Anand Bagh Palace
Encyclopedia
Anand Bagh Palace is situated in town of Darbhanga
in State of Bihar
, India
. Anand Bagh Palace was constructed during the reign of Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh
in the 1880s. Anand Bagh Palace was severely damaged during earthquake
of 1934 and was rebuilt thereafter.
Anand Bagh Palace was donated to Government of Bihar by Maharaja Kameshwar Singh for starting a University for promotion of Sanskrit
language. Currently, this palace is the head office of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University.
Anand Bagh Palace was well known for its beautiful gardens surrounding it that have now sadly disappeared due to government's apathy to maintain it. Roper Lethbridge
mentions about the about Lakshmivilas Palace as under:
"The new Palace at Darbhanga, with its immense stables, its botanical and zoological gardens, and its many beautiful surroundings, is well known in England by the sketches that have appeared in the London illustrated papers."
The garden surrounding the Palace had several rare species of plants such as Branched palm having over 8 branches, Rudraksha
, Sandalwood
, Mahogany
, etc. as well as many species of orchids were planted around the Palace.
The garden was laid out on the extensice grounds of the Palace by Charles Maries
, who was recommended by Sir Joseph Hooker to Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh for the post of Superintendent of the gardens of the Raj Darbhanga
.
Darbhanga
Darbhangā is a twin city and a municipal corporation and the capital city of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India. It is one of the most important districts of North Bihar situated in the very heart of Mithilanchal. According to the latest 2011 census, the...
in State of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Anand Bagh Palace was constructed during the reign of Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh
Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh
Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga was the King of Darbhanga in State of Bihar, India. He was best known as one of the most munificent of living philanthropists of his time...
in the 1880s. Anand Bagh Palace was severely damaged during earthquake
1934 Bihar earthquake
The 1934 Bihar earthquake was one of the worst earthquakes in India's history. Some 30,000 people were said to have died. Munger and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed. This 8.4 magnitude earthquake occurred on January 15, 1934 at around 2:13 PM and caused widespread damage in the northern...
of 1934 and was rebuilt thereafter.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
language. Currently, this palace is the head office of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University.
Anand Bagh Palace was well known for its beautiful gardens surrounding it that have now sadly disappeared due to government's apathy to maintain it. Roper Lethbridge
Roper Lethbridge
Sir Roper Lethbridge C.I.E was a British academic and civil servant in India and a Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1892.-Early life and education:...
mentions about the about Lakshmivilas Palace as under:
"The new Palace at Darbhanga, with its immense stables, its botanical and zoological gardens, and its many beautiful surroundings, is well known in England by the sketches that have appeared in the London illustrated papers."
The garden surrounding the Palace had several rare species of plants such as Branched palm having over 8 branches, Rudraksha
Rudraksha
Rudraksha Rudraksha Rudraksha (also Rudraksh; Sanskrit: ("Rudra's tears") is a large evergreen broad-leaved tree whose seed is traditionally used for prayer beads in Hinduism. The seed is borne by several species of Elaeocarpus, with E. ganitrus being the principal species used in the making of a...
, Sandalwood
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...
, Mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
, etc. as well as many species of orchids were planted around the Palace.
The garden was laid out on the extensice grounds of the Palace by Charles Maries
Charles Maries
Charles Maries was an English botanist and plant collector who was sent by James Veitch & Sons of Chelsea, London to search for new hardy plants in Japan, China and Taiwan between 1877 and 1879; there he discovered over 500 new species, which Veitch introduced to England...
, who was recommended by Sir Joseph Hooker to Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh for the post of Superintendent of the gardens of the Raj Darbhanga
Raj Darbhanga
Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Royal Family of Darbhanga, were a family of Zamindars and rulers of territories that are now part of Mithila and Darbhanga district, Bihar, India. Their seat was at the city of Darbhanga...
.