Darbhanga Junction Railway Station @ Darbhanga District, Bihar, India

View of Darbhanga Railway Station.
(Photos: T TrackCoolar @ 15-10-2019)

• Coordinates: 26°9'20"N 85°54'27"E
• Google Maps: https://tinyurl.com/DarbhangaJunction

• Location: Station Road, Darbhanga, Darbhanga District, Bihar, India
• Elevation: 57.00 metres (187.01 ft)
• Owned by: Indian Railways
• Operated by: East Central Railway zone
• Line(s): Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines
• Platforms: 5
• Tracks: 8
• Parking: Available
• Status: Functional
• Station Code: DBG
• Zone(s): East Central Railways
• Division(s): Samastipur Division
• Electrified: Yes

Darbhanga Junction, station code DBG, is the railway station serving the city of Darbhanga in the Darbhanga district in the Indian state of Bihar. The Darbhanga Junction railway station is connected to most of the major cities in India by the railway network. Darbhanga has trains running frequently to Delhi, Kolkata and Patna. The city is a major railway hub and has two major stations: Darbhanga Junction and Laheriasarai railway station.

Darbhanga Junction Railway Station Cornerstone.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

History

Darbhanga Junction Railway Station - Old Image.
(Photos: Darbhanga-Rocks @ 03-01-2015)

Translate from "Darbhanga Junction Railway Station Cornerstone" in English - Darbhanga is the most important place in the Samastipur Division. Darbhanga is the District headquarters as well as the divisional headquarters. It can be called the capital of Mithilanchal. The word Darbhanga from Dar-e-Jung, meaning Bengal’s door.

Emperor Akbar appointed Mahesh Thakur as Kanungo and Chaudhary in 1557 to streamline the system of tax collection in the Mithila area, which made its headquarters at Bhour (presently in Madhubani district). Darbhanga became the governance center of Darbhanga Raj from the year 1762. Maharaj Bahadur Bir Kameshwar Singh was the last king of Raj Darbhanga. Maharaja Laxmeshwar Singh was a great philanthropist and a supporter of the Indian National Congress. He also attended the second session of the Indian National Congress held in Calcutta in the year 1886.

In the year 1873-1874, North Bihar was affected by a severe famine. To accelerate the relief and rescue operations, the Tirhut State Railway Company opened a 43-meter gauge railway line from Darbhanga to Dalsinghsarai via Samastipur on 01 November 1875. Maharaja Laxmeshwar Singh Has contributed significantly to the construction and relief work of this line. Two salons – one small line and the other big line, used by Darbhanga Raj. The gauge conversion of the Samastipur-Darbhanga railway line was done onboard gauge on 30-01-1996.

Darbhanga Station, Governor-General, Viceroy Lord Linlithgow a Lord Wellington, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr. S. Witness the arrival of Radhakrish nan, etc. Darbhanga has been noted for its culture and intellectual tradition. Mithila, culture Mithila Painting, Dhrupad Singing, folk dance – Sama Chakeva and Jnizhiya identify here. The district is in front of Mango and Makhana. This saying defines the rich culture of Darbhanga – Pag-pag Pokhar, Pan Makhan, Saras Bol, Muski Muskan Vidhya-Vaibhav Shanti Symbol, Lalit Nagar Darbhanga Thicke.

Darbhanga Raj Complex and Fort, Maharaja Laxmeshwar Singh Museum and Chandradhari Museum, Shyama Temple, Manokama Temple, Mlechha Mardini Temple, Darbhanga Tower, Holy Rosary Church, Masqdom Saba’s Tomb, Ahilya Sthan and Gautam Sthan, Khushehwarsthan Shiva Temple and Bird Vihar and Newari Fort of Adi are other sightseeing places of Darbhanga.

105-Year-Old Historic Steam Rail Engine

105-Year-Old Historic Steam Rail Engine installed at Darbhanga Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

An England-made steam rail engine of 1913 vintage, said to be the first locomotive that was brought here for haulage work at a sugar mill, was installed today in front of the Darbhanga railway station and will soon be refurbished, a senior official said. An England-made steam rail engine of 1913 vintage, said to be the first locomotive that was brought here for haulage work at a sugar mill, was installed today in front of the Darbhanga Railway station and will soon be refurbished, a senior official said. The metre-gauge engine, bearing No.253, which had been lying decrepit at Lohat Sugar Mill, owned by the Bihar sugarcane industries department in the district, was brought to the station premises late last night.

Steam Engine Darbhanga.
(Photos: railnews.in)

“This is a made-in-England steam engine that lay in a state of decay at the sugar mill. After campaigning by a group of heritage activists, we had written to the Bihar government to shift the engine, which then gave the permission. The proposal was cleared by the state Cabinet in March,” DRM, Samastipur Divison, R K Jain said. The engine is very historic as it is said to be the “first locomotive” brought to Darbhanga for use at a sugar mill, he added. “The engine has been kept on rails in front of the station. It needs a lot of work, as it is in a decrepit state. Our experts will work on it to refurbish and paint it. We will display it proudly,” he told PTI. From rotting in a corner of a mill to finding a pride of place in the city, the engine may have reached its marked destination, but its journey yesterday had almost got derailed. A group of people had gathered around the truck when the engine was loaded on its transportation and protested the shifting of the engine, sources said. “Some people, with motivated intentions had protested its shifting. The authorities then told them that the engine was being shifted to the station only and persuaded them to cooperate,” a source said.

15- Years Old Steam Engine outside Darbhanga Junction Railway Satation.
(Photos: Suraj Jha @ 07-02-2020)

Jain said the engine, made for a narrow-gauge track, cards a ‘captive engine’ as it was kept at one place for usage, as in the sugar mill. Photographer and local heritage activist Santosh Kumar, who was among the few people who had approached the railways, seeking rescuing of this rail heritage, said all the struggle has paid off. “This step will encourage heritage preservation in Darbhanga. There are four old engines at another sugar mill in the district, they should also be rescued and displayed in front of other stations,” he said. Railways in Darbhanga came in 1874 and rulers of Darbhanga Raj had their own royal trains and saloons.

Railways in the regions were known by different names in different periods, and also as Tirhut Railway. Darbhanga currently falls under Railway’s Samastipur Divison. “We already have two heritage engines installed in Samastipur, one in front of the Samastipur Division and other at the premises of the Samastipur Division headquarters,” Jain said.

Platforms
There are five platforms in Darbhanga Junction. The platforms are interconnected with foot over bridges (FOB).

Trains
Darbhanga Junction railway station is a part of the East Central Railways located on the Samastipur rail route. Some local passenger trains also run from Darbhanga Junction to neighbouring destinations like Raxaul, Jainagar, Sitamarhi and Samastipur on frequent intervals. The station, is connected to most of the major cities in India.

Darbhanga to New Delhi Train.
(Photos: Rahul Verma @ 22-08-2018)

Nearest Airport
The nearest airport to Darbhanga Junction are

• Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Patna
• Gaya Airport, Gaya
• Darbhanga Airport, Darbhanga (Not operational)

Gallery

Entry View of Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Renovation Work of Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Mithila Hall at Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Mithila Painting Inside Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

View of Platforms No. 1 Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Entry Gate of Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Deepak Kumar @ 27-12-2019)

Darbhanga Junction Railway Station Board.
(Photos: Deepak Chaurasia @ Apr-2018)

Darbhanga Junction Railway Station Platforms Board.
(Photos: Delhilocal Guide @ 13-03-2018)

Darbhanga Railway Lines view from Bridge.
(Photos: Rahul Verma @ May-2018)

No Entry Board inside Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Mithila Bhawan Board inside Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Entrance Gate No. 2 of Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Enquiry Office of Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Outside View of Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Outside View of Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Mithila Painting on Raksha Bandhan, Chhath Puja, and Bhai Dooj Festivals.
(Photos: Shivam Kumar @ Apr-2018)

Kaliya Naag Mardan Mithila Painting.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Govardhan Puja Mithila Painting.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Mithila Painting Inside Darbhanga Junction Railway Station.
(Photos: Kamal Thakur @ 06-06-2020)

Mithila Painting on Jungle View.
(Photos: Amit Kumar Jha @ May-2019)

References

• Wikipedia – Darbhanga Junction Railway Station
• RailNews Media India Ltd - 105-year-old historic Steam Rail engine installed at Darbhanga Railway Station.
• The Times of India - Darbhanga Railway Station to be the proud recipient of a 105-year-old rail engine.
• NDTV - 105-Year-Old Historic Engine Installed At Darbhanga Station In Bihar.
• The Financial Express (India) - 105-year-old historic steam rail engine installed at Darbhanga station.