Brief History
Bhagalpur , being an important junction between Delhi and Bengal , continued to be a popular destination throughout the medieval history. However, the fate of the city swayed between the fortunes of the kings of Delhi and the rulers of Bengal . Various grandees passed by this important city and have left their mark. During the Tughlaq period it was a mint town and was greatly partronised by the Mughals. A number of educational institutions were popular in medieval Bhagalpur . Jahangir awarded jagirs for the upkeep of a resident madarsa founded by Maulana Shahbaz, a scholar and a saint who was an authority on Mohammadan law and tradition.
Legend, buttressed by a little hard evidence, has it that today’s Bhagalpur was the Champavati of fifth century B.C. It was a period when India ’s earliest Indian empire was evolving around the Gangetic plains and Anga was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (great states) that flourished. Champavati, the capital of Anga was also referred to by other ancient names like Malini, Champapuri, Champa Malini, Kala Malini among others. Atharva Veda depicts Anga as an unholy place while Karna Parva condemns Anga as the land where wives and children were sold. However, at other places Mahabharat attests to the people of Anga as Sujati (noble birth) and proclaims the sanctity of Champa as a tirtha (place of pilgrimage).The epic attributes the foundation of this kingdom to a prince named Anga. Ramayana, however relates a romantic origin by way of Madana (Kamadeva or the Love God) cutting off his anga (body) in this region, out of sheer frustration at Siva’s anger.
The leavening brush of India ’s ancient history exerts everywhere in Bihar . Bhagalpur today is a silent town, a low key destination, if at all it finds a mention in the tourist map. Amidst its bluntness one can feel the past resonating here. After all, it ranked among the six best Indian cities at one time. |
