Hajipur

Hajipur stands on the Gandak near its meeting with the Ganges, opposite Patna. Its position commands routes along both rivers and the crossing between north and south Bihar. A fort with extensive ramparts protected the town and its approaches, whose river connections made it valuable both to merchants and to armies moving through the Ganges plain.

During Akbar’s struggle with the Afghan rulers of Bengal, imperial forces besieged Hajipur in 1572 and again in 1574. In the latter campaign Daud Khan held Patna across the Ganges and received supplies from Hajipur. Akbar sent troops against the fort to cut that support, and its capture helped the Mughals take Patna. Control of the river crossing was an important step in their advance towards Bengal.