The Early History of Darbhanga Raj, North Bihar

Wisdom Tree Volume 1, Issue 1, January-June 2016 THE EARLY HISTORY OF DARBHANGA RAJ, NORTH BIHAR Pinki Jha Ph.D Scholar Jamia Millia Islamia University New Delhi Abstract This article represents historical background of Darbhanga region andalso the early history of Darbhanga Raj, North Bihar. Darbhanga region popularly known as Mithila is a major centre of the old brahmanical culture and education of the Maithili speaking people. This region was also known as the kingdom of ‘Videha’ owned by ‘Raja Janak’. During the 6 th century B.C Mithila was the federation of two republics, Videha and Vaishali. These two republics together were also known as Vrijis. In 3 rd century B.C, Mithila ceased to be sovereign state following the downfall of the republic but emerged as one of the stronger part in the series of kingdoms cantered in Magadh Empire with Pataliputra as capital. The various interpretations regarding the origin and growth of the Darbhanga Raj given by the authors like Buchanan, L.S.S.O’ Malley, Hetukar Jha, Jatasankar Jha and Q. Ahmad reveals that Mahesh Thakur was the founder of Darbhanga Raj at the beginning of 16 th century. The journey of the Maithil Brahmin ruler beginning from Mahesh Thakur passed through gradual process of evolution during the period from the region of Mughal Emperor the Akbar to Aurangzeb. Thus the Darbhanga Raj grew in power and prosperity with the blessing of the Imperial Government. KeyWords: Farmans: A royal order, Khidmat: Services, Mansab: Military rank, conferred by the Mughal Government, Mansabdar: Holder of a Mansab, Malguzar: Revenue collector, Khalisa land: Land held and managed directly by the state, Jagir: Income from a piece of land assigned to officers by the ruler, Jagirdar: holder of a jagir, Mahal: A group of lands regarded as a unit for land revenue purposes Historically the Darbhanga region was a major centre of the old brahmanical culture and education of the Maithili speaking people. Mithila in general and Darbhanga in particular, according to a legend, formed a part of the territory of the Videhas. The Videhas (who had supposedly migrated from Punjab) settled on the bank of the Gandak River, where they cleared the marshes, cultivated the virgin soil and founded a great and powerful kingdom. The kingdom included much of the modern districts of today‟s Darbhanga. The kingdom thus founded was known as the kingdom of „Videha‟. With the passage of time, the throne was occupied by the subsequent successor of kings commonly known as the „Janakas‟ 1. After the Janakas a line of Brahman Kings ruled the kingdom of Mithila. They were undoubtedly the true successor of the Janakas both in spiritual and temporal suzerainty which they exercised over the people. Their descendants also, ruled for a long time over Mithila. With the death of Kerala Janaka, the monarchy disappeared and soon a republic was 44 Wisdom Tree Volume 1, Issue 1, January-June 2016 established in Videha. Since then the history of Mithila could easily be traced with some authenticity. During the sixth century BC Mithila was the federation of two republics, Videha and Vaishali. These two republics together were known as Vrijis. In third century BC, Mithila ceased to be sovereign state following the downfall of the republic but emerged as one of the stronger part in the series of kingdoms centered in Magadha Empire, with Pataliputra as capital.2 Thereafter, the Karnata dynasty emerges under the leadership of Nanyadeva who took possession of the kingdom of Mithila in 1097 AD. This dynasty too was succeeded by the Oinwara dynasty. This change-over continued and the kingdom in later course was occupied by the Pala and the Sena dynasties respectively. In 1203 Mohammad-I-Bakhtyar Khilji conquered Mithila. From the middle of the fourteenth century it was under a line of Brahman kings until the end of the sixteenth century when Akbar conquered Mithila.3 At that time it formed part of Bihar and Bengal subas. After the Battle of Buxer in 1764 Mithila (along with Bihar) became part of the British administered Bengal Presidency. The old Darbhanga districts comprise the three present-day districts of Madhubani, Darbhanga and Samastipur. These three districts were the three old subdivisions of Darbhanga reorganized on purely administrative grounds in 1972.4 The general features of the origin and development of the big zamindars of north Bihar, who held a hereditary dominion as autonomous chiefs, namely the houses of Darbhanga, Bettiah, Hathwa and a few lesser ones such as Ram Nagar and Seuhar in Champaran. It is evident from the old records of revenue farmans of Mughal times that these „rajas‟ gained zamindari rights as a result of khidmat (services) as head of mauzas as the chaudhuri of the pargana, as military chiefs (mansabdars), and as malguzars (revenue collectors). 5 There are various interpretations regarding the origin and growth of the Darbhanga Raj. Buchanan, L.S.S. O‟Malley, Hetukar Jha, Jatasankar Jha, and Q. Ahmed have examined the origin and growth of the Darbhanga Raj. About this O‟Malley says: “The Darbhanga family traces its origin to one Mahesh Thakur who is said to have come from Jubalpore about the beginning of the sixteenth century. He took service as a priest with the descendants of Raja Siva Sing, who still exercised a nominal supremacy in Tirhut, but when they collapsed before the advancing Muhammadan power, Mahesh Thakur managed to induce Akbar to grant him are now the Darbhanga Raj estates. He and his descendants gradually consolidated the power of the family, and about 1700 the title of Raja was for the first time conferred on Raghu Singh, by Ali Vardi Khan. He was given a mukarari lease of Sarkar Tirhut at an annual rent of a lakh of rupees.”6 The nature of the grant to Mahesh Thakur was discussed by Mr. Augustus Princep in an article “On the traces of Feudalism in India.” He has particularly taken conditions existing in two areas of Bihar, namely Chota Nagpur and Tirthut, for his special study in this context. He is also of the view that before the Muslim conquest of Tirhut, the ruler of Tirhut was a sovereign ruler who had a number of fief-holder under him. He thus elaborates his argument. In the Takshim Juma of Ain-I-Akbari he reads the change that was wrought upon the internal administration of Tirhut after the Muslim conquest. Immediately or gradually the Sarkar of Tirhut was divided into seventy-four mahals, the largest being “Tirhoot and dependences” 45 Wisdom Tree Volume 1, Issue 1, January-June 2016 which was registered at a Jama of 1,307,706 dams. After the defeat of the Raja his territory was divided into seventy-four mahals. He lost sovereignty no doubt but he was not ousted entirely from his possessions. He retained the largest mahal, “Tirhoot and dependencies”, when the British authority assumed the reins of government the Kanungoe’s daftar showed a similar registry with the name of malgujars of each mahal. Only in the case of smaller mahals it was found that they had been further subdivided into a number of zamindaries. From these facts Mr. Prinsep drew the following conclusion:7 “The Raja remained the possession of the lands which composed his Khalsah during his own sovereignty, and which now became subject to pay revenue; and the tenures hitherto feudatory to him……..became separate mahals, paying a land tax into the treasury of Delhi, instead of the Kachcheri of Durbhunga…”.8 The Raja of Tirhut thus fell from the position of a sovereign to that of a zamindar. Being confirmed in the possession of his Khalsa land he, however, continued to be its proprietor in the real sense of the word. According to Princep, that heritage had fallen into the hands of Raja Chhatra Singh, the then incumbent, without a single flaw in the succession, and the proprietary rights of the family had withstood all public changes. The same revolution that reduced the position of the Raja from a sovereign to that of a proprietor raised the status of his Jagirdars to the same rank. They owed no allegiance to him now. Their new sovereign was content with the fixed portion of the produce and left them the free disposition of their interests or estates. 9 Jatasankar Jha has mentioned various traditions regarding the origin of the Darbhanga Raj and the early life of its founder Mahesh Thakur. According to one tradition: “Chandra Thakur alias Chan Thakur, had four sons, namely Megha (Bhagirath), Tega, Damodar and Mahesh. They were all great scholars of their time and their fame soon attracted a large number of students from far and near to their schools at Bhaur. Once they started on a travel along with a learned pupil of Mahesh, named Raghunandan. During the trip they were greatly honored by the chiefs of Khandawala, Mandala, Ratanpur and Bastar The name of the famous Rani Durgabati of Garha Mandla is also taken as one of those initiated in the sacred lore by Mahesh Thakur. There Raghunandan, somehow, incurred the displeasure of the Rani and they left the place. From there they proceeded to Delhi and distinguished themselves in the religious and scholarly debates of the Imperial Court. And the Emperor honoured them by conferring upon them the principality of Mithila. The brother, it is said, was not willing to accept the grant from non-Hindu King. But Raghunandan took up the farman and subsequently presented it to Mahesh Thakur as guru- dakshina. But his three brothers are said to have returned to Bastar, Ratanpur and Mandla where they were granted jagirs.

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