Industrial printing presses

At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the mechanics of the hand-operated Gutenberg-style press were still essentially unchanged, although new materials in its construction, amongst other innovations, had gradually improved its printing efficiency. By 1800, Lord Stanhope had built a press completely from cast iron which reduced the force required by 90%, while doubling the size of the printed area.[46] With a capacity of 480 pages per hour, it doubled the output of the old style press. Nonetheless, the limitations inherent to the traditional method of printing became obvious.

Two ideas altered the design of the printing press radically: First, the use of steam power for running the machinery, and second the replacement of the printing flatbed with the rotary motion of cylinders. Both elements were for the first time successfully implemented by the German printer Friedrich Koenig in a series of press designs devised between 1802 and 1818. Having moved to London in 1804, Koenig soon met Thomas Bensley and secured financial support for his project in 1807. Patented in 1810, Koenig had designed a steam press "much like a hand press connected to a steam engine." The first production trial of this model occurred in April 1811. He produced his machine with assistance from German engineer Andreas Friedrich Bauer.

Koenig and Bauer sold two of their first models to The Times in London in 1814, capable of 1,100 impressions per hour. The first edition so printed was on November 28, 1814. They went on to perfect the early model so that it could print on both sides of a sheet at once. This began the long process of making newspapers available to a mass audience (which in turn helped spread literacy), and from the 1820s changed the nature of book production, forcing a greater standardization in titles and other metadata. Their company Koenig & Bauer AG is still one of the world's largest manufacturers of printing presses today.

The steam powered rotary printing press, invented in 1843 in the United States by Richard M. Hoe,[49] allowed millions of copies of a page in a single day. Mass production of printed works flourished after the transition to rolled paper, as continuous feed allowed the presses to run at a much faster pace.

Also, in the middle of the 19th century, there was a separate development of jobbing presses, small presses capable of printing small-format pieces such as billheads, letterheads, business cards, and envelopes. Jobbing presses were capable of quick set-up (average setup time for a small job was under 15 minutes) and quick production (even on treadle-powered jobbing presses it was considered normal to get 1,000 impressions per hour [iph] with one pressman, with speeds of 1,500 iph often attained on simple envelope work).[citation needed] Job printing emerged as a reasonably cost-effective duplicating solution for commerce at this time.

By the late 1930s or early 1940s, printing presses had increased substantially in efficiency: a model by Platen Printing Press was capable of performing 2,500 to 3,000 impressions per hour.[citation needed]

Book printing as art form

For years, book printing was considered a true art form. Typesetting, or the placement of the characters on the page, including the use of ligatures, was passed down from master to apprentice. In Germany, the art of typesetting was termed the "black art," in allusion to the ink-covered printers. It has largely been replaced by computer typesetting programs, which make it easy to get similar results more quickly and with less physical labor. Some practitioners continue to print books the way Gutenberg did. For example, there is a yearly convention of traditional book printers in Mainz, Germany.

Some theorists, such as McLuhan, Eisenstein, Kittler, and Giesecke, see an "alphabetic monopoly" as having developed from printing, removing the role of the image from society. Other authors stress that printed works themselves are a visual medium. Certainly, modern developments in printing have revitalized the role of illustrations.

Circulation of information and ideas

The printing press was also a factor in the establishment of a community of scientists who could easily communicate their discoveries through the establishment of widely disseminated scholarly journals, helping to bring on the scientific revolution.[citation needed] Because of the printing press, authorship became more meaningful and profitable. It was suddenly important who had said or written what, and what the precise formulation and time of composition was. This allowed the exact citing of references, producing the rule, "One Author, one work (title), one piece of information" (Giesecke, 1989; 325). Before, the author was less important, since a copy of Aristotle made in Paris would not be exactly identical to one made in Bologna. For many works prior to the printing press, the name of the author was entirely lost.[citation needed]

Because the printing process ensured that the same information fell on the same pages, page numbering, tables of contents, and indices became common, though they previously had not been unknown.[citation needed] The process of reading was also changed, gradually changing over several centuries from oral readings to silent, private reading.[citation needed] The wider availability of printed materials also led to a drastic rise in the adult literacy rate throughout Europe.[citation needed]

The printing press was an important step towards the democratization of knowledge. Within fifty or sixty years of the invention of the printing press, the entire classical canon had been reprinted and widely promulgated throughout Europe (Eisenstein, 1969; 52). Now that more people had access to knowledge both new and old, more people could discuss these works. Furthermore, now that book production was a more commercial enterprise, the first copyright laws[citation needed] were passed to protect what we now would call intellectual property rights[citation needed]. A second outgrowth of this popularization of knowledge was the decline of Latin as the language of most published works, to be replaced by the vernacular language of each area, increasing the variety of published works. The printed word also helped to unify and standardize the spelling and syntax of these vernaculars, in effect 'decreasing' their variability. This rise in importance of national languages as opposed to pan-European Latin is cited as one of the causes of the rise of nationalism in Europe.

The Printing Revolution

The phenomenon of the Printing Revolution can be approached from a quantitative perspective which has its focus on the printing output and the spread of the related technology. It can also be analysed in terms of how the wide circulation of information and ideas acted as an "agent of change" (Eisenstein) in Europe and global society in general.

Mass production and spread of printed books

The invention of mechanical movable type printing led to a veritable explosion of printing activities in Europe within the span of only a few decades. From a single print shop in Mainz, Germany, printing had spread to no less than 236 cities in twelve European countries by the end of the 15th century. As early as 1480, there were printers active in 110 different places in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, England, Bohemia and Poland. From that time on, it is assumed that "the printed book was in universal use in Europe".

In Italy, a center of early printing, print shops had been established in 77 cities and towns by 1500. At the end of the following century, 151 locations in Italy had seen at one time printing activities, with a total of nearly three thousand printers known to be active. Despite this proliferation, printing centres soon emerged; thus, one third of the Italian printers published in Venice.

By 1500, the printing presses in operation throughout Western Europe had already produced more than twenty million volumes. In the following century, their output rose tenfold to an estimated 150 to 200 million copies.

European printing presses of around 1600 were capable of producing 3,600 impressions per workday. By comparison, Far Eastern printing, which did not know presses and was solely done by manually rubbing the back of the paper to the page, did not exceed an output of forty pages per day.

The vast printing capacities meant that individual authors could now become true bestsellers: Of Erasmus's work, at least 750,000 copies were sold during his lifetime alone (1469−1536). In the early days of the Reformation, the revolutionary potential of bulk printing took princes and papacy alike by surprise: Just in the short period from 1518 to 1524, the publication of books in Germany alone skyrocketed sevenfold; between 1518 and 1520, Luther's tracts were distributed in 300,000 printed copies.

The rapidness of typographical text production, as well as the sharp fall in unit costs, led to the issuing of the first newspapers (see Relation) which opened up an entire new field for conveying up-to-date information to the public.

A lasting legacy are the prized incunable, surviving pre-16th century print works which are collected by many of the most prestigious libraries in Europe and North America.

History of Press

Johannes Gutenberg's work on the printing press began in approximately 1436 when he partnered with Andreas Dritzehn—a man he had previously instructed in gem-cutting—and Andreas Heilmann, owner of a paper mill. However, it was not until a 1439 lawsuit against Gutenberg that an official record exists; witnesses' testimony discussed Gutenberg's types, an inventory of metals (including lead), and his type molds.

Having previously worked as a professional goldsmith, Gutenberg made skillful use of the knowledge of metals he had learned as a craftsman. He was the first to make type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, which was critical for producing durable type that produced high-quality printed books and proved to be much better suited for printing than all other known materials. To create these lead types, Gutenberg used what is considered one of his most ingenious inventions, a special matrix enabling the quick and precise molding of new type blocks from a uniform template. His type case is estimated to have contained around 290 separate letter boxes, most of which were required for special characters, ligatures, punctuation marks, etc.

Gutenberg is also credited with the introduction of an oil-based ink which was more durable than the previously used water-based inks. As printing material he used both paper and vellum (high-quality parchment).

In the Gutenberg Bible, Gutenberg made a trial of coloured printing for a few of the page headings, present only in some copies. A later work, the Mainz Psalter of 1453, presumably designed by Gutenberg but published under the imprint of his successors Johann Fust and Peter Schöffer, had elaborate red and blue printed initials.

How a Printing Press Works

A printing press, in its classical form, is a standing mechanism, ranging from 5 to 7 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 7 feet tall. Type arranged into pages is placed in a frame to make a forme, which itself is placed onto a flat stone or 'bed'. The type is inked, and the paper is held between a frisket and tympan (two frames covered with paper or parchment). These are folded down, so that the paper lies on the surface of the inked type. The bed is rolled under the platen, using a windlass mechanism, and the impression is made with a screw that transmits pressure through the platen. Then the screw is reversed, the windlass turned again to move the bed back to its original position, the tympan and frisket raised and opened, and the printed sheet removed. Such presses were always worked by hand. After around 1800 iron presses were developed, some of which could be operated by steam power.

Technological factors For Printing Press

At the same time, a number of medieval products and technological processes had reached a level of maturity which allowed their potential use for printing purposes. It was the merit of Gutenberg to take up these far-flung strands, combine them into one complete and functioning system, and perfect the printing process through all its stages by adding a number of inventions and innovations of his own:

The screw press which allowed direct pressure to be applied on flat-plane was already of great antiquity in Gutenberg's time and put to a wide range of tasks. Introduced in the 1st century AD by the Romans, it was commonly employed in agricultural production for pressing wine grapes and (olive) oil seeds, both of which formed integral part of the mediterranean and medieval diet. The device was also used from very early on in urban contexts as a cloth press. Gutenberg may have also been inspired by the paper presses which had spread through the German lands since the late 14th century and worked by the same mechanical principles.

Gutenberg adopted the basic design, thereby mechanizing the printing process. Printing, however, put a demand on the machine quite different from pressing. Gutenberg adapted the construction so that the pressing power exerted by the platen on the paper was now applied both evenly and with the required sudden elasticity. For speeding up the printing process, he introduced a movable undertable with a plane surface on which the sheets could be swiftly changed.

The concept of movable type was not entirely new in the 15th century; sporadic evidence that the typographical principle, the idea of creating a complete text by reusing individual characters, was well understood and employed in pre-Gutenberg Europe had been cropping up since the 12th century and possibly before (the ancient Phaistos disc aside). The known examples range from Germany (Prüfening inscription) over England (letter tiles) to Italy. However, the various techniques employed (imprinting, punching and assembling individual letters) did not possess the necessary refinement and efficiency to become widely accepted.

Gutenberg greatly improved the process by treating typesetting and printing as two separate work steps. A goldsmith by profession, he created his type pieces from a lead-based alloy which suited printing purposes so well that it is still used today. The mass production of metal letters was achieved by his key invention of a special hand mould, the matrix. The Latin alphabet proved to be an enormous advantage in the process since, in contrast to logographic writing systems, it allowed the type-setter to represent any text with a theoretical minimum of only around two dozen different letters.

Another factor conducive to printing lay in the book existing in the format of the codex, which had originated in the Roman period. Considered the most important advance in the history of the book prior to printing itself, the codex had completely replaced the ancient scroll at the onset of the Middle Ages (500 AD). The codex holds considerable practical advantages over the scroll format; it is more convenient to read (by turning pages), is more compact, less costly, and, in particular, unlike the scroll, both recto and verso could be used for writing − and printing.

A fourth development was the early success of medieval papermakers at mechanizing paper manufacture. The introduction of water-powered paper mills, the first certain evidence of which dates to 1282, allowed for a massive expansion of production and replaced the laborious handcraft characteristic of both Chinese and Muslim papermaking. Papermaking centres began to multiply in the late 13th century in Italy, reducing the price of paper to one sixth of parchment and further falling; they reached Germany a century later.

Despite this, though, it appears that the final breakthrough of paper depended just as much on the rapid spread of movable-type printing. It is notable that codexes of parchment, which in terms of quality is superior to any other writing material, still had a substantial share in Gutenberg's edition of the 42-line Bible. After much experimentation, Gutenberg managed to overcome the difficulties which traditional water-based inks caused by soaking the paper, and found the formula for an oil-based ink suitable for high-quality printing with metal type.

Economic conditions and intellectual climate For Printing Press

The rapid economic and socio-cultural development of the late medieval society in Europe created favorable intellectual and technological conditions for Gutenberg's invention: the entrepreneurial spirit of emerging capitalism increasingly made its impact on medieval modes of production, fostering economic thinking and improving the efficiency of traditional work-processes. The sharp rise of medieval learning and literacy amongst the middle class led to an increased demand for books which the time-consuming hand-copying method fell far short of accommodating. In this situation, the decentralised state of the medieval landscape allowed a certain freedom to pursue individual solutions beyond the restrictions imposed by political and religious authorities.

Printing press

A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. Typically used for texts, the invention and spread of the printing press are widely regarded as the most influential event in the second millennium AD, revolutionizing the way people conceive and describe the world they live in, and ushering in the period of modernity.

The mechanical systems involved were first assembled in the Holy Roman Empire by the German Johannes Gutenberg around 1440, based on existing screw presses. Gutenberg, a goldsmith by profession, developed a complete printing system, which perfected the printing process through all its stages by adapting existing technologies to printing purposes, as well as making ground-breaking inventions of his own. His newly devised hand mould made for the first time possible the precise and rapid creation of metal movable type in large quantities, a key element in the profitability of the whole printing enterprise.

The mechanization of bookmaking led to the first mass production of books in history in assembly line-style. A single Renaissance printing press could produce 3,600 pages per workday, compared to forty by hand-printing and a few by hand-copying. Books of bestselling authors like Luther or Erasmus were sold by the hundred thousands in their life-time.

From a single point of origin, Mainz, Germany, printing spread within several decades to over two hundred cities in a dozen European countries. By 1500, printing presses in operation throughout Western Europe had already produced more than twenty million volumes.In the 16th century, with presses spreading further afield, their output rose tenfold to an estimated 150 to 200 million copies.The operation of a press became so synonymous with the enterprise of printing that it lent its name to an entire new branch of media, the press.[8] As early as 1620, the English statesman and philosopher Francis Bacon could write that typographical printing has "changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world".

From its beginnings, printing was practised also as a true art form, setting a high aesthetic and artistic standard, such as in the famous 42-line Bible. Today, incunables belong to the most prized possessions of modern libraries.

The unprecedented impact of Gutenberg-style printing on the long-term development of modern European and then world history is difficult to capture in its entirety. Attempts at analysing its manifold effects include the notion of a proper Printing Revolution and the creation of the Gutenberg Galaxy. The ready availability and affordability of the printed word to the general public boosted the democratization of knowledge and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy.

In Renaissance Europe, the arrival of mechanical movable type printing introduced the era of mass communication which permanently altered the structure of society: The relatively unrestricted circulation of information and (revolutionary) ideas transcended borders, captured the masses in the Reformation and threatened the power of political and religious authorities; the sharp increase in literacy broke the monopoly of the literate elite on education and learning and bolstered the emerging middle class. Across Europe, the increasing cultural self-awareness of its peoples led to the rise of proto-nationalism, accelerated by the flowering of the European vernacular languages to the detriment of Latin's status as lingua franca.

In the 19th century, the replacement of the hand-operated Gutenberg-style press by steam-powered rotary presses allowed printing on an industrial scale, while Western-style printing was adopted all over the world, becoming practically the sole medium for modern bulk printing.

About Darbhanga

Darbhangā is a city and a municipal corporation in and headquarters of Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India.

It gets its name from Dar Bhanga or "gates broken" (for gates of Hindu Qilā broken at Qilā Ghāt in 1326 AD when Tughlaq forces captured the last Hindu state in North India, ruled by Harisinghdeva). Some people guess thatDarbhangā is a distorted form of "Dwār Banga" or the Gate to Bengal, but actually the gate of Bengal is at Rājmahal which is far away from Darbhangā.

The name of the district has been derived from its head quarter and principal town, which is said to have been founded by Darbhangi Khān, who was the Fauzdār or military head of Tughlaq forces stationed at Urdu (original meaning "cantonment"), later the title Darbhangi Khān was applied to his direct descendants. Darbhangā is home to Maithil Brahmins, among others.

Business of Darbhanga

The town had an industrial development authority ( Bihar Industrial Development Authority )placed north of the government politechnic college. This authority provides assistance to start business or small or medium scale industry in the district. The authority had land for alloting it to the industrial unit in the campus.The authority have a piece of land at Donar also for alloting it to the induatrial units in Darbhanga.

The corporate office of the Mridaz Softech Private Limited is also situated in this city, which is near the Kadirabad. This company works in the field of Software And Web Development, Customized Electronics Equipments, Security Systems and Computer education. There also is an engineering industrial house which has vast experience in all mechanical engineering fields.

The Maharaja of Darbhanga

It is a noteworthy seat of the Maharaja of Darbhanga. During Akbar's reign in the sixteenth century, a second Maithil Brahman family came to rule as the Khandavala Dynasty. During this period, Akbar also planted 100,000 mango trees in Darbhanga, at a place now known as Lakhi Bagh. By British times, their estate, Darbhanga Raj, was the largest and richest of the great zamindari estates. Their capital was in Bhaur village in Madhubani, later shifted to the town of Darbhanga. They controlled most of Mithila until after Independence when the Republic of India abolished zamindari (Maharaja of Darbhanga was actually a zamindar entitled to add the title Maharaja in his name, besides the British title KCIE).

The Maharaja of Darbhanga, Kameshwar Singh was also an integral part of the Constituent Assembly of India and was instrumental in campaigning for retention of privy purses and land rights for rulers. He single handedly negotiated rights of various rulers and nawabs.

Darbhanga city is essentially a twin city with Darbhanga tower and Laheriasarai tower at its two ends. Laheriasarai has been named after the famous Lahri walas whose traditional occupation was to weave textiles and make bangles especially of Lah, imported from Ranchi and other places.

Maharajah Sir Lakhmishwar Singh, K.C.I.E., of Darbhanga, who was only in his forty-third year at the time of his death in 1898, was in every sense the best type of the Indian nobleman and landlord. He was the leading zemindar in India, where he owned no less than 2,152 square miles (5,570 km2) with a net yearly rental of 30 lakhs, and was the recognised head of the orthodox Hindu community. His philanthropy and his munificent contributions to all public movement won him the esteem of all classes and creeds. He took an active part in public life and enjoyed a high reputation as a progressive and liberal minded statesman. With but slight interruptions he was a member of the Supreme Legislative Council from the year 1883 until his death, and latterly he sat in that body as the elected representative of the non-official members of the Bengal Council.

History of Darbhanga

The history of Darbhanga dates back to the Ramayana and Mahabharata periods; it is among the oldest cities of Bihar. According to the Vedic sources, the Videhas first migrated to the area from the banks of Saraswati in Punjab. They were guided to the east of Sadanira (Gandak River) by Agni, the God of Fire. Settlements were established and, thus, flourished the kingdom of the Videhas, the Selfless.

In the course of time Videhas came to be ruled by a line of kings called Janaks. In this line of kings there was a very famous king named Mithi. To commemorate his greatness the territory was named as MITHILA. Another famous king was Janak Sirdhwaja, father of Sita. The legends speak of various learned men patronized by Janak Sirdhwaja, who himself was an erudite scholar. Prominent among them were Yagyavalkya, who codified the Hindu law in his Yagyavalkya Smriti and Gautam, who had various valuable philosophical treatises to his credit. King Janak was himself a great philosopher and his ideas have been eternally enshrined in the Upanishads, especially in the Brihad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣada.

Traditions also speak of Kapila's relationship with this area that propounded the Sankhya philosophy. The association of this area with the Pandavas is also evident by the popular belief that they stayed here during their period of exile. The learned men like Vidyāpati, Kumāril Bhatt, Mandan Mishra, and Nāgārjun belonged to this region.

Darbhanga is a town with a population of nearly 3 lakhs. Darbhanga was named after Dar (Dwar) + Bhangaa which means gates+broken ; it is guessed that gates of the Qila (at Qilaghat probably) were broken (by cannons or elephants) in 1326 AD when Tughlak forces attacked the last independent North Indian Hindu king Harisinghdeva (of the Karnaata Chalukya dynasty from Karnataka) who ruled over North Bihar and most of Nepal. Historians guess that the capital of Harisinghdeva was situated near foothills of Himalayas, Haraahi pond in Darbhanga is named after Harisinghdeva and the pond Gangaasagar is named after his ancestor Gangadeva who was son of Naanyadeva, the founder of this dynasty; Naanyadeva was a chieftain of Chalukya king Vikramaditya-VI of Karnatak who had successfully invaded North India in the end of 11th century. Hindus began to flock to this town since the beginning of 19th century when the Maharaja of Darbhanga shifted his residence to this town and was granted the title Maharaja by East India Company, and gradually Hindus surpassed Muslims in population, but Muslims still constitute over 36% of population of this town. It was the biggest town of North Bihar for centuries, but after Muzaffarpur was connected to broad gauge railway in mid-1970s, the latter overtook Darbhanga due to shift of trade, commerce, business and transport to some extent. Once part of the Brahman kingdom of Mithila, Darbhanga passed to the Tughlaks in the 14th century. The British assumed control in 1765.

Darbhanga was an ancient city of Mithila, which is an ancient cultural region of North India lying between the lower ranges of the Himalayas and the Ganges River. The Nepal border cuts across the top fringe of this region. The Gandak and Kosi Rivers are rough western and eastern boundaries of Mithila. In the year 1326 Mithila was invaded by Afghans, who deposed the Kshatriya ruler and placed a Maithil Brahman in control of land revenues over much of this region. This family soon began calling themselves kings, distributing land to other members of their caste, so that gradually land passed into the control of Maithil Brahmans.

Railways in Darbhanga

Railways in Darbhanga

Darbhanga (Station Code -"DBG") is one of the most important railway stations under the East Central Railway (ECR) headquartered at Hajipur.Darbhanga was the first city of north Bihar to get connection with meter gauge track in 1875, when track between Bajitpur Darbhanga laid. Later the railway line extended towards eastern side up to Kosi river(kanwaGhat) and East, on west side track was linkd up to Gorakhpur, making whole route as Trunk route. But due to Flood and Kosi's curse change both lines ware broken. Now a bridge on Gandak at Valmikinagar was build to connect West side and another mega bridge on Kosi at Nirmali is under construction which will link Far Eastern region with main land.

There are three important railway lines:

* Darbhanga to Samastipur (Broad Gauge)

* Darbhanga to Sitamadhi (Broad Gauage)

* Darbhanga to Jaynagar (Broad gauage)

* Sakri to Biraul - New BG line up to Biraul has been constructed.

* Sakri-Nirmali/Laukaha Bazaar MG.

Direct trains are also available from Darbhanga-

* Jaynagar/Darbhanga to Sealdah, Chitpur (Kolkata) (Gangasagar-Mithilanchal Exp),

* Darbhanga to New Delhi / Delhi (Bihar Sampark Kranti, Swatantrata Sainani Exp),

* Darbhanga to Pune via. Nagpur and Jabalpur Junction in Madhya Pradesh (Weekly 1033/1034),

* Darbhanga to (LTT) Mumbai (Pawan Exp) via. Jabalpur.

* Darbhanga to Chennai / Bangalore(Bagmati Exp )

* Jaynagar/Darbhanga to Amritser (Shaheed, Saryu Yamuna Exp, Jansewa Exp),

* Jaynagar/Darbhanga to Patna/Danapur (Intercity),

* Darbhanga to Guwahati (Jeewach Exp),

* Darbhanga to Ahmadabad (Sabarmati Express).

* Garib Rath (Hari Hari Babasahibni)_Bi Weekly (Jaynagar_HazratNizamuddin),

* Janki Express (Jaynagar_Saharsa) Try Weekly'

* Licchavi Express (Sitamarhi_New Delhi),

* Darbhanga_Puri Express Weekly,

* Darbhanga_Guwahati Weekly Super Fast Special.

Other important towns connected with Darbhanga are: Gorakhpur; Varanasi, Allahabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, New Jalpaiguri, Satna, Katni, Jabalpur, Itarsi (Near Bhopal), Khandwa, Jhansi, Nagpur, Vijaywada, Ludhiana, Chennai and Tirunelvelli.

Approx. for every major cities it has direct train, but still it is not connected directly with Hyderabad/Secunderabad. It do not have any direct trains for Jaipur, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Ujjain, Ratlam, Surat and Goa.

Railway Stations and Halts Darbhanga Jn (Main City Station), Laheriasarai (Near Civil Court), Kakarghati, Bijuli halt, Tarsarai (Muria), Thalwara, Siso Halt, Mohammadpur, Kamtaul, Tektar, Hayaghat, Rambhadra Pur, Jogiara, Muraitha, Mandan Mishra Halt, Biroul, Mirzapur, Manigachi, Deora Bandhouli. Benipur Jn (Antour - Balha Stn.), Pohaddi Laxmipur Halt, Neuri Stn., Biraul Stn., Kusheshwarsthan Stn.

Education in Darbhanga

Education in Darbhanga

2 Universities, 17 General Colleges (Constituent), 5 Sanskrit College (Constituent), 26 General College (Affiliated) and 1 Sanskrit College (Affiliated) exists beside a hoarde of other colleges for professional education. Beside this, following categories of schools/colleges are imparting secondary level education:

* High School- 70

* Middle School- 312

* Primary School- 1165

* Charwaha Vidyalaya- 4 (non functional)

Besides these there are around 900 coaching centres/institutes.They are varied in their area of expertise and training.All these(Universities,colleges,schools and coaching centres) make Darbhanga a major educational destination of North Bihar.Students from many other states like Kashmir and other districts flock Darbhanga.

Universities

Following two universities recognised by University Grants Commission (of India) and Government of India are located in Darbhanga town, adjacent to each other: (1) Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, (2) Lalit Narayan Mithila University, (3) IGNOU Darbhanga Center, (4) National Urdu University, Darbhanga Campus.

Mithila Research Institute in Darbhanga town has a great collection of nearly 50000 old manuscripts.

Colleges for Professional Courses: Darbhanga Institute of Technology, Darbhanga Medical College & Hospital (DMCH), Darbhanga Dental College, Mithila Minority Dental College, Salfia unani medical college, Saryug Dental College, MRM Aurvedic College (Darbhanga), Maharani Rameshwari Bhartiya Chikitsa Vigyan Sansthan (Mohanpur), Women's Institute of Technology, Dr Zakir Hussaun Teacher's Training College, Nurses Training School, Government Polytechnic College, Bihar Govt. Industrical Training Institute (ITI), Imarat Mujibia Technical Institute Mahdauli (IMTI), Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Industrial Training Institute (MAKAITI),

Degree Colleges

M.R.S.M College Anandpur (Sahora), Brahmanand Kala Mahavidyalay, C. M. College, C M Science College, R.N.M.Govt Girls Intermediate College,Laheriasarai, K S College, Lohia Charan Singh College, M.K.College, M.L.S.M College, M.M.T.M. College, M.R.M. College, Mahatma Gandhi College, Maq college, Marwari college, Millat College (Laheria Sarai), R B Jalan College, R L College Nimaithi, Janta Koshi College (Biroul), Vidya Nand Mithila Sanskrit College, Darbhanga.

Secondary Level Schools

Delhi Public School Kadirabad, Kendriya Vidyalaya (3 Nos.), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, North Brook Zila School, Government High School, Pindaruch, Woodbine Modern School, Atihar high school Atihar, Sarvoday high School, Gangasagar, Purvanchal High School, Marwari High School, L. R Girls High School, M.C.High School Kadirabad, Onkar High School SUPAUL BAZAR, Mukundi Chaudhari High School, .L.J.L. Sahu High School Khirma, H. B. Sogra High Memorial Urdu Girl School Halim Khan, Janta High School-Jiwachh Ghat (Muria), Videh High School (Ughara), Mithila High School Makhnahi, D A V Public School, Saramohanpur' Darbhanga Central School, Darbhanga Public School, Don Bosco School, Gyan Bharti School, Harrow English school, Iqra Academy, Holy Cross School, Jesus And Marry Academy, Kid Care School, Maddonna English school, Rose Public School, Salfia school, Vidhya Vihar Vidhalay, Model Public School Saho Parari, High School Pohaddi, Mahinam, M.L.Academy (Sarasvati School), Laheriasarai, D.N. High School, Panchobh, Raj High school, Darbhanga Public School, Mahip Narayan Middle School, Shafi Muslim High School, Musa Sah School, Gyan Niketan public school, Anandpur Alhera public school Urdu

Coaching Centres

The demand is higher than supply and in such a scenario coaching centres fulfill a great need.Naming the coaching centres is not an easy task.Suffice it to tell that most (around 75%) deal with science subjects.English and Spoken English comes in the second.The biggest names are related to competitive exams like IAS,BPSC,PO,SSC,MBA,Engineering and Medical Exams.There is also a haphahazardness relating to coaching industry. Govt. is soon going to bring a legislation for better regulation of these institutes.There are philanthropic educational efforts also.Scientia Oeikos, Rahbar and many others try to help poor students. Depth Academy(For IAS,BPSC,MBA,PO,SSC etc.) needs special mention which gives free education to the disadvantaged like Dalits,Dalit Muslims, Dalit Christians and financially challenged students from other communities.The govt. also runs coaching centres for the disadvantaged.

Demographies of Darbhanga

As of 2001 India census, Darbhanga Town had a population of 266,834. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Darbhanga has an average literacy rate of 64%, which is higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72% and, female literacy is 56%. In Darbhanga, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Accommodation In Darbhanga

Hotel Ravi

Hotel P & P International

Hotel Ganga Residency inside the Rambagh,

Goutam Hotal,

Arwind Hotel,

Tara Hotel,

Maharaja Hotel,

Hotel Naveen Residency,

Hotel Ashoka

Cinemas (Town) In Darbhanga

Cinemas (Town) In Darbhanga

Movie Planet (in Raj Quila)

National (Near Naka no.5)

Uma (Near Cinema Chowk)

Craze dolby (Near Cinema Chowk)

Punam (Near Tower Chowk, Darbhanga)

Shiv Planet (Laxmipur Pator)- It is closed now.

Light House (Laheriasarai)

Kalpna (Kadirabad)-It is closed now.

Darbhanga Geography

Darbhanga town is located at 26°10'N 85°54'E? / ?26.17°N 85.9°E? / 26.17; 85.9.It has an average elevation of (52 to 39 metres) 48 metres (127 feet).

The District of Darbhanga can be divided into four natural divisions. The eastern portion consisting of Ghanshyampur, Biraul and Kusheshwarsthan blocks contain fresh silt deposited by the Kosi River. This region was under the influence of Kosi floods till the construction of Kosi embankment in the Second Five Year Plan. It contains large tracts of sandy land covered with wild marsh.

The second division consists of the anchals lying south of the Boorhi Gandak river and is the most fertile area in the district. It is also on higher level than the other part of the district and contains very few marshes. It is well suited to the rabbi crops.

The third natural region is the doab between the Burhi Gandak and Baghmati and consists of the low-lying areas

dotted over by chaur and marshes. It gets floods every year. The fourth division covers the Sadar sub-division of the district. This tract is watered by numerous streams and contains some up-lands.

The district has a vast alluvial plain devoid of any hills. There is a gentle slope from north to south with a depression on the centre. Numerous rivers originating in the Himalays water this district. Out of these rivers Kamla, Baghmati, Kosi and Kareh are of most importance. The District has somewhat dry and healthy climate.

There are three well-marked seasons, the winter, the summer & the Rainy season. The cold weather begins in

November and continues up to February, though March is also somewhat cool. Westerly winds begin to blow in the second half of March and temperature rises considerably. May is the hottest month when the temperature goes up to 107 °F (42 °C). Rain sets in towards the middle of June. With the advent of the Rainy seasons, temperature falls and humidity rises. The moist heat of the Rainy season is very oppressive up to August. The rain continues till the middle of October. Average rainfall is 1142.3 mm. around 92% of rainfall is received during monsoon months.