Skip to main content

THE ITALIAN LUTYENS OF BIHAR

Emerging from the undergrowth in a town in North Bihar are the choice and frequenting stays of a failed to remember regal capital. However, these are no customary vestiges. The superb complex, which incorporates an amazing royal residence, a secretariat, other authoritative structures and numerous sanctuaries, flaunts fluted columns, tall pilasters, resplendent domes, complicatedly cut patios and scalloped curves planned in particularly European style yet mixed with Indian components.

Rajnagar was  the seat of the Maharaja of Raj Darbhanga, in present-day Madhubani locale in Bihar. Found 50 km away from Darbhanga town and 190 km from Patna, this regal capital was plainly worked with much love and intricate details.
Developed in the mid twentieth century by a Maharaja who encircle himself with plushness, Rajnagar is presently just a sorry excuse for its self, a considerable lot of its designs diminished to staggering yet shallow veneers that keep on overshadowing the scene.If we enter this distinguished complex through one of the four curved doors, the charm of Rajnagar is quite pronounced.
Raj Darbhanga or Darbhanga Raj used to be one of the biggest and richest zamindaris, or land holdings, in India. This area, also known as Mithilanchal or Tirhut, is today famous for its Madhubani art.  The first Zamindar of Darbhanga, a Brahmin, Pandit Mahesh Thakur, laid the foundation of the Khandawala Dynasty in Mithila when he obtained Darbhanga Raj as a grant through a farmaan or edict issued by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1577.

Since it was common practice to assign land grants to the younger brother while the elder brother sat on the throne, Maharaja Laxmeshwar Singh (1860 – 1898) gave his brother Rameshwar Singh (1898 – 1929) Rajnagar as a land grant. But he went one step further. The Maharaja also drew up plans for Rajnagar as a ‘royal abode’ for Rameshwar Singh. As fate would have it, Rameshwar Singh also went on to become the king of Raj Darbhanga as his elder brother died childless in 1898.

Taking his brother’s plans forward, Rameshwar Singh began to develop Rajnagar as a royal township in 1904.

This was to be a gigantic Secretariat and was built in a classical style by renowned Italian Architect M A Corone. Several magnificent temples devoted to various gods and goddesses were also built within the royal complex of Rajnagar.

Maharaja Rameshwar Singh himself was an accomplished tantrik and, as a result, the palace complex was graced by a beautiful Kaali Temple constructed entirely from white marble. The complex also housed temples dedicated to Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva.

This was a time when architects and engineers were only just beginning to use cement to construct buildings in India. It is said that when Corone, the architect-in-chief, was extolling the virtues of cement before the Maharaja, he had said that a “pillar made of cement would be so strong that even an elephant would not be able to break it”.

Expressing amusement at the claim, the Maharaja asked Corone to create an elephant made from cement. The architect obliged and the Maharaja was so pleased with his work that he asked Corone to incorporate cement elephants into the design of his Secretariat.


Then, on 15th January 1934, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever in the region, dubbed the Nepal-Bihar Earthquake, flattened North Bihar and delivered a death blow to Corone’s Italian Lutyens of Rajnagar. The Navlakha Palace was badly damaged and the beautiful Shiva Temple was rendered unfit for use by the earthquake. Some portions of the Secretariat and the revenue office building were the only things left standing – handsome ruins that remind us of the fury of that fateful day.


If Sir Rameshwar Singh’s death robbed Rajnagar of its glory as the capital of Darbhanga Raj, the earthquake of 1934 condemned his beautiful erstwhile capital city to a lifetime of neglect, encroachment and most painful of all – a slow and continuous death.


#Makingofmodernindia #theunheardsecrets #abandonedforts #abandonedpalaces #unsunghistory #mystictales #mysyeries #stories #unheardstories #mythology #folklore #folktales #ruins #abandonedsecrets #losthistory #lostpalaces #unheardsecrets



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Viseshakacchedya Vidya- The Soul behind SHRINGAR

In ancient times, cosmetics were used not just for enhancing outer beauty, but to attain punya , ayush , aarogyam and anandam . Do you know that cosmetology, that is, the skill of using cosmetics, has always been a part of our culture. This ' chatushashti ' art forms like painting, dance, drama, music and sculptures is a part of 64 arts ( chausath kala) which were used to be practised since ancient times. It is believed that the ancient science of cosmetology was born in Egypt and India. Things related to cosmetology, were used during the Indus Valley Civilisation as well. In those times, both women and men were equally conscious about  their appearances. In the timeframe of Indus valley civilisation, kohl (kajal) was applied on the eyelashes and below the eyebrows. During those times, the method of preparing kajal was quite natural. Aside from its asthetic appeal, kajal was originally worn as a form of protection for the eye. The belief was that darkening around the lids cou...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE FORGOTTEN 'SHE'ROES

And just like our society... Unfortunately History took our women, their valour, their courage...FOR GRANTED. There is no doubt that their sacrifices and their pain has been glorified time and again, undermining their heroic deeds, their tales of bravery and their participation which changed the course of history. On this International Women's Day, lets celebrate these 'she'roes and their courage...which gradually got hidden within the test of time. Rani Abbakka Chowta was the first Tuluva Queen of Ullal who fought the Portuguese in the latter half of the 16th century. For her bravery, she came to be known as Abhaya Rani (The fearless queen). She was also one of the earliest Indians to fight colonialism and is sometimes regarded as the 'first woman freedom fighter of India'. Abbakka is portrayed as dark and good looking, always dressed in simple clothes like a commoner. She is portrayed as a caring queen who worked late into the night dispensing justice. Legends a...
2 comments
Read more

COZ YOU NEED TO 'BEAR' THIS TEDDY!

What's in a name? More than you may realize! You may not see your stuffed bear in quite the same light again! Boxed and wrapped in paper and bows, teddy bears have been placed lovingly underneath Christmas trees for generations, to the delight of tots and toddlers around the world. But the teddy bear is an American original: Its story begins with a holiday vacation taken by President Theodore Roosevelt. Did you know that the Teddy Bear was invented in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt? It all began when Theodore Roosevelt was on a bear hunting trip near Onward , Mississippi on November 14, 1902. Mississippi's Governor Andrew H. Longino had invited him, but unlike other hunters in the group, Theodore had not located a single bear. Roosevelt's assistants, led by Holt Collier, born slave and former Confederate cavalryman, cornered and tied a black bear to a willow tree. They summoned Roosevelt and suggested that he shoot it. Viewing this as extremely unsportsmanlike, R...
8 comments
Read more