Raj Darbhanga

Raj Darbhanga
1557 CE–1947 CE
CapitalDarbhanga
Common languagesMaithili, Sanskrit
Religion
Hinduism
Government
  • Independent state (1684 - 1804 AD)[1]
  • Zamindari estate under the British Raj (1804 - 1947 AD)
Historical eraMedieval India
• Established
1557 CE
• Disestablished
1947 CE
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Oiniwar dynasty
Republic of India
Today part ofIndia and Nepal

The Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Khandwala dynasty, was a Maithil Brahmin dynasty and the rulers of territories, not all contiguous, that were part of the Mithila region, now divided between India and Nepal.

The rulers of Raj Darbhanga were Maithil Brahmins and their seat in the town of Darbhanga became the core of the Mithila region as the rulers were patrons of Maithil culture and the Maithili language.

At its peak, the dynasty encompassed over 4000 square miles (10,360 km2) and is described as the "largest and richest of the North Bihar zamindaris and one of the greatest zamindaris of British India".[2] Despite not being recognised as a princely state by the British Raj, Darbhanga was larger and held more magisterial powers than many princely states, particularly those in Western India.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference rorabacher was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Henning Brown, Carolyn (1988). "Raja and Rank in North Bihar". Modern Asian Studies. 22 (4): 757–782. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00015730. JSTOR 312524. S2CID 143084073.
  3. ^ Ramusack, Barbara (2004). The Indian Princes and Their States. Cambridge University Press. pp. 3–5. ISBN 9781139449083.