Bihar History: Freedom Movement, Peasant Agitations, Key Leaders & Cultural Heritage"

1️⃣ Early Education & Institutions

• 1835: First Zila School established in Patna.
• 1st Congress Ministry in Bihar:
  • Sri Krishna Sinha: First Chief Minister of Bihar, called Bihar Kesari, regarded as an architect of modern Bihar.
  • Anugrah Narayan Sinha: First Deputy Chief Minister.

2️⃣ Freedom Movement & Peasant Agitations

• Deoghar: ‘Golden League’ formed to promote boycott & Swadeshi movement.
• Bhagalpur (1906): Surendra Nath Banerjee promoted Swadeshism; students held processions in red and yellow with Vande Mataram badges.
• Sahajanand Saraswati:
  • Founded Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (BPKS) in 1929 to mobilize peasants against zamindari.
  • Active in organizing farmers’ movements and Hindi weekly Hunkar (1940).
• Kisan Sabha Movement:
  • 1922: Organized by Mohammad Zubair & Sri Krishna Singh in Munger.
  • 1933: Bihar Kisan Sabha formation.
  • 1936: All India Kisan Sabha formed; Sahajanand Saraswati as President, N.G. Ranga as Secretary.
• Bihar Socialist Party (1934): Jayaprakash Narayan as Secretary.
• Sachindra Nath Sanyal: Established Anushilan Samiti branch in Patna (1913).

3️⃣ Key Leaders & Freedom Fighters

• Md. Yunus: First Premier of Bihar (April–July 1937), led minority government; started Patna Times in 1924.
• Rajendra Prasad:
  • First President of India, participated in non-cooperation movement, Quit India Movement, rehabilitation after 1914 floods & 1934 earthquake.
  • Called The Gentle Bihari by Gandhi.
• Braj Kishore Prasad: Lawyer inspired by Gandhi, contributed to Champaran & Kheda Satyagraha.
• Anugrah Narayan Sinha & Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra: Members of Constituent Assembly.

4️⃣ Historical Dynasties & Governance

• Karnat Dynasty (1097–1324 CE):
  • Founded by Nanyadev; capitals: Simraungadh (Nepal) & Darbhanga (Bihar).
  • Promoted peace, literature, and Maithili language.
• Harisimhadeva (1304–1324 CE): Last ruler of Karnat dynasty; introduced social reforms including 4-class system for Maithil Brahmins and Panji system.

5️⃣ Literature & Historical Texts

• Rajaniti Ratnakara (1924): Candesvara Thakura; Sanskrit political treatise, includes Sapta Ratnakar (7 other books on law & governance).
• Udwant Prakash (1747): By Mauli Kavi under Udwant Singh of Jagdishpur; chronicles Ujjainiya Rajputs.
• Other works: Bagh Singh, Udwant Vinod (Mauli Kavi), Jhanda Geet (Shyam Lal Gupta ‘Parshad’).

6️⃣ Other Notable Historical Facts

• Jayaprakash Narayan (1942): Escaped Hazaribagh Jail, joined Quit India Movement.
• Patna Lawn: Renamed Gandhi Maidan in 1948 after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

Key Takeaways for BPSC

1. Bihar played a central role in freedom movement & peasant agitations.
2. Leaders like Sri Krishna Sinha, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Rajendra Prasad, Sahajanand Saraswati are key for exams.
3. Karnat dynasty & literary contributions highlight historical-cultural context of Mithila.
4. Major movements & newspapers (Patna Times, Hunkar) are important for historical questions.