ABSTRACT
This chapter makes two main points. First, it identifies some of the continuities over space and time in Bihar. Second, it argues that these assisted in political mobilization. The integration of town and country is well-illustrated, in its economic aspect, in the detailed organization of one small town, or rather large village, Nasriganj on the river Son in Shahabad. Politically, the town's market and trade were in turn the preserve of the local zamindar. In 1888 the government had decided to acquire land in Darbhanga near the Ganga Sagar tank. The intention was to build houses for officials. The municipal board in Darbhanga was not just the official device for managing the town; it was also an arena for longstanding local feuds. The municipal council was the usual mix of Europeans, Hindus and Muslims, officals and non-officials, a typical example of the institutions of the British raj.
