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Darbhanga

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Darbhanga
Dorbhanga
City
Bela Palace
Makhnahi Pokhair
Nicknames: 
Cultural Capital of Bihar, Heart of Mithila
Map
Interactive map of Darbhanga
Coordinates: 26°10′N 85°54′E / 26.17°N 85.9°E / 26.17; 85.9
Country India
State Bihar
RegionMithila[1]
DistrictDarbhanga
Established01 January 1875
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyDarbhanga Municipal Corporation
 • MayorSmt. Anjum Ara
 • Municipal CommissionerShri Kumar Gaurav (IAS)
 • SP CityShri Sagar Kumar (IPS)
 • Member of ParliamentGopal Jee Thakur (BJP)
 • MLASanjay Saraogi (BJP)
Area
[2]
 • Total
39.83 km2 (15.38 sq mi)
Elevation
52 m (171 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
296,039
DemonymDarbhangiya
Languages
 • OfficialHindi[3]
 • Additional officialEnglish[4]
 • RegionalMaithili
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
846001–846009[5][6]
Telephone code06272
ISO 3166 codeIN-BR
Vehicle registrationBR-07
Sex ratio1000:910 ♂/♀
Railway StationDarbhanga Junction
AirportDarbhanga Airport
Lok Sabha constituencyDarbhanga
Vidhan Sabha constituencyDarbhanga, Darbhanga Rural, Bahadurpur, Keoti, Jale, Kusheshwar Asthan, Gaura Bauram, Benipur, Alinagar, Hayaghat
Websitedarbhanga.bih.nic.in

Darbhanga (pronounced [/d̪əɾ.bʱəŋ.ɡɑː/]), is one of the largest cities and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Bihar in India, and is considered an important city in North Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. Darbhanga is also referred to as the gateway to Bengal, because it is held that the name Darbhanga has been derived from Dwār Banga or Dari – Banga, meaning the 'door of Bengal'.[7]

Darbhanga was the seat of the erstwhile Khandwala zamidaar dynasty under the Mughals and British India. It is considered an important medical centre of North Bihar as it is the location of the Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital, and the second AIIMS of Bihar i.e. AIIMS Darbhanga is to be constructed here.[8][9][10][11] Darbhanga is the second city in the state of Bihar, where Software Technology Park of India (STPI) has been established.[12] Similarly by the end of year 2029, it is expected that the city will be equipped with modern infrastructure of metro railway services called as Darbhanga Metro having 18.8 kilometres long metro line with 18 metro stations on it.[13][14] On 29 October 2025, the union home minister Amit Shah announced to build a grand Mithila Cultural Museum in the city to preserve the cultural heritage of the Mithila region.[15]

Darbhanga is one of the oldest cities in India. Musical, folk art, and literary traditions in Maithili, Sanskrit, Urdu, and Hindi have been passed down through generations in Darbhanga and constitute the city's strong cultural background. It is popularly known as the "Cultural Capital of Bihar" and the "Heart of Mithila", a significant district in the Mithila region of India.[16]

History

[edit]

The city was the capital of the Darbhanga Raj, an estate established in the 16th century, containing the Anandbagh Palace. It was constituted as a municipality in 1864. Darbhanga is home to the Kameshwara Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University (established 1961), which is located on the grounds of the palace, and the Lalit Narayan Mithila University (established 1972). Darbhanga has a museum housing archaeological materials, as well as historical and handicrafts exhibits.

Darbhanga has been a centre for music since the late 18th century and has produced multiple well-known dhrupad (an ancient form of Indian classical music) musicians. A major rail and road junction, Darbhanga trades in agricultural produce, mangoes, and fish. In addition to food processing, the city has a light manufacturing industry.

Darbhanga is situated on a vast alluvial plain, with low-lying areas containing marshes and lakes. Grains, oilseeds, tobacco, sugarcane, and mangoes are important crops in the region.[17]

Under the British Raj, Darbhanga was a part of Sarkar Tirhut until 1875, when it was constituted into a separate district. Its subdivisions had been constituted earlier – Darbhanga Sadar in 1845, Madhubani in 1866, and Samastipur (then known as Tajpur) in 1867. The city of Darbhanga is said to have been founded by one Darbhangi Khan, about whom practically nothing is known. It is also held that the name Darbhanga is derived from Dwar Banga or Dar-e-Banga, meaning the 'door of Bengal'. This etymology does not appear to be accurate as the division between Bengal and Bihar has always been held to be further to the east. Nonetheless, the region has a linguistic and cultural affinity with Bengal.[18]

Excavation at Balirajgarh revealed brick fortifications dating back to the 2nd century BC.[19]

Geography

[edit]

Darbhanga is located in the northern part of Bihar. It lies between 25.53 degrees - 26.27 degrees N and 85.45 degrees - 86.25 degrees E at an average elevation of 171 feet (52 m). Darbhanga district covers an area of 2,279 km2. Darbhanga is bounded by Madhubani district in the north, Samastipur district in the south, Saharsa district in the east, Sitamarhi district, Muzaffarpur district in the west and Khagaria district in south-east. Being located in Mithilanchal, Darbhanga district has a vast fertile alluvial plain devoid of any hills. It has a gentle slope from north to south direction having a depression in the centre. Darbhanga experiences a humid subtropical climate. It experiences three main seasons which are winter, summer, and rainy seasons. May is the hottest month when the temperature reaches up to 43 °C. Darbhanga district receives an average of 1142.3 mm rainfall and almost 92% of the annual rainfall is received during monsoon.

Climate

[edit]

Darbhanga has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa).

Climate data for Darbhanga (1991–2020, extremes 1901–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.6
(90.7)		 34.1
(93.4)		 40.6
(105.1)		 43.9
(111.0)		 44.1
(111.4)		 43.6
(110.5)		 39.3
(102.7)		 38.6
(101.5)		 38.6
(101.5)		 39.4
(102.9)		 34.6
(94.3)		 31.1
(88.0)		 44.1
(111.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 23.5
(74.3)		 26.4
(79.5)		 30.7
(87.3)		 36.3
(97.3)		 37.6
(99.7)		 35.7
(96.3)		 33.9
(93.0)		 33.9
(93.0)		 33.1
(91.6)		 32.9
(91.2)		 30.3
(86.5)		 26.1
(79.0)		 31.7
(89.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 7.3
(45.1)		 10.2
(50.4)		 13.4
(56.1)		 17.2
(63.0)		 20.3
(68.5)		 22.7
(72.9)		 23.5
(74.3)		 22.8
(73.0)		 21.3
(70.3)		 18.9
(66.0)		 13.1
(55.6)		 8.2
(46.8)		 16.4
(61.5)
Record low °C (°F) 0.0
(32.0)		 0.0
(32.0)		 4.1
(39.4)		 9.4
(48.9)		 10.6
(51.1)		 11.0
(51.8)		 13.5
(56.3)		 14.0
(57.2)		 13.5
(56.3)		 10.0
(50.0)		 7.2
(45.0)		 2.6
(36.7)		 0.0
(32.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 12.0
(0.47)		 12.5
(0.49)		 10.2
(0.40)		 25.2
(0.99)		 45.2
(1.78)		 164.6
(6.48)		 280.7
(11.05)		 247.5
(9.74)		 197.4
(7.77)		 25.4
(1.00)		 2.5
(0.10)		 3.3
(0.13)		 1,026.5
(40.41)
Average rainy days 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.8 2.4 6.8 11.0 10.4 8.7 0.9 0.2 0.4 45.3
Average relative humidity (%) 68 63 49 56 60 70 78 79 79 73 66 67 67
Source 1: India Meteorological Department[20][21]
Source 2: NOAA (humidity 1971–1990)[22]

Demographics

[edit]
Religion in Darbhanga city (2011)[23]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 71.76%
Islam
 
 27.76%
Other or not stated
 
 0.48%

The 2011 Census of India recorded Darbhanga as an Urban agglomeration with a population of 296,039 while the surrounding district has 3 million people.[24] It is the 5th largest city in Bihar in terms of the urban population.[25] The city has 196,573 males (52.6%) and 183,552 females (47.4%). Darbhanga has an average literacy rate of 79.40%, with male literacy at 85.08% and female literacy at 73.08%.[26] However, as per the document published on 6 March 2021 by the office of District Magistrate Darbhanga, the urban population of Darbhanga stands 380,125.[25]

Languages

[edit]
Languages spoken in Dharbhanga City (2011)[27]
  1. Maithili (50.25%)
  2. Urdu (26.80%)
  3. Hindi (20.98%)
  4. Others (1.97%)

Economy and agriculture

[edit]

The economy of Darbhanga is primarily agrarian, supported by trade in local produce and an expanding food processing sector.[28] The district serves as a major hub for the cultivation of Makhana (fox nut), mangoes, and fish, which are traditionally referred to as the three core cultural identities of the Mithila region ("Paan, Maachh, aa Makhaan").[29][30]

Agriculture and local produce

[edit]
  • Makhana (Fox nut): Darbhanga is a premier global production center for Euryale ferox (Makhana). Under the central government's PMFME scheme, Makhana has been designated as the district's One District One Product (ODOP).[31] The wetland region of Mithila contributes up to 80–90% of global fox nut supplies.[32] In 2022, the local variety harvested across the district, "Mithila Makhana," was awarded a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Government of India.[33] The city also houses the ICAR-National Research Centre for Makhana, dedicated to the crop's ecological research and conservation.[34]
  • Mango: The district is historically recognized for its vast mango orchards, particularly varieties like the Dudhiya Malda, praised for its distinct sweetness, minimal fiber, and thin skin.[28] Groves of fruit-bearing trees, including jackfruit and tamarind, are common adjacent to rural settlements.[28]
  • Fish: Commercial and captive fisheries form a crucial pillar of the regional economy, utilizing the district's abundant perennial water bodies, including ponds (pokhairs) and low-lying marshy depressions (chaurs).[34] Cultural and dietary reliance on fish farming has prompted expanded cultivation of local sweet-water species like Rohu, Katla, and Naini, alongside government deployment of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) to increase aquaculture productivity.
  • Staple Crops: The fertile alluvial terrain also supports large-scale farming of food grains, including paddy (rice), wheat, and maize, along with oilseeds and sugarcane.[30]

Industry and trade

[edit]

Darbhanga serves as a principal agricultural commercial market in North Bihar.[28] Industrial development is highly tied to the primary sector, focusing on agro-processing mills that handle the popping, sorting, and wholesale packaging of Makhana for both domestic markets and international exports.[34] The livestock sector is structured by the Mithila Milk Producer Cooperative Union Limited, which coordinates local dairy production and supply chains across the division.[30] Other secondary economic sectors include urban retail, public transport infrastructure, and light consumer manufacturing.[28] Madhubani Art also contribute a major part in the economy of Darbhanga and generate huge empowerment. Asha Jha and Uma Chandan has employed more than 300 women artistans in Darbhanga with their organisation Madhubani Paints.[35]

Transport

[edit]

Roadways

[edit]

Darbhanga serves as a major transport hub in North Bihar, offering extensive connectivity to regional cities and national corridors through an evolving network of expressways, national highways, and state highways.[36]

National Highways and Regional Connectivity

[edit]

The city is centrally connected to neighboring districts and key regional commercial centers by multiple arterial routes:

Amas–Darbhanga Expressway

[edit]

The Amas–Darbhanga Expressway ( NH 119D) is an approved 4/6-lane wide, access-controlled greenfield highway.[42] As the first dedicated expressway project in the state of Bihar, it is designed to establish a high-speed North–South corridor traversing the heart of the state.[43]

The expressway connects Bela Nawada village in the Darbhanga district to Amas village in the Gaya district (near the Aurangabad border), drastically cutting regional transit down to roughly 4 hours.[42] Spanning a length of approximately 189 kilometers, the high-speed route links seven distinct districts and directly connects Darbhanga to major destinations, including:[44][45]

The corridor serves as a unique "triple airport link", bridging the influence zones of the airports at Gaya, Patna, and Darbhanga.[45] It also links into the wider national highway grid, allowing travelers to reach metropolitan hubs like Delhi-NCR, Jharkhand, and West Bengal in significantly shorter timeframes.[44]

Railways

[edit]
Darbhanga Junction

Darbhanga Junction lies on the East Central Railway. It is connected directly to all the major cities of India. Laheriasarai Railway Station is the second major station of Darbhanga and works as an important railway station for people living in south Darbhanga.

There are daily and weekly trains available for New Delhi, Patna Junction, Secunderabad, Kolkata, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Howrah, Amritsar, Pune and other major cities.

Darbhanga Airport

[edit]
Darbhanga Airport Runway
IndiGo and SpiceJet planes at the airport

Darbhanga also has its own commercial airport which is connected with all the major cities of India.

Darbhanga Airport (IATA: DBR, ICAO: VE89) is a civil enclave at the Darbhanga Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force, 6 kilometres from Darbhanga City near the NH 527B and NH 27 East-West Corridor Expressway which passes through Darbhanga. NH 27 provides road connectivity from Darbhanga towards major urban and commercial centres of northern Bihar, including Muzaffarpur, Mehsi, and other parts of the region. The civil enclave is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The foundation stone for the project was laid by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and then Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu in the presence of state Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha on 24 December 2018. After efforts taken by the MP of Darbhanga, Gopal Jee Thakur,[46][47] and the then Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri. Commercial flights started on 8 November 2020.[48]

Education

[edit]

Notable educational institutions include:

Medical colleges

[edit]
Platinum Jubilee gate of Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital

University

[edit]

Engineering and technology colleges

[edit]

Colleges

[edit]

Schools

[edit]

Tourism

[edit]

Darbhanga has various tourist attractions and is among the oldest cities of Bihar.

Tourist attractions include:

Tourist Attractions of Darbhanga
Darbhanga Planetarium, Shyama Mai Temple & Chandradhari Museum

Notable people

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Thakur, Ripunjay Kumar (1 March 2022). "Historical Geography of Early Medieval Mithila: From Videha to Tirhut". New Archaeological & Genological Society, Kanpur, India. ISSN 2348-8301. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "Darbhanga City".
  3. ↑ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  4. ↑ "NCLM52ndReport" (PDF). 25 May 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "STD & PIN Codes". Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "Pin Codes of Darbhanga, Bihar, India, Darbhanga Pincode Search". indiapincodes.net.
  7. ↑ "Welcome to Darbhanga District | Official Website of Darbhanga District | India". Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "'Best site chosen for AIIMS at Darbhanga'". The Times of India. 15 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "संसद में गोपाल जी ठाकुर ने उठाई दरभंगा में एम्स की मांग". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "एम्स का मुद्दा संसद में उठाए जाने पर सांसद को दी गई बधाई".
  11. ↑ "संसद में फिर गूंजा दरभंगा एम्स निर्माण का मुद्दा सांसद ने कहासरकार बदलने से फंसा है पेंच". ETV Bharat News (in Hindi). Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "68th STPI Centre Inaugurated in Darbhanga, Bihar".
  13. ↑ "Metro Survey: मुजफ्फरपुर और दरभंगा में मेट्रो सर्वे हुआ पूरा, नगर विकास विभाग को सौंपी रिपोर्ट". Prabhat Khabar (in Hindi). 17 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  14. ↑ "Darbhanga Metro: 18 स्टेशन... 18.8 KM लंबाई, दरभंगा वाले अब जल्द लेंगे मेट्रो का मजा; जानें लेटेस्ट अपडेट". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  15. ↑ "दरभंगा में 500 करोड़ की लागत से स्थापित होगा सांस्कृतिक म्यूजियम, गृहमंत्री अमित शाह ने की घोषणा - home minister amit shah said that cultural museum will be established in darbhanga bihar politics". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  16. ↑ Culture. "Darbhanga: The Heart of Mithilaanchal!". Darbhanga.nic.in. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  17. ↑ "Darbhanga | India". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  18. ↑ "History | Welcome to Darbhanga District | India". Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  19. ↑ A., Ghosh (1965). Indian Archaeology:A Review. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. pp. 3–5.
  20. ↑ "Climatological Tables of Observatories in India 1991-2020" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M33. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  22. ↑ "Darbhanga Climate Normals 1971–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (FTP). Retrieved 18 August 2020. (To view documents see Help:FTP)
  23. ↑ "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Bihar". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  24. ↑ "Darbhanga City Population Census 2011-2022 | Bihar".
  25. 1 2 "2021030687.pdf" (PDF).
  26. ↑ "Census of India: View Population Details". www.censusindia.gov.in. Government of India. 2001. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  27. ↑ 2011 census data censusindia.gov.in
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 "Economy". Welcome to Darbhanga District. District Administration, Darbhanga. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "GI Tag for Mithila Makhana". Drishti IAS. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  30. 1 2 3 "About Darbhanga Division". Darbhanga Division. Government of Bihar. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  31. ↑ "Makhana". Explore India ODOP. Invest India, Government of India. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  32. ↑ "About Us". Darbhanga Makhana. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  33. ↑ "Details: Mithila Makhana". Intellectual Property India. Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  34. 1 2 3 Kumar, A. (2020). "Economic analysis of makhana cultivation in Darbhanga district of Bihar, India" (PDF). Plant Archives. 20 (2): 615–620. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  35. ↑ "Meet Asha Jha: The woman who sold madhubani paintings for Rs 100 and turned a paintbrush into hope for 250 families across Bihar". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  36. ↑ "Transportation in Darbhanga, Roadways and Railways". Darbhanga Online. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  37. ↑ "National Highway 27: Route Map, Entry Exit Points, Speed, & Current Status". MagicBricks. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  38. 1 2 "National Highway 27 (NH-27) Infrastructure Overview". UnderStand UPSC. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  39. ↑ "National Highway 527B (India) Route Profile". AARoads Wiki. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  40. ↑ "Regarding the Expansion of State Highway- 88". Darbhanga District Administration. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  41. ↑ "Completed Infrastructure and Bridge Projects in Darbhanga". Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  42. 1 2 "Amas Darbhanga Expressway Bihar - Greenfield Expressway NH 119D". MagicBricks. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  43. ↑ "Amas-Darbhanga Expressway Infrastructure Landscape". Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  44. 1 2 "Big relief for Delhi-NCR, Bihar commuters: 198 km Amas-Darbhanga Expressway to connect 7 districts". News24. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  45. 1 2 "Amas Darbhanga Expressway: Route & Completion Date". Blackridge Research. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  46. ↑ शर्मा, सुभाष (5 September 2020). "दरभंगा एयरपोर्ट से जल्द ही उड़ान भरेंगे विमान, MP गोपाल जी ठाकुर ने अधिकारियों से की बात". www.abplive.com (in Hindi). Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  47. ↑ "सांसद गोपाल जी ठाकुर बोले, आठ नवंबर से 8 करोड़ मथिलावासियों के लिए शुरू होगी हवाई सेवा - MP Gopal ji Thakur said that Air service will start for 8 crore Mathilawas from November 8". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  48. ↑ "मिथिलांचल के लिए खुशखबरी! दरभंगा एयरपोर्ट का संचालन शुरू, देखिए अंदर की तस्वीरें". Prabhat Khabar - Hindi News (in Hindi). 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  49. ↑ Jha, Binay Kumar (26 January 2021). "Republic Day: Darbhanga 'cycle girl' Jyoti Kumari gets PM's award". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  50. ↑ "Members : Lok Sabha". loksabha.nic.in. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  51. ↑ "Former President Kalam's close associate scientist Manas Verma dies". The Hindu. 4 May 2021.
[edit]
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