Patna, Oct 2 (PTI) In the pre-Independence era, Darbhanga Raj in Bihar was one of the wealthiest estates in India, famed for its grand palaces, fancy cars and priceless jewels, but after the death of its last ruler, its fortunes dwindled.
Using original diary entries and rare documents related to this erstwhile zemindari raj, a new book has delved into the life and legacy of Kameshwar Singh, its last ‘maharaja’, and attempted to find reasons behind the the “colossal loss” of its wealth and prime properties post his demise in 1962.
The book, ‘The Crisis of Succession: Palace Intrigues’, having some rare photographs of Darbhanga Raj family members, was released at an event held in Patna on Sunday.
Darbhanga, the centuries-old administrative and cultural capital of the Mithila region, in present-day north Bihar, has also been the seat of the eponymous estate until the abolition of the zamindari system after Independence.
Patna-based independent researcher and author of ‘The Crisis of Succession: Palace Intrigues’, Tejakar Jha said, “Through this book, based on some of the Darbhanga Raj diaries, including of two maharanis (wives) of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh, and some of the primary sources, I have attempted to largely understand the circumstances after his death.” The book, which has reproduced some portions from many of the diaries, also “attempts to narrate” as to how the once-great Darbhanga Raj witnessed events related to succession, he said.
At the launch event, attended by many scholars and researchers from Patna and Aligarh, a panel discussion was also held.
During the discussion, the contribution made by several rulers of the Darbhanga Raj to the creation and sustenance of educational and medical institutions in Bihar and other places was highlighted.
In Darbhanga, two of its old palaces now house a university each, while the old Rambagh Palace and fort have crumbled and reduced to a shadow of its former glory.
In Patna, the grand Darbhanga House — a former palace of the family in Patna — houses the PG department of the Patna University for the last several decades, albeit shorn of its former regal charm.
Many of its other prime properties that once had a stately aura have crumbled or exchanged hands in the twilight years of the estate.
Kameshwar Singh, besides being a wealthy zamindar, was also a businessman and proprietor of a company that owned two leading dailies — ‘The Indian Nation’ and ‘Aryavart’ — published in English and Hindi respectively from Patna, Jha said.
The palatial building in Patna which housed the press and the offices of two newspapers has given way to a commercial complex in the past few decades, Jha lamented.
Kameshwar Singh ruled from 1929 until the abolition of the zamindari system and was preceded by Rameshwar Singh (his father) and Laxmeshwar Singh (his uncle), the other two were also considered equally illustrious rulers of Darbhanga Raj.
“This work (book) does not try to explain any developmental work or contribution of the dynasty, but simply the reasons, causes and effects of the end of the dynasty. I have tried to put before the readers the circumstances under which certain things happened, and incidents after the death of Kameshwar Singh, which systematically brought down the Raj and dismantled its various works,” writes Jha in the preface of the book.
This book raises more questions than it answers, the ones raised by scholars and common people alike, it says.
“Let the research scholars working on Bihar, and particularly on Mithila, find out more and more documents, open and disentangle the knots of history and come out with appropriate and logical answers,” Jha adds in the preface.
Mohammad Sajjad, a professor in the Department of History at Aligarh Muslim University, who attended the book launch, said, Darbhanga Raj was “one of the most meticulously organised administrative structures, and the Raj donated lavishly for centres of learning, for education and health”.
The last three rulers of Darbhanga Raj had a vision of agricultural and industrial and infrastructural development of the region, he said.
The book has been published by Esamad Prakashan. It was launched on October 1 to coincide with Kameshwar Singh’s 61st death anniversary, Jha said.
Old photographs have been drawn from personal collections of the author and others, according to the publisher. PTI KND NB
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