Siwan District
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 siwan and 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.