East Champaran District
| Total Population : 3,939,773 |
| Total literate : 1,164,670 |
| Rural : 3,688,687 |
Urban : 251,086 |
| Male : 207,7047 |
Female : 1,862,726 |
| Area :3,968 sq. kms. |
|
MP : Loksabha
Motihari
MP
Singh, Dr. Akhilesh Prasad
CONSTITUENCY : Motihari (Bihar )
PARTY : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
Present
Address
36, Aurangzeb Road
New Delhi-110 011
Tels. (011) 23019311, 23079314 (R)
23388094, 23070621 (O) 23388094, 23070621, 2307084910
(O)
Fax. 23019318 (R)
Permanent
Address
Village- Koil
District - Alwar, Bihar
Brief
about District
BRIEF
HISTORY OF DISTRICT
First Creation of Champarn District : 1866 On
1st of December 1971 Champaran district was split
up Into two districts, viz. Purbi Champaran and Paschim
Champaran , The headquarter of Purbi Champaran district
is at Motihari . Presently Purbi Champaran consists
of Six Subdivisions and Twenty Seven Blocks. Nepal
makes its northern boundary, Sitamadhi and Sheohar
eastern while Muzaffarpur South and with part of Gopalganj
bounds it in western side.
Origin
of Name
The
name Champaran owes its origin to Champa-aranya or
Champkatanys. Champa or Champaka means Magnolia and
aranya mess forest. Hence, Champaranya means Forest
of Magnolia (CHAMPA) trees. It is popularly believed
that the nomenclature here was made while the vest
forest part was inhabited by solitary ascetics. It
is needless to say that has Purbi means Eastern Side.
Ancient
History
The
history of Purbi Champaran is a part of parent Champaran
district. In the prehistoric period, Champaran constituted
a part of the ancient kingdom of Videha .The Aryan
Videhas were ordained to settle east of the Gandak
or Narayani river. Among the Greatest of the Videha
kings was Sirdhwaj
Janak
an erudite scholar as well as lord temporal and lord
spiritual for his subjects. Yajnavalkya was his chief
priest who codified the Hindu law known as Yajnavalkya
Smriti. Both of his wife Gargi and Maitreyi was renowned
scholar. It is Gargi who is credited to compose some
of mantras. After the fall of Videhan empire Champaran
was ceded to oligarrochial republic of Vrijjan confederacy,
with Oligarchcal Vaishali as its capital of the Vriggian
confederacy Lichohavis were the most powerful and
prominent.
For
a true imperialist Ajatshatru the emperor of Magadh
the power and fame of Vaishali was eyesore. By tact
and force he annexed Lichhavis and occupied its capital,
Vaishali. He extended his way over the present district
of Purbi Champaran which lasted for nearly hundred
years. After the Mauryas , the Sungas and the kanvas
ruled over Magadh and its vast territories. Archaeological
evidences found in Champaran bear testimony of Sunga
and Kanva rules here.
The
Kushans, who were migrant Turks, overran the entire
northern India in the first century AD Probably Champaran
was a part of the Kushan empire at that time. Banphar
Rajputs in the 3rd century AD got way by the Kushans
. Champaran later become a part of the Gupta empire.
Alongwith Tirhut, Champaran was possibly annexed by
Harsha during whose reign Huen- Tesang, the famous
Chines pilgrim, visited India. During 750 to 1155
AD Palas were in the possession of Eastern India and
Champaran formed the part of their territories. Towards
the close of the 10th century Gangaya Deva of the
Kalacheeri dynasty conquered Champaran .He gave way
to Vikramaditya of the Chalukya dynasty, who was accompanied
by adventures from the Carnatic .It is believed that
one of the adventures counted the Saka dynasty of
Bangal another, Nanyadeva, founded the Carnatic dynasty
of Mithila with its capital at Siaraon on the Indo-
Nepal border.
MEDIEVAL
PERIOD
During
1211 and 1226 first Muslim influences was experienced
when Ghyasuddin Iwaz the muslim governor of Bangal
extended his a way over Tribhukti or Tirhut .It was
however, not a complete conquest and he was only able
to have Tirhut from Narsinghdeva a simyaon king, in
about 1323 Gnyas- Uddip.Tughiar annexed irabhuk and
placed it under Kameshwar Thakur established Sugaon
or Thakur dynasty, As Harsinghdeo the last simraon
king had taken shelter in Nepal Kameshwar Thakur a
Brahmin Rajpandit was installed to regal status. The
sugaon dynasty hold Tirabhukti as a tributary province
for about a century after the capture of Harsinghdeo
. The most famous of the dynasty was Raja Shiva Singh
who was adorned by the immortal poet laureate Vidyapati,
during the period of Lakshmi Nath Deva Tirabhukti
was attached by Sultan Alleuddin Hussain Shah of Bengal
and Sikender Lodi of Delhi . A treaty was concluded
in 1499 according to which 'Tirahukti , left to Sikandar
Lodi subsequently, Sikander Lodi attacked Tirabhukti
and made the prince a tributary chief. However, in
contravention of the treaty conducted by his father
.Nasrat Shah, son of Allauddin Shah attacked Tirbhukti
in 1530 annexed the territory, killed the Raja and
thus put an end to the Thakur dynasty . \
Nasrat
Shah appointed his son -in -law as viceroy of Tirhut
and the coformard it was governed by Muslim Governor
.In 1526 Babar dynosted Sikandar Lodi but Champaran
could not coming prominence till the last days of
the Muslim rule.
During
the close of the Mughal empire, Champaran witnessed
ravages of contending armies. prince Al Gauhar later
known as Shah Alam invaded Bihar in 1760 and Khadin
Hussain, the Governor of Purnit invited with his army
to join him. In the mean time, Nawab Sirajudaulla
of Bengal had already been defeated and killed as
a result of the joint conspiracy of Mir Jagarkhan
and the British, in June, 1757 . Before Khadim Hussain
could meet Shah Alam's forces captain Knox led a British
force and defeated him at Hajipur. There after he
fled to Bettiah.
BRITISH
PERIOD
With
the rest of Bengal Champaran passed into the hands
of East India Company in 1764 but military expeditious
were still I. necessary to curb the independent spirit
of the chiefs. In 1766 , Robert Barkar easily defeated
the local chiefs and forced them to pay tribute or
revenue which they had destined till them. however
, the Raja of Bettiah did not pay revenues regularly
and revolted but was crushed. He fled to Bundelkhand
and his estate was consequently confiscated. But to
the British it was difficult to manage the affairs
of the estate in the make of strong popular resentment.
At the time of uprising the estate was restored by
the Raja in 1771 .
In
the mean time for reaching consequences were taking
place in neighboring Nepal. A confrontation was going,.
In between the Gurkhas, under Prithvi Narayan of Newar
line and British forces. Ultimately a treaty was concluded
at Sugauli .There remained peace for 25 years followed
by treaty but trouble started after 1840 when a Gurkha
troops entered the estate of Raja Ramnagar and extended
their claim over his territory. However, Gorkha troops
had to retreat due to determined resistance. Later,
the Nepalese proved faithfully allies of the British
in suppressing the National Movement of 1857.
The
repression of the Wahabi movement at Patna furthered
of seething discontent of tenants against the activities
of the administration as well as the Indigo --Planters.
The cultivators were forced to grow indigo even in
the face of recurring losses in this account . More
over many kinds of illegal realization were effected
by the landlords. The administration was the cut do
- sac of the oppressions.
In
the beginning of 1857 movement the position of Britishers
was precarious. Major Hoimes who was commanding the
12th Irregular cavalry, stationed at sugauli was apparently
panicked and proclaimed martial law on his own authority.
This measure had not attracted hole-hearted support
of higher authorities. Major Holmes lad repressive
measures and executed some sepoys. Consequently members
of the cavalry revolted again the authority. The Major
his wife and other members of his family were stained.
The Soldiers proceeded towards Siwan to join other
forces who had risen against the British authority.
The revolt was, however calmed down to enlist support
Honorary Magistrates from among the indigo planters
were appointed and also authorized them to recruit
local police. Some of the big estate holders like
the Raja of Bettiah even gave support to the British
Gurukha troops of the British were asset to them.
The
later history of the district is inter woven with
the saga of exploitation of the indigo planters. Britain
used to get supplies of indigo from her American colonies
which ceased after war of .Independence fought in
1776 leading to their freedom. Britain had to depend
upon India for supplies of Indigo. Europeans steered
many factories in the indigo producing areas of Bengal
and Bihar.
Estate
of Bettiah and Ramnagar gave lease of land to them
on easy terms for cultivation of indigo. The arrangement
made for the cultivation of indigo were (1) Zirat
and (2)Tenkuthiya . Apparently ,nothing went wrong
by the introduction of both the systems. But actually,
the peasants suffered a lot due to both the systems.
The wages paid to laborers were extremely low and
entirely inadequate. The were forced to labor hard
and were severely punished for alleged slackness on
their part Sri Raj kumar shukla, an indigo cultivator
of the district having heard about the None Co-operation
Movement had by Gandhijee in South Africa met and
apprised him about miserable plight of indigo Cultivators
in the Champaran District. He persuaded him to visit
the district. Almost at same time;The Indian Nation
congress in December ,1916 passed at Lucknow a resolution
for requesting Government to appoint a committcd of
both officials and non-officials to enquire into the
agrarian trouble facing the district.
Gandhijee
paid historic visit to Champaran. His visit was stoutly
opposed by the British rulers. An order asking him
to leave Champaran was served upon him as soon as
he arrived at Motihari. Gandhijee defied the order
of the several prominent persons who rallied round
him mention may be made of Dr .Rajendra Prasad Acharya
Kriplani ,Mahadeo Desai, C.F. Andrews, H.S.Pollock,
Anugrah Narayan Singh, Raj Kishore Prasad, Ram Nawami
Prasad and Dharnidhar Prasad after considerable struggle
Govt. was compelled to lift the ban on Gandhi's stay
here for he first time on Indian soil Satyagarh, was
successfully put to test. Eventually, a committee
of enquiry was appointed by the Govt. under the chairmanship
of Sri Frank shy, Gandhijee was also made one of the
member of the committee. On the basis of vauled a
recommendations of the committee, the Champaran Agraria
low (Bihar and Orissa Act I of 1918) was passed. In
course of time, the development of synthetic dyes
made the cultivation of indigo redundant.
In
1920,Gandhijee made an extensive tour of Bihar before
launching the non-co-operation movement, which earned
full support in the district as well. In 1929 a group
of volunteers from Champran district came to demonstrate
a against the Simon commission in the same year the
21st session of the Bihar students conference was
held at Motihari. As a reaction against the failure
of Round table conference held in 1932 there was popular
gathering at Motihari to take pledge for Independence.
Police lathi charge and fired upon the gatherings.
people of Champaran will be remember for their active
and significant participation in the National movement
| HQ |
Motihari |
| Sub
Divisions |
Motihari
Sadar, Areraj, Raxaul, Sikarahna, Pakridayal. |
| Blocks |
Kesharia,Kalyanpur,
Motihari, Sugauli, Harsiddhi, Pakridayal, Maheshi,
Adapur, Chiraian, Paharpur, Raxaul, Turkaulia,
Areraj, Ramgarhwa, Ghorasahan, Madhuban, Chakai,
Patahi, Dhakha, Chhauradano, Sangrampur, Phenhara,
Tetaria, Kotwa, Banjaria, Piprakothi, Vankatwa. |
| Agriculture |
Rice
Paddy (Home of Basmati rice), Sugar Cane, Jute,
Lentils. |
| Industry |
Sugar
Factories, Button Factory. |
| Rivers |
Gandak,
Sikrahna. |
|
