ABSTRACT
Although the Darbhanga Raj ceased to exist as a unified political and economic entity soon after Independence, the title of ‘maharaja’, or more specifically, maharajadhiraja,2 was used by the Maharaja of Darbhanga until the death of the last maharaja – Kameshwar Singh Bahadur – in 1962. Despite the fact that Kameshwar Singh died heirless and had not specified a successor, the title of ‘maharaja’ has continued to be used by court-appointed relatives of the late maharaja until the death of Maharaja Subheshwar Singh Bahadur in 2006. Since then, there has been no maharaja and succession has been the subject of nearly continuous litigation and contention among the maharaja’s relatives.
