History
HISTORY OF SIWAN
Siwan enjoys a special place in the history of India as being the hometown of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India. Historically an old town it is witnessed various social and political events. During 8th century, Siwan was part of Banaras Kingdom. During the 17th century, initially the Dutch ruled siwanand then they were followed by the English . Following the battle of Buxar, the area of Siwan and those surrounding it were made a part of Bengal. Siwan also played a major role during the independence movement.
Origin of the name
It is believed that the name of Siwan district comes from the name of a Bandh king whose successors ruled the region for a long time. The king’s name was Shivan Man and hence the name Siwan. It is also believed that even Maharajganj, a part of Siwan district, must have got its name from
the Maharaja who ruled here. siwan is also known by the name Aliganj Sawan, after Ali Bux, one of the feudal lords who dominated the region.There is also another story regarding the naming of Siwan. In Bhojpuri language, the word ‘Siwan’ denotes ‘border of a place’. It forms the southern border of Nepal, hence the name. Whatever the real reason, Siwan has much importance in the history of India, not just the modern history but even ancient history.
Formation of Siwan district
In 1970, major changes were brought about in the jurisdiction of different places and Siwan was one of them. Siwan was declared a district following the new jurisdiction in 1972, and included 13 sub division blocks and 10 blocks of Gopalganj. In 1973, Gopalganj was removed from Siwan to constitute a separate district. siwan now comprised the 13 sub blocks and additional Bhagwanpur and Basantpur blocks. As a result of the implementation of Trivedi Award in 1970, keeping Ghaghara river as a focal point, some villages from Siwan were transferred to UP and vice-versa. The river changed everyone’s calculations when it changed course in 1885.Thereafter, a stable boundary was created at Siwan on both the banks of the river. Recently Siwan has got four more blocks which are Lakri Nabiganj, Nautan, Jiradei and Hasanpura, but only Lakri Nabiganj is functional as of now.Today, Siwan stands as a glorious example of India’s ancient heritage and as a torch-bearer of the sacrifices of great freedom fighters.
History Of Court in Siwan
Dispensation of Justice during the British India can be traced back to 1875 when the Sub-divisions of Siwan and Gopalganj were created in the District of Saran at Chapra. The Court of Munsif Ist at Siwan was established in year 1870 and the Court of Munsif 2nd was established in year 1945. The Court of Sub-Judge Ist was established in year 1971 which administered Civil Justice. The dispensation of Criminal Justice was handed over to the Sub-divisional Officer and Magistrates under old Cr.P.C. Siwan continued to be a Sub-division of Saran till 10-05-1976 when the Siwan was created as a district of Bihar with Gopalganj as sub-division of Siwan. However Gopalganj was bifurcated from Siwan and made a separate district. The district Siwan was established as new Judgeship on 10.05.1976 and Gopalganj remained under the Judgeship of Siwan till the creation of Judgeship of Gopalganj on 10-01-1984 after the creation of Gopalganj district
Mythology of Siwan
Siwan also has a lot of mythological importance attached to it. Don, a village located in the Darauli region, has the ruins of a fort, believed to have belonged to the great guru in Mahabharata, who taught Kauravas and Pandavas and who was a leading figure in the Mahabharata war.In fact, his son Ashwadhama is believed to be still wandering the earth because of a curse by Lord Krishna for killing the sons of the Pandavas. Don is also known for a stupa, which is believed to have the vase in which Buddha’s ashes were kept. It is believed that Don was the name of a local Brahmin who helped the dispute among the last followers of Buddha regarding how Buddha’s ashes could be distributed.As a token of gratitude, the vase which contained the ashes was given to Don. He built a stupa to place the vase. The stupa though in ruins is still a revered place for Buddhists. In fact, the famous Chinese traveller, Hiusen Tsang has mentioned about Don in his travelogue. It is also believed that Buddha must have breathed his last somewhere here. The stature of Siwan has acquired more importance recently after the excavation of an idol of Lord Vishnu from the village Bherbania in Siwan district.