Simraungadh in Bara was the fortified capital of the Karnat dynasty of Mithila (Tirhut), founded by King Nanyadeva in 1097 and flourishing for over 200 years until Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq destroyed the city in 1324, sending the last king Harisingh Dev fleeing north. The ruined labyrinth fort, with its massive ramparts and ditches, was later described by travellers including the Tibetan monk Dharmasvamin (1236), Italian missionary Cassiano Beligatti (1740) and Colonel Kirkpatrick (1801). After the Karnats, the region passed to Oiniwar or Makwanpur rulers until Nepal's unification in 1768. In the modern era Bara became an agricultural heartland nicknamed the 'granary' (annako bhandar) and is today Nepal's third-richest district by GDP share with the highest per-capita income in Madhesh Province; Amlekhganj was the northern terminus of the Nepal Government Railway, the country's first railway (1927-1965).
Researched by the ChillNepal team from published sources. Spot something out of date? Tell us from the place's page.
