PRESENT HEAD OF HOUSE: The Maharaja of Darbhanga is the premier nobleman and leading magnate in Bihar and is the head of the Maithil Brahmins in India. The Honour and Dignity is Disputed

PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: A town and district of British India, in the Patna division of Bengal. The town is on the left bank of the Little Baghmati river, and has a railway station. Population in 1901 was 66,244. The town is a collection of villages that have grown up round the residence of the Maharaja. This is a magnificent palace, with gardens, a menagerie and a good library. The district of Darbhanga extends from the Nepal frontier to the Ganges. It was constituted in 1875 out of the unwieldy district of Tirhut. Founded by Mahamahopadhyaya Mahesh Thakur, who received the Darbhanga raj (which includes large parts of the modern districts of Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Monghyr, Purnea and Bhagalpur) from the emperor Akbar early in the 16th century. The Maharaja of Darbhanga is the titular head of the highest sub-caste of the Maithils, viz. the Srotriyas (those who could recite the Vedas from memory). The Khandavala dynasty of Raj Darbhanga was governed by the rule of Primogeniture based on the "Kulachar" recognized by Privy Council and Supreme Court. Rulers were...

• Raja MAHESH THAKUR, Raja of Darbhanga, he was granted title of Raja and Darbhanga Raj by Akbar, married and had issue. He died 1558.

  • Kunwar Ramchandra Thakur

  • Raja Gopal Thakur (qv)

  • Kunwar Achit Thakur

  • Raja Parmanand Thakur (qv)

  • Raja Subhankar Thakur (qv)

• Raja GOPAL THAKUR, Raja of Darbhanga, ruled for a short time only.

• Raja PARMANAND THAKUR, Raja of Darbhanga, ruled for a short time only.

• Raja SUBHANKAR THAKUR, Raja of Darbhanga -/1607, married and had issue. He died 1607.

  • Raja Purushottam Thakur (qv)

  • Raja Sundar Thakur (qv)

  • Raja Narayan Thakur (qv)

• Raja PURUSHOTTAM THAKUR, Raja of Darbhanga 1607/1642 (1623), died sp in 1642 (1623).

• Raja NARAYAN THAKUR, Raja of Darbhanga 1623/1642, married and had issue.

  • generation, married and had issue.

    • generation, married and had issue.

      • generation, married and had issue.

        • Raja Pratap Singh (see below)

        • Raja Madho Singh (see below)

• Raja SUNDAR THAKUR, Raja of Darbhanga 1642/1662, married and had issue. He died 1662.

  • Raja Mahinath Thakur (qv)

  • Raja Nirpat Thakur (qv)

• Raja MAHINATH THAKUR, Raja of Darbhanga 1662/1684, died sp 1684.

• Raja NIRPAT THAKUR, Raja of Darbhanga 1684/1700, married and had issue. He died 1700.

  • Raja Raghu Singh (qv)

• Raja RAGHU SINGH, Raja of Darbhanga 1700/1736, he obtained lease of whole of Sarkar Tirhut including Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur at an annual rent of Rs.100,000, which was a huge amount at that time. The annual revenue of Sarkar Tirhut in 1685 AD was officially returned at Rs.7,69,287. At one time, during reign of Raja Raghu Singh, Nawab Mahabat Jung, Nawab Subahdar of Behar, got jealous of the wealth of Raja Raghu Singh and imprisoned his family at Patna. Raghu Singh escaped capture and later succeeded in getting the estate back along with large grant with Mughal Governor on the condition that "Do Justice, Relieve Distress, And Put The Country In Flourishing Condition. This condition was fulfilled by Raja Raghu Singh and subsequent Maharajas of Darbhanga. He built a mud fort at Bhawara near Madhubani; married and had issue. He died 1736.

  • Raja Bishnnu Singh (qv)

  • Raja Narendra Singh (qv)

• Raja BISHNU SINGH, Raja of Darbhanga 1736/1740, died sp in 1740.

• Raja NARENDRA SINGH, Raja of Darbhanga 1740/1760, adopted his distant relative as his successor. He died sp in 1760.

• Raja PRATAP SINGH, Raja of Darbhanga 1760/1776, built a Rajbari at Darbhanga and shifted the capital to Darbhanga from Bhawara. He died 1776.

• Raja MADHO SINGH, Raja of Darbhanga 1776/1808, received grant of Dharampur in District of Purnea, Bihar from Shah Alam, Mughal Emperor of Delhi. Raja Madho Singh had a long dispute with British Government over revenue payment and extent of his right over the land; married and had issue. He died 1808.

  • Maharaja Chhatra Singh Bahadur (qv)

  • Kunwar Kishan Singh, died sp.

• Maharaja CHHATRA SINGH Bahadur, Raja of Darbhanga 1808/1839, he was granted the title of Maharaja Bahadur, as a personal distinction, he resigned his powers to his eldest son, but died shortly afterwards; married and had issue. He died 1839 ^(#3).

  • Raja Rudra Singh (qv)

  • Rajkumar Bisdeo Singh

• Raja RUDRA SINGH , Raja of Darbhanga 1839/1850, married and had issue. He died 1850.

  • Raja Maheshwar Singhr Bahadur (qv)

  • Rajkumar Ganeshwar Singh [aka Babu Ghunpat]

  • Rajkumar Nitreshwar Singh, married and had issue.

    • Babu Ekradeswar Singh

    • Babu Janeswar Singhm, married Musammat Janeswari Babuain. He died sp on 18th April 1906.

  • Rajkumar Gopeshwar Singh

  • generation (one of above), married and had issue.

    • Babu (name unknown), married and had issue.

      • Babu Madheshwar Singh, Deputy Magistrate

• Raja MAHESHWAR SINGH Bahadur, Raja of Darbhanga 1850/1860, married and had issue. He died 20th October 1860.

  • Raja Lachmeshwar Singh Bahadur (qv)

  • Hon. Maharajadhiraja Sir Rameshwar Singh Bahadur (qv)

• Raja LACHMESHWAR SINGH Bahadur, Raja of Darbhanga 1860/1898, born 25th September 1858, educated by an English tutor, succeeded to the Raj after attaining his majority, he served as a member of the legislative council of the viceroy with conspicuous ability and moderation of view. As representative of the landowners of Berar and Bengal he took an important part in the discussion on the Bengal Tenancy Bill. He entirely devoted himself to public work and was recognized as one of the greatest nobles and philanthropists of India at that time, and as a tribute to him, his statue was installed in Calcutta in 1904 at Dalhousie Square. He died sp on 17th December 1898 ^(#4).

• Hon. Maharajadhiraja Sir RAMESHWAR SINGH Bahadur G.C.I.E., K.B.E., D.Litt., Maharaja of Darbhanga 1898/1929, born 16th January 1860 ^(#5), 17th in succession from the founder of the House, the premier territorial noble of Bihar, educated by an English tutor, appointed to the Indian Civil Service in 1878, serving as assistant magistrate successively at Darbhanga, Chhapra and Bhagalpur, he was exempted from attendance at the civil courts, and was appointed a member of the legislative council of Bengal, MLC of Bengal 1885, Member of Council of Governor General of India in 1899 and 1904, President of Bihar Landholder's Association, President of All India Landholder's Association, President of Bharat Dharma Mahamandal, Member of Council of State, Trustee of Victoria Memorial, Calcutta, President of Hindu University Society, M.E.C. of Bihar and Orissa, Member of Indian Police Commission 1902/1903, he was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind medal in 1900, made a K.C.I.E. in 1902, elevated to a G.C.I.E. in 1915 ^(#5), he was made a K.B.E. (civil) in 1918, he was granted the title of Raja Bahadur in 1886, elevated to the title of Maharaja Bahadur as a personal distinction in 1898, which was made hereditary in 1907, he was granted the enhanced title of Maharajadhiraja as a hereditary distinction in 1920, married 1stly, 1877, married 2ndly, 1901, and had issue, two sons and one daughter. He died 3rd July 1929 ^(#6).

  • Maharajkumari (name unknown), born 1905.

  • Col. Honourable Maharajadhiraja Sir Kameshwar Singh Bahadur (qv)

  • Raja Vishweshwar Singh Bahadur, born 1908, in 1938, he was granted the estate of Rajnagar, the title of Raja and a pension of 30,000Rs which was later raised to 48,000Rs; he married and had issue, three sons.

    • Babu Saheb Dr. Jeeveshwar Singh Ph.D., became an ascetic later in life and renounced worldy possessions, married twice and had issue, seven daughters. He died 1988.

    • Babu Saheb Yajneshwar Singh, mentally unstable and was overlooked in the succession, married and had issue, three sons.

      • Kumar Ratneshwar Singh, presently contesting the succession to the title.

      • Kumar Rashmeshwar Singh, died.

      • Kumar Rajneshwar Singh

    • Maharajadhiraja Subheshwar Singh Bahadur (qv)

• Hon'y Col. The Honourable Maharajadhiraja Dr Sir KAMESHWAR SINGH Bahadur K.C.I.E., LL.D., D.Litt., Maharaja of Darbhanga 1929/1962, born 28th November 1907 ^(#7), Delegate to the two sessions of the Indian Round table Conference held in London, 1930 and 1931; nominated Member of the Council of State, 1933/1946; Life-President of the Maithil Mahasabha; President, All-India Landholders' Federation; Bengal Landholders' Association; Life-President of the Bihar Landholders Association; General President of Sri Bharatdharma Mahamandal elected Pro-Chancellor, Benares Hindu University twice; Life-Member of the Allahabad University and Benares Hindu University courts; nominated President of the Bihar Sanskrit Association, thrice; President of the Bihar Sanskrit Re-organisation Committee; Vice-Patron, Benares Hindu University; Bihar and Orissa Research Society; and Academy of Fine Arts, India; Vice-President Provincial War Board, Bihar; President, King George V, Anti-Tuberculosis Association Bihar; Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; Fellow of the Royal Empire Society; Member, East India Association; Life-member, Empire Parliamentary Association, London; Honorary Colonel of 11th Btn. 19th Hyderabad Regiment, 1940; Honorary Colonel, Bihar Regiment, 1941; Appointed Member National Defence Council, 1941; Member of the Constituent Assembly 1947/1950, Member of the Provisional Parliament 1950/1951 and the Rajya Sabha 1952/1958 and 1960/1962; he was made a K.C.I.E. in 1933, conferred with a LL.D. by Allahabad University in 1937; conferred with a D.Litt. by Benares University in 1937; married 1stly, Maharani Rajlakshmi Devi, died sp in 1976, married 2ndly, 1935, Maharani Kameshwari Priya Sahiba, died 28th October 1940 ^(#8), married 3rdly, 1945, Maharani Kamasundari alias Maharani Kalyani Devi. He died sp on 8th November 1962 ^(#7) or 2nd October 1962 ^(#2).

• Maharajadhiraja SUBHESHWAR SINGH Bahadur, Maharaja of Darbhanga 1962/2006, born about 1945, Indian Nation proprietor, appointed head of the Shrotriya Brahmins, who are the leaders of Maithili Brahmins; married and had issue, two sons. He died 2006.

  • Kumar Kapileshwar Singh, presently contesting the succession to the title; married Kumarani Kavita Kumari.

• (see above)