Simraungadh

Simraungadh was the fortified capital of the Karnat rulers of Mithila and Tirhut. Earthen ramparts and ditches enclosed a great rectangular city, with natural embankments forming parts of its eastern and western sides. The defences also helped control floods and water for cultivation. In 1236 the Tibetan pilgrim Dharmasvamin described a palace surrounded by walls, gates, water-filled ditches and rows of trees.

After the Karnat dynasty fell in the early fourteenth century, the region came under Oiniwar and Makwanpur rulers before its incorporation into Nepal. In 1740 the Italian missionary Cassiano Beligatti passed through on his way from Patna to Kathmandu. He saw old ruins within high walls, describing an enclosure like a labyrinth with four forts and a single entrance. His account preserves a glimpse of the former capital long after its royal court had disappeared.