The ancient city of Nepal, Simraungadh was a fortified city and the capital of the Tirhut Kingdom founded by Karnat King Nanyadeva in 1097. Now, located as a municipality of Bara District in Madhesh Province, the city is considered one of the most significant locations archaeologically.
The archaeological exploration of the shows that part of the fortification of the city also extended into Bihar of India, as it is located in the border of Nepal-India. Located about 90 km south of Kathmandu, the nearest metro city, Birgunj is located at a distance of 28 Km.
The name of the place is named after Simal tree found abundant in the area. The tree being called Simr in local language gave the place a name Simraon that later became Simraungadh. Gopal Raj Vamshavali, the oldest chronicles of Nepal links the relationship of Simraungadh with Simal tree forest.
Apil Gurung in Twitter writes, “Centuries old idols of Vishnu, Ganesha and Chamunda were recently excavated from Simraungarh, Nepal. Simraungarh Kingdom was razed to the ground by Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughluq during his Bengal campaign and the idols bear tell-tale signs of Islamic iconoclasm. King Harisimhadeva fled to Nepal with his Kula Devi in the form of a Purna Ghada (water-filled pot) who was adopted as Ishta Devi by the Nepali Kings and is worshipped in the same form to this day. Locally known as Taleju Bhawani, western scholars later identified the Devi as the tantric goddess Kubjika, a goddess who was once widely worshipped by Kashmiri Shaivites. This is the reason why Miyas hate us with a particular passion, because even after a millennium of unspeakable atrocities, Hindus are still a billion strong qaum.”
In the ancient time, Simraungadh was the capital of an independent kingdom of the Mithila. Also called Tirhut kingdom as early as the 11th century. The city was properly fortified and ruled by the Karnat dynasty. The rule of the dynasty is considered as the golden age in the history of Tirhut as the rise of this empire helped create an efficient administration, proper social reforms, religious society and also helped in the development of a rich local folk music and literature.
The known rulers of Simraongarh are as follows:
- Nanya Dev (1097 – 1147 AD)
- Gangadeva (1147 – 1187)
- Narsimhadeva (1187 – 1227)
- Ramasimhadeva (1227 – 1285)
- Shaktisimhadeva (1285 – 1295)
- Harisingh Dev (1295 – 1324)
Centuries old idols of Vishnu, Ganesha and Chamunda were recently excavated from Simraungarh, Nepal. Simraungarh Kingdom was razed to the ground by Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughluq during his Bengal campaign and the idols bear tell-tale signs of Islamic iconoclasm. King… pic.twitter.com/oX7fPY5aZ6
— Apil Gurung (@apligrg) March 25, 2023