Neyamatpur is a village in Gaya district of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

, India. The village was a bastion of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

and Kisan Andolan during the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

period. "Pandit"

Yadunandan Sharma Yadunandan Sharma (also spelled Jddunandan) (1896–1975) was an Indian peasant leader and national liberation figure from the Indian state of Bihar. He had started a movement for the rights of tillers against the zamindars and Britishers at ''Reo ...

, at the instruction of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati established an

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...

here in 1933.

Etymology and History

Neyamatpur is derived from the

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

) ''niyamat'', meaning blessing and the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

word ''pur'', meaning village. Hence, Neyamatpur translates to the "Blessed Village" or the "Village of Blessings". Not much known is known of the history of the village beyond a hundred years due to the lack of the written record.

Neyamatpur Ashram and the Independence Movement

After it was established by

, at the instruction of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati in 1933, it saw a large number of freedom fighters visiting. In 1935,

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

came to the Ashram and donated a bag of 450 silver coins to the Deen Bandhu Library established by Amarnath Diwan. The library was subsequently renamed after Nehru's wife

Kamala Kamala refers to: People * Kamala (name), given name and surname, includes list of people and characters with the name ** Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States * Kamala (wrestler) (1950–2020), American profess ...

to Kamala Pustakalaya. Nothing remains of the original library and the original ashram. However, the site of the ashram is still called the Ashram and a new building erected at the site of the original library is often referred to as the Ashram. This building has housed a school at various times in the past decades. Amongst the founders of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha, Swami

Sahajanand Saraswati Sahajanand Saraswati( real name Navrang Rai ) (22 February 1889 – 26 June 1950) was an ascetic, a nationalist and a peasant leader of India. Although born in United Province ( present-day Uttar Pradesh), his social and political activities ...

, Prof

N G Ranga Gogineni Ranga Nayukulu (7 November 1900 – 9 June 1995), also known as N. G. Ranga, was an Indian freedom fighter, classical liberal, parliamentarian and farmers' leader. He was the founding president of the Swatantra Party, and an exponen ...

, Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna,

Bankim Mukherjee Bankim Mukherjee (c. 1896–1961) was an Indian Bengali communist politician. He had taken part in the Civil Disobedience Movement, the Indian Communist movement and had organized various trade unions and Kisan sabhas (Farmers' organization). ...

Acharya Narendra Deva Acharya Narendra Deva (; also Dev; 30 October 1889 – 19 February 1956) was one of the leading theorists of the Congress Socialist Party in India. His democratic socialism renounced violent means as a matter of principle and embraced the ''sat ...

, E. M. S. Namboodiripad, Dr ZA Ahmed,

Indulal Yagnik Indulal Kanaiyalal Yagnik (22 February 1892 – 17 July 1972) was an Indian independence activist, who purchased indian tri colour flag from Germany to India. He was a leader of the All India Kisan Sabha and one who led the Mahagujarat Movement, w ...

were prominent. In July 1936, a meeting of Central Committee of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha was held at Neyamatpur chaired by Dr

Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...

, who later became the first

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...

. A legislation was passed and the 'Red Flag' was adopted as the flag of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha. In the meeting, Indulal Yajnik, Prof Ranga, Shardul Singh, Kapishwar, Mohanlal Goutam, K Shakadev Malviya, Sri Ramanda Mishra etc. were present. In 1936 Kisan Satyagraha was conducted at Sahwaspur, Belaganj from Neyamatpur Ashram after 1st Kisan Satyagraha at Vardoli and also at Sanda, Manjhiawan, Reura, Agandha and Bhalua villages of Gaya district in 1937. In 1937, the Kisan Council (Peasant Council) held at Neyamatpur Ashram appointed Dr KM Ashraf as the convener for the revolutionary organisation's UP chapter; he successfully started off a campaign from

Pilibhit Pilibhit is a city and a municipal board of Pilibhit district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Pilibhit is the north-easternmost district of Bareilly division, situated in the Rohilkhand region of the sub-Himalayan Plateau belt next to f ...

in December that year. On 14 July 1937, the

All India Kisan Council All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All al ...

voted to adopt the Red Flag as its emblem. According to one author, Nehru was late in arriving by train and didn't get off the train in despair when he learnt that the Red Flag, and not the

Tricolour A tricolour () or tricolor () is a type of flag or banner design with a triband design which originated in the 16th century as a symbol of republicanism, liberty, or revolution. The flags of France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, and Ireland were ...

of the Congress was adopted in his absence.

Subhash Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperia ...

lauded this adoption of the Red Flag, in a speech in the

Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

, Calcutta on 27–28 October 1937. Subsequently, he visited the ashram during his 1939-40 sojourn. In 1942, bullets were fired at the Ashram and the library Kamala Pustakalaya was damaged by a British Police Officer called "Tomeo". The bullet-ridden door survived several decades only to be used as cooking fuel by a villager who reclaimed the original ashram land on the account of his ancestors having donated it. In 1950, Mohan Singh, the Commander General of the

Azad Hind Fauj The Indian National Army (INA; ''Azad Hind Fauj'' ; 'Free Indian Army') was a Collaboration with the Axis powers, collaborationist armed force formed by Indian collaborators and Imperial Japan on 1 September 1942 in Southeast Asia during Worl ...

(Indian National Army) visited the Ashram. "Sarvodaya Neta"

Jaiprakash Narayan Jayaprakash Narayan (; 11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), popularly referred to as JP or ''Lok Nayak'' (Hindi for "People's leader"), was an Indian independence activist, theorist, socialist and political leader. He is remembered for le ...

visited the Ashram in 1958 after he joined the

Sarvodaya Movement Sarvōdaya ( hi, wikt:सर्वोदय, सर्वोदय ''wikt:सर्व, sarv-'' "all", ''wikt:उदय, uday'' "rising") is a Sanskrit term which generally means "universal uplift" or "progress of all". The term was used by Mohanda ...

Jagjivan Ram Jagjivan Ram (5 April 1908 – 6 July 1986), known popularly as Babuji, was an Indian independence activist and politician from Bihar. He was instrumental in the foundation of the ''All India Depressed Classes League'', an organisation dedicated ...

, then the

Defence Minister of India The Minister of Defence (''Rakshā Mantrī'') is the head of the Ministry of Defence and a high ranking minister of the Government of India. The Defence Minister is one of the most senior offices in the Union Council of Ministers as well as b ...

visited the Ashram and the village in 1973 on the occasion of 40th Anniversary of the Ashram. Pandit Yadunandan Sharma spent the latter part of his life at the Ashram where he died in 1975 and his body was cremated here and a "smarak" was built in memoriam. The Ashram subsequently went into decadence and even its ruins can no longer be seen at its original site in the south of the premises, because the land-reclaiming villager tilled over them in an attempt to reclaim the donated land. There is a renewed interest in the Ashram due to local youth activism . On March 16, 2021, the Member of Parliament from Gaya, Vijay Kumar raised the matter in the Parliament and requested that the Neyamatpur Ashram and its lost library be declared monuments of national heritage, be renovated and be developed as a tourist destination of national importance. The Annual Congress Session of 1922 under the presidency of "Deshbandhu"

Chittaranjan Das Chittaranjan Das (5 November 1870 – 16 June 1925), popularly called ''Deshbandhu'' (Friend of the Nation), was an Indian freedom fighter, political activist and lawyer during the Indian independence movement and founder-leader of the Swar ...

was going to be held here due to its importance in the

Indian National Movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

but it was later held in the neighbouring city of Gaya. Swami Sahajanand Saraswati used to live in the

Ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...

in the west of the village. Pandit

, the great peasant leader of the Kisan Andolan spent most of his life in the Ashram. Although many people are falsely registered in the village as "Swatantrata Senanis" (independence fighters), only three people (alive during the registration) are believed to have gone to jail (the criterion for benefits under the freedom fighter pension and benefits scheme). The last of these three- Ram Dahin Singh, died in 2010.

Economy and Infrastructure

Neyamatpur's economy is primarily agricultural. However, some people own businesses and others have jobs in the public and private sectors. Neori is the nearest marketplace. Some people from the village have businesses there. Belaganj ("Bela") is about 4.5 km away and serves as a larger market for goods and services that Neori cannot provide. The city of Gaya is about 14 km to the south of Neyamatpur and is connected by both rail and road. Neyamatpur was the first railway halt built on the

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...

-Gaya rail line but barring the short stoppage of common "passenger" trains, no major trains stop here. The railway halt in the village of Or was built decades later and is only about 2 km to the south. There is a small government school, a petrol pump (gas station) and two

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temples in the village. The nearest hospital is in Belaganj but there are a few pharmacies in the nearby market of Neori village. The village has a playground called the "Field" or "Peed Par" next to the pond. Neyamatpur has had its own cricket and football teams; various sports tournaments have been organized by the village. People from the nearest village of Nehalpur often play in the Field too.

References

{{reflist Villages in Gaya district