Muzaffarpur District
| Total Population : 3,746,714 |
| Total literate : 1,440,954 |
| Rural : 3,398,361 |
Urban : 348,353 |
| Male : 1,951,466 |
Female : 1,795,248 |
| Area : 3,122.56
Sq Km. |
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MP
: Loksabha
Muzaffarpur
: MP
George Fernandes
CONSTITUENCY : Muzaffarpur
(Bihar )
PARTY : Janata
Dal (United) (JD(U))
Present
Address
3,
Krishna Menon Marg,
New Delhi - 110 011
Tels. (011) 23016035, 23017172, 23793397
Permanent
Address
3,
Leonard Lane,
Richmond Town,
Bangalore-560 025
(Karnataka)
Tel. (080) 2214143
Brief
about District
Muzaffarpur
district, ‘The Land Of Leechi’ was created
in 1875 for the sake of administrative convenience
by splitting up the earlier district of Tirhut.
The present district of Muzaffarpur came to its existence
in the 18th
century and
named
after
Muzaffar Khan,
an
Amil
(Revenue
Officer)
under British Dynasty.
Purbi Champaran and Sitamarhi districts
on North, on the South Vaishali and Saran
districts, on the East Darbhanga and Samastipur
districts and on the West Saran and Gopalganj
districts surround Muzaffarpur. Now it has won
international encomiums for its delicious Shahi
Leechi and China Leechi
It is,
of course impossible to trace back the history of
this region to its earliest origins, but we can trace
back it’s stream of strong heritage a very long way
through the ancient Indian epic Ramayan,
which still bears a significant role in Indian civilization.
To initiate with the Legend, Rajarshi Janak was
ruling Videha, the mythological name
of this entire region including eastern Nepal and
northern Bihar. Sitamarhi, a place in this
region, bears a value of sacred Hindu belief where,
Seeta (other name Vaidehi: The Princes of Videha)
sprang to life out of an earthen pot while Rajarshi
Janak was tilling the land.
The recorded
history of the district dates back to the rise of
the Vrijjan Republic. The center of political
power also shifted from Mithila to Vaishali.
The Vrijjan Republic was a confederation of eight
clans of which the Licchavis were the most
powerful and influential. Even the powerful kingdom
of Magadh had to conclude matrimonial alliances
in 519 B.C. with the neighboring estates of the Licchavis.
Ajatshatru invaded Vaishali and extended his
sway over Tirhut. It was at this time that Patliputra
(the modern Patna) was founded at the village
Patali on the banks of the sacred river Ganga
and Ajatshatru built an invincible fortress to keep
vigil over the Licchavis on the other side of the
river. Ambarati, 40 Kms from Muzaffarpur is
believed to be the village home of Amrapali,
the famous Royal court dancer of Vaishali.
Vaishali,
a center of religious renaissance, Baso Kund,
the birth place of Mahavir, the 24th Jain Tirthankar
and a contemporary of Lord Buddha continue to attract
visitors from across the international boarders.
From
the visit of the Hieuen Tsang’s till the rise of the
Pala dynasty, Muzaffarpur was under the control of
Maharaja Harsha Vardhan, a powerful sovereign of North
India. After 647 A.D. The district passed on to the
local chiefs. In the 8th century A.D. the Pala kings
continued to have their hold over Tirhut until 1019
A.D. Chedi
kings of Central India also exercised their influence
over Tirhut till they were replaced by the rulers
of the Sena dynasty towards the close of the 11the
century.
Between
1211 & 1226, Ghais-u-ddin Iwaz, the ruler of Bengal,
was the first Muslim invader of Tirhut. He, however,
could not succeed in conquering the kingdom but extorted
tributes. It was in 1323 that Ghiyasuddin
Tughlaq established his control over the district.
The
history of Muzaffarpur will remain incomplete without
a reference to the Simraon dynasty (in the north-east
part of Champaran) and its founder Nanyupa Deva who
extended his power over the whole of Mithila and Nepal.
During the regime of Harasimha Deva, the last king
of the dynasty, Tughlaq Shah invaded Tirhut in 1323
and gained control over the territory. Tughlaq Shah
handed over the management of Tirhut to Kameshwar
Thakur. Thus, the sovereign power of Tirhut passed
from the Hindu chiefs to the Muslims but the Hindu
chief continued to enjoy complete utonomynterruptedly.
Towards
the close of the 14th century the whole of North Bihar
including Tirhut passed on to the kings of Jaunpur
and remained under their control for nearly a century
until Sikandar Lodi of Delhi defeated the king of
Jaunpur. Meanwhile, Hussain Shah, the Nawab of Bengal
had become so powerful that he exercised his control
over large tracts including Tirhut. The emperor of
Delhi advanced against Hussain Shah in 1499 and got
control over Tirhut after defeating its Raja. The
power of the Nawabs of Bengal began to wane and with
the decline and fall of Mahood Shah, north Bihar including
Tirhut formed a part of the mighty Mughal Empire.
Though Muzaffarpur with the entire north Bihar had
been annexed yet the petty powerful chieftains continued
to exercise effective control over this area till
the days of Daud Khan, the Nawab of Bengal. Daud Khan
had his stronghold at Patna and Hajipur and after
his fall a separate Subah of Bihar was constituted
under the Mughal dynasty and Tirhut formed a part
of it.
The
victory of East India Company in 1764 at the battle
of Buxar gave them control over whole of Bihar and
they succeeded in subduing the entire district. The
success of the insurgent at Delhi in 1857 caused grave
concern to the English inhabitants in this district
and revolutionary fervor began to permeate the entire
district. Muzaffarpur played its role and was the
site of the famous bomb case of 1908. The young Bengali
revolutionary, Khudi Ram Bose, a boy of barely 18
years was hanged for throwing the bomb at the carriage
of Pringle Kennedy who was actually mistaken for Kingsford,
the District Judge of Muzaffarpur. After independence,
a memorial to this young revolutionary patriot was
constructed at Muzaffrapur, which still stands. The
political awakening in the country after the First
World War stimulated nationalist movement in Muzaffarpur
district also. The visit of Mahatma Gandhi to Muzaffarpur
district in December 1920 and again in January 1927
had tremendous political effect in arousing the latent
feelings of the people and the district continued
to play a prominent role in the country’s struggle
for freedom.
Muzaffarpur
played a very significant role in the history of North-Eastern
India. The peculiarity of Muzaffarpur in Indian civilization
arises out of its position on the frontier line between
two most vibrant spiritual influences and most significantly,
to this day, it is a meeting place of Hindu and Islamic
culture and thoughts. All sorts of modified institutions,
representing mutual assimilation, rise along the boarder
line. It has undoubtedly been this highly diversified
element within her boundaries that has so often made
Muzaffarpur the birthplace of towering geniuses.
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