects of society. Hindu personal law varies from region to region. Under the Mithila school of Hindu personal law, a person can only marry someone who is seven generations removed from their father's side and five generations removed from their mother's side.
A system of keeping the genealogical trees was maintained by people known as Panjikaar. They maintained geneacological records of every Brahmin family in Mithila. Any Maithil Brahmin could approach the Panjikaars and get the list of eligible spouses for their children. The list authenticated that the prospective spouse was not within prohibited degrees of relationship.
During the days of the Raj, a Shrotriya Brahmin had to apply to the Maharaja of Darbhanga for approval of an intended marriage, giving details of the bride and groom along with a certificate from the Panjikaar stating that the bride and groom were not within the prohibited degrees of relationship. The priest would get the marriage formalized only after the Maharaja's approval was received. Records of every marriage were kept by Raj Darbhanga. This also served as a register of marriages amongst Shrotriya Brahmins. The Parnami System became defunct after the death of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Bahadur in 1962.
Earthquake of 1934
A major earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter magnitude scaleRichter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
struck northern Bihar on 15 January 1934. The earthquake destroyed many cities, towns, and villages. Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur Town is a town in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division....
were the most affected towns. Darbhanga town was almost completely destroyed. It is estimated that over 1,500 people lost their lives in Darbhanga and over 2,000 in Muzaffarpur. Most of the buildings destroyed were made of mud. However, it also destroyed buildings made using modern construction technologies. Lakshmeshwar Vilas Palace was rendered uninhabitable. Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) was completely destroyed and was never rebuilt. Rambagh Palace also suffered extensive damage.
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was not in Darbhanga at the time earthquake struck. He immediately returned to Darbhanga when he heard the news. A survey was authorised by Maharaja Kameshwar Singh investigating the cause of the collapsed buildings. The report stated the major factor that led to the death of many people was the fact that the buildings were constructed in narrow lanes and the people could not reach any open space. They therefore got trapped in the falling debris. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh planned to make Darbhanga a modern city with proper town planning and infrastructure to prevent such large scale casualty in the future. With his active support, the Darbhanga Improvement Act was passed which constituted a trust for replanning the congested areas in the town of Darbhanga.
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh created a taskforce for acquisition of land for subsequent improvement of Darbhanga. However, this act was misunderstood by the people as an indirect method of acquiring their property for his own personal gain. This led to massive protests and Maharaja Rameshwar Singh finally abandoned the plan.
After the earthquake, Raj Darbhanga constructed several major buildings in town. The Lakshmeshwar Vilas Palace and Rambagh Palace were rebuilt. A new Palace named Nargona was constructed for Maharaja Kameshwar Singh. Bela Palace was built for the Maharaja's younger brother. The Raj Palace Grounds was a major scene of construction activities. The Raj Head Office Building (now housing the head office of L. N. Mithila University), the European Guest House, Indra Bhawan, Printing Press, Indian Guest House, and Chowringhee were also constructed into an integrated complex. Staff quarters were constructed near the Palace Grounds using the latest construction technology. These staff quarters were connected by wide roads and were surrounded by open space.
Raj Darbhanga initiated several public benefit programmes to help people rebuild their houses as well as the general infrastructure of city. Tower Chowk was built as a market hub of Darbhanga.
Promotion of education
The royal family of Darbhanga played a role in the spread of education in India. Darbhanga Raj was a major donor to Benaras Hindu University, Calcutta University, Allahabad UniversityAllahabad University
Allahabad University , is a premier Central University located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named after Lt...
, Patna University, Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University, Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital
Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital
Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital , Laheriasarai was established in 1946. The college is affiliated to Lalit Narayan Mithila University and is approved by Medical Council of India . The college is the oldest medical college in Bihar with largest campus in state. The college was started as a...
, Lalit Narayan Mithila University
Lalit Narayan Mithila University
The Lalit Narayan Mithila University was started in 1972. The university initially started functioning from the Mohanpur House at Sara Mohanpur village of Darbhanga–Sakri route. In 1975, it was shifted to the campus belonging to Raj Darbhanga.The university is in Darbhanga town, popularly...
, Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
, and many other educational institutions in India.
Maharaja Rameshwar Singh Bahadur was a major donor and supporter of Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya for starting Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
; he donated Rs.5,000,000 start-up funds and assisted in the fundraising campaign. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was also the Pro-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University.
Maharaja Rameshwar Singh donated Darbhanga House (Navlakha Palace) at Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
to Patna University. The Maharaja played an important role getting Maithili introduced as a subject in Patna University, and in 1920, he donated Rs.500,000.00 to establish Patna Medical College Hospital, the single highest contributor.
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh donated his ancestral house, Anand Bag Palace, on 30 March 1960, along with a rich library and land surrounding the palace to establish Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University. Nargona Palace and the Raj Head Office were donated in 1972 to the Government of Bihar. The buildings are now part of Lalit Narayan Mithila University. Raj Darbhanga donated 70,935 books to Lalit Narain Mithila University for its library.
Raj School in Darbhanga was founded by Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur. This school was established to provide the English medium of education and to introduce modern teaching methods in Mithila. Several other schools were also opened throughout Raj Darbhanga.
Raj Darbhanga was a major donor to Calcutta University, and the central library building of Calcutta University is called the Darbhanga Building.
In 1951, Mithila Snatkottar Shodh Sansthan (the Mithila Post-Graduate Research Institute), located at Kabraghat, was established on the initiative of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, first President of India. Maharaja Kameshwar Singh donated a building along with 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land and a garden of mango and litchi trees located beside the Bagmati river in Darbhanga to this institution.
The Maharajas of Darbhanga were the main patrons, trustees, and financiers of Mahakali Pathshala, a school established by Mst. Gangabai in 1839 for promoting education for women. Similarly many colleges like Bareilly College
Bareilly College
Bareilly College, Bareilly is a prime college of M. J. P. Rohilkhand University located in Bareilly, Utter Pradesh, India. BCB established in 1837. In 1837 the college began with 57 pupils and Mr...
, Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
received substantial donations from Maharajas of Darbhanga.
Maharani Rameshwari Bhartiya Chikitsa Vigyan Sansthan at Mohanpur is named after the wife of Maharaja Rameshwar Singh.
Music
Darbhanga became one of the prominent centres of Hindustani classical musicHindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
from the late 18th century. The kings of Raj Darbhanga were great patrons of music, art, and culture. Several famous musicians were associated with Raj Darbhanga. Prominent amongst them were Ustad Bismillah Khan, Gauhar Jaan
Gauhar Jaan
Gauhar Jaan was an Indian singer and dancer or a tawaif from Calcutta. She was one of the first performers to record music on 78 rpm records in India, and released by Gramophone Company of India. -Early life:...
, Pandit Ram Chatur Mallik, Pandit Rameshwar Pathak
Rameshwar Pathak
Rameshwar Pathak was an acclaimed Indian Kamrupi Lokgeet singer from Assam. He also worked as a teacher in Arya Vidyapeeth Higher Secondary and Multipurpose School, Guwahati from 1963 to 1996.- Early life :...
, and Pandit Siya Ram Tiwari. Raj Darbhanga was a main patron of Dhrupad
Dhrupad
Dhrupad is a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition. Its name is derived from the words "dhruva" and "pada"...
, a vocal style in Hindustani classical music. A major school of Dhrupad today is known as Darbhanga Gharana. Today there are three major gharanas of Dhrupad in India: Dagar Gharana, Mishras of Bettiah Raj
Bettiah Raj
Bettiah Rajs eighteen hundred square miles yielding a rental of almost 2 million rupees made it the second largest zamindari in Bihar belonging to a Bhumihar Brahmin family...
(Bettiah Gharana), and the Mallicks of Darbhanga (Darbhanga Gharana).
According to S. M. Ghosh (quoted in 1896) Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh was a good sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
player.
Ustad Bismillah Khan was a court musician of Raj Darbhanga for several years. He had spent his childhood in Darbhanga.
Gauhar Jaan
Gauhar Jaan
Gauhar Jaan was an Indian singer and dancer or a tawaif from Calcutta. She was one of the first performers to record music on 78 rpm records in India, and released by Gramophone Company of India. -Early life:...
gave her first performance before the Maharaja of Darbhanga in 1887 and was appointed as court musician. Pandit Rameshwar Pathak, one of the foremost Sitar players of the early 20th century, was court musician in Raj Darbhanga.
Raj Darbhanga supported Murad Ali Khan, brother of Nanhe Khan of Gwalior. Murad Ali Khan was one of the foremost sarod
Sarod
The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in the classical music of Hindustan...
players of his time. Murad Ali Khan is credited with being the first person to use metal strings and metal fingerboard plates on his sarod, which has today become the standard.
Kundan Lal Sehgal was a friend of Raja Bisheshwar Singh, younger brother of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh. Whenever the two met the Bela Palace at Darbhanga witnessed long sessions of conversations and renditions of ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
s and thumri
Thumri
Thumri is a common genre of semi-classical Indian music.The text is romantic or devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna. The lyrics are usually in Uttar Pradesh dialects of Hindi called Poorbi and Brij Bhasha...
s. K. L. Sehgal attended the marriage of Raja Bahadur, and took out his harmonium and sang "Babul Mora Naihar Chhuto Hee Jaye" at the wedding.
Raj Darbhanga had its own symphony orchestra and police band. There was a circular structure in front of Manokamna Temple, which was known as the Band Stand. The band use to play music there in the evening. Today the floor of bandstand is the only part still extant.
Companies controlled
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was one of the great industrialists of the region. He controlled 14 businesses producing sugar, jute, cotton, iron and steel, aviation, print media, and other products. Some of the major companies were:Newspaper & Publications Pvt. Ltd.
Newspaper & Publications Pvt. Ltd. published two newspapers from Patna, Bihar. The Indian Nation
The Indian Nation
The Indian Nation was an independent nationalist daily newspaper published by Newspaper & Publications Pvt. Ltd. from Patna, capital of Bihar state, India. The newspaper started publication in 1931. The publication was briefly suspended in 1932 and resumed in 1943.The Indian Nation virtually held a...
was an English daily newspaper while Aryavarta was a Hindi daily newspaper. It also published Mithila Mihir, a periodical in the Maithili language, and The Dove, a monthly magazine in English. During their heyday, the two newspapers almost had a monopoly in Bihar. The company is no longer publishing any newspapers or magazines.
Walford
Walford was a chain of automobile dealerships. It had showrooms at Kolkata, Guwahati, and Imphal.
Darbhanga Aviations
Darbhanga Aviations
Darbhanga Aviations was a private Indian airline started by Maharaja Kameshwar Singh of Darbhanga. Darbhanga Aviations was started in 1950 and became defunct by 1962.- History :...
Raj Darbhanga had four Douglas DC-3 aircraft (2 No.s of C-47A-DL and 1 No. of C-47A-DK) and ran an airline, Darbhanga Aviations, from 1950 to 1962. These airplanes were purchased from the United States Air Force. One of these planes (Registration number VT-DEM) was destroyed in an accident near Calcutta in 1954. This plane was on scheduled domestic service out of Calcutta, India, when it crashed on takeoff. The No.1 engine of the plane caught fire immediately after takeoff from Calcutta runway 19R. The aircraft failed to gain height, stalled, and crashed into some trees 3330 feet (1,015 m) past the end of the runway. Two of the eight passengers and all three crew members aboard were killed. The six surviving passengers were all critically injured. Although the engine fire was the primary cause of the crash, the pilot was also cited for a delay in feathering the engine and for the extreme nose-up altitude of the plane during takeoff.
The second airplane, bearing registration No. VT-AYG, crashed on 24 May 1962 near Rajshahi in Bangladesh. The cause of the crash has been attributed to fatigue failure of the no.1 engine, forcing the crew of the DC-3 to continue on a single engine (no. 2). The remaining engine lost power due to overheating, resulting in crash of the aircraft.
The third aircraft (registration No. VT-DEM) was taken over by the Indian Air Force.
The fourth aircraft (registration No.VT-AZX) was sold to Kalinga Airlines.
Raj Darbhanga maintained two airstrips at Darbhanga and Madhubani. The airstrip at Darbhanga is now under control of the Indian Air Force, while the airstrip at Madhubani is under control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Ashok Paper Mills
Ashok Paper Mills manufactured newsprint. It was later taken over by Government of Bihar, and is now closed.
Sakri Sugar Factory and Pandaul Sugar Factory
Both these factories were nationalized and taken over by Government of Bihar.
Rameshwar Jute Mills
The jute mills located in outskirts of Calcutta were sold to the Birlas in 1960.
British India Corporation
The British India Corporation was a large business with several mills and factories in Kanpur and other parts of north India. The controlling stake was held by the Maharaja of Darbhanga.
Octavius Steel
This organisation was a large Calcutta managing agency with interests in engineering, tea, sugar, and other products. The Maharaja of Darbhanga had a large financial stake in this company.
Thacker Spink & Co (P) Ltd
This Calcutta-based publishing house was owned by the Darbhanga Raj and it published many books.
Darbhanga Investments Private Ltd
This company was the investment arm of Raj Darbhanga, and held shares of various companies, including companies of the Tata Group.
Darbhanga Dairy Farm (P) Ltd
This was a dairy farm owned by Darbhanga Raj. The company held dairy farms in Darbhanga and Jamshedpur.
Darbhanga Marketing Ltd
This was a Calcutta based marketing company. It is now a part of KK Birla Group.
Tirhoot State Rly
This company promoted a railway line in north Bihar. The first railway line in north Bihar between Darbhanga and Bajitpur on the banks of the Ganges opposite Barh was built in 1874 at the prompting of the Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh under auspices of Tirhoot State Railway. In 1874, Tirhoot State Railway opened meter gauge rail lines to Samastipur and Darbhanga.
Railway cars
Raj Darbhanga had two private railroad carPrivate railroad car
A private railroad car, private railway coach, private car or private varnish is a railroad passenger car which was either originally built or later converted for service as a business car for private individuals. A private car could be added to the make-up of a train or pulled by a private...
s, one for broad gauge railway tracks and the other for meter gauge railway tracks. These railroad cars are presently lying in a dilapidated condition at the Barauni
Barauni
Barauni is a town in the state of Bihar, India.Barauni was once an Industrial town in Begusarai district, Bihar. After the partition of the Jharkhand from Bihar, it had and still has the potential to become the industrial capital of Bihar....
railway yard.
Public works
- The Raj Darbhanga, during the period of Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur, spent over £300,000 for relief and charity work during the Bihar famine of 1873–74Bihar famine of 1873–74The Bihar famine of 1873–1874 was a famine in British India that followed a drought in the province of Bihar and the neighboring provinces of Bengal and the North-Western Provinces and Oudh; it affected an area of and a population of 21.5 million...
. The measures taken for meeting the challenges arising out of the famine was considered to be a model for governance at that time. - Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur got schools, dispensaries, and other facilities constructed and maintained them out of his own funds for the benefit of the public. The dispensary at Darbhanga cost £3400, a huge sum at the time.
- Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur initiated constriuction of iron bridges constructed on all rivers in the Raj.
- Raj Darbhanga donated 52 bighaBighaThe bigha is a unit of measurement of area of a land, commonly used in Nepal, Bangladesh and in a few states of India including Uttaranchal, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan etc. The precise size of a bigha appears to vary considerably...
s of land for the creation and use of the Muzaffarpur Judgeship. - Raj Darbhanga had several lakes and ponds dug in the region to provide irrigation for farmers and thus help prevent famines.
- The first railway line in north Bihar, between Darbhanga and Bajitpur on the banks of the Ganges opposite Barh, was built in 1874 at the prompting of the Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh.
- Over 1,500 km of roads were constructed by the early part of the 19th century by Raj Darbhanga. Of this over 300 km was metalled road. This resulted in the expansion of trade as well as greater markets for agricultural produce in the region.
- Many dharamshalasDharamshalasDharamshalas is the term for a religious resthouse. In Hindi, Dharma means religion, and shala means "sanctuary" hence dharamshala is a 'religious sanctuary' or rest-house for pilgrims, that are primarily created for a religious purpose for pilgrims, or as a religious endowment.Sometimes they are...
(charitable lodging houses) were constructed such as Ram Mandir and Rani Kotha in Varanasi. - Homes for destitute people were constructed.
- Kharagpur Lake, a large reservoir, was built on the Man river in Munger District.
- Raj Darbhanga was a pioneer of cross-breeding cattle to improve milk production. A superior milking cow breed called Hansi was introduced by Raj Darbhanga. The cow was a cross between local cows and the JerseyJersey cattlePurple cattle, or Jerseys, , are a breed of small dairy cattle. Originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey, the breed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs attending its lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition...
breed.
Sports
Raj Darbhanga actively promoted various sports activities. The Polo Ground in Laheriasarai was a major centre for polo in pre-independence times in Bihar. The winner of a major polo tournament in Calcutta is awarded the Darbhanga Cup.Raja Bishweshwar Singh was one of the founding members of the All India Football Federation
All India Football Federation
The All India Football Federation is the organisation which manages the game of association football in India. It administers the running of the India national football team and also controls the I-League, India's premier domestic club competition, in addition to various other competitions and...
, the prime governing body for football in India. Raja Bahadur, along with Rai Bahadur JP Sinha, were the Honorary Secretaries of the federation upon its inception in 1935.
The first flight over Mount Everest in took place in 1933. This expedition was organised by military officers, supported by public companies, and hosted by the Maharajah of Darbhanga Kameshwar Singh Bahadur along with the Raja of Banaili.
Impact on Indian Constitution
After Independence, a Constituent Assembly was formed to frame the constitution of India, and Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was one of its members. One of the major issues facing the Constituent Assembly was the right of property. This is illustrated in an article, "(Un)Constituting Property: The Deconstruction of the 'Right to Property' in India" by Jaivir Singh of the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. To quote a passage from the article:The Full Bench of Patna High Courts struck down the reform laws for being ultra vires and hence unconstitutional due to their being in violation of Article 14 (Right to Equality) and Article 19 (reasonableness) of the Indian Constitution. The High Courts did not go into the question of Article 31 (Right of Property, now removed from the Indian Constitution). However, this decision combined with decisions of the other High Courts was seen as reactionary and anti-reform. While the decision of the Full Bench of Patna High Court was in appeal, the Constitutional (First Amendment) Act of 1951 was introduced which excluded scrutiny by the Courts of acquisition of property by the state. The courts were excluded from entertaining writs under article 14, 19 and 31 and ousted the Court's jurisdiction to judicial review of land reform measures.
Subsequently, when the appeal in Sir Kameshwar Singh (Darbhanga) v State of Bihar was heard in the Supreme Court of India, it was held that due to the amendment the jurisdiction of the Court's review was only limited to the question of the quantum of compensation and did not affect the Court's jurisdiction to review the acquisition on the question of public purpose.
This case and a few other cases resulted in the right to property being struck from the fundamental rights available to Indians. Thus, Raj Darbhanga indirectly contributed to the abolition of the right of property in India.