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Bettiah

City in Bihar, India

  • 8 min read
  • 9 chapters

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History

In 1244 A.D., Gangeshwar Dev, a Bhumihar of the Jaitharia clan, Now known as Bhumihar Brahmin. settled at Jaithar in Champaran. One of his descendants, Agar Sen, acquired large territories during the reign of Emperor Jahangir, and was bestowed the title of 'Raja' by Emperor Shah Jahan. In 1659, he was succeeded by his son Raja Gaj Singh, who built the palace of the family at Bettiah. He died in 1694 A.D. The palace stands today and is used as a marketplace.

In 1740, a Roman Catholic mission was founded in the city. On 7 December 1745 AD, Father Joseph Mary, Father Cassen, and Nepali Christian Michael arrived in Bettiah from Nepal. The King of Bettiah provided them with a house located in front of the royal court. This three-room house became the center of their activities. One room served as a clinic where free medicines were distributed to the general public, the second room was a Christian prayer house—a small church, and the third room was dedicated to providing religious education. From this modest setting, the propagation of Christianity began in Bettiah, laying the foundation for what would later become the presence of the Catholic Church in the northern Indian subcontinent, as well as the foundation of the Bettiah Christian community.

In 1765, when the East India Company acquired the Diwani, the Bettiah Raj held the largest amount of territory under its jurisdiction. It consisted of all of Champaran except for a small portion held by the Ram Nagar Raj.

Maharaja Sir Harendra Kishore Singh was the last king of Bettiah Raj. He was born in 1854 and succeeded his father, the late Maharaja Rajendra Kishore Singh Bahadur in 1883. In 1884, he received the title of Maharaja Bahadur as a personal distinction and a Khilat and a sanad from the hands of the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, Sir Augustus Rivers Thompson. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire on 1 March 1889. He was appointed a member of the Legislative Council of Bengal in January 1891. He was also a member of The Asiatic Society. He was the last ruler of Bettiah Raj. Maharaja Sir Harendra Kishore Singh Bahadur died heirless on 26 March 1893, leaving behind two widows, Maharani Sheo Ratna Kunwar and Maharani Janki Kunwar . There are a few institutions named after the queen Maharani Janki Kunwar, such as M.J.K College and M.J.K Hospital.

The Bettiah Gharana was one of the oldest styles of vocalised music. Madhuban was part of the erstwhile 'Bettiah Raj'. Internal disputes and family quarrels divided the Bettiah Raj as time went on. As a result, the Madhuban Raj was created.

In 1869, Bettiah was constituted and affirmed as a municipality.

A section of Dhrupad singers of Dilli Gharana (Delhi Gharana) from the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's court had migrated to Bettiah under the patronage of Bettiah Raj, and thus was sown the seed of Bettiah Gharana. The well-known Dagar brothers had praised the Bettiah Dhrupad singers and some of them were invited to the Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal to perform with other accomplished singers in 1990.

The University of Bihar has a local branch of its college in Bettiah, M.J.K. College, first established in 1955 under the name of Bettiah Mahavidyalya. The current name is in honour of Maharani Janki Kunwar of the Bettiah Raj.

On 26 December 2020, Bettiah became a municipal corporation. It includes San Saraiyan Tola, Banuchapar, Purvi Kargahiya and nearby areas. Development and upgrades to the local infrastructure are planned.

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