Rash Bihari Lal Mandal
{{short description|Indian zamindar and politician from Bihar}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Rash Bihari Lal Mandal
| title =
| succession = Zamindar of Madhepura
| image = File:Rash Bihari Lal Mandal.jpg
| reign = 1885-1918
| coronation =
| religion = Hinduism
| predecessor = Babu Raghuvar Dayal Mandal
| successor = Babu Bhuvaneshvari Prasad Mandal
| spouse = Sitawati Mandal
| issue = B. P. Mandal
| royal house = Murho Estate
| father = Raghuvar Dayal Mandal
| birth_date = 1866
| birth_place = Madhepura, Bhagalpur District, Bengal Presidency, British India (now Bihar, India)
| death_date = 26 August 1918
| death_place = Varanasi, British India (now Uttar Pradesh, India)
| place of last rites = |
}}
Raja Rash Bihari Lal Mandal (1866-1918) was a zamindar,
{{Cite book|last=Revenue|first=Bihar and Orissa (India) Board of|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_jw_AQAAMAAJ&q=rash+behari+lal+mandal|title=Report on Wards', Encumbered, Trust and Attached Estates in the Province of Bihar and Orissa|date=1912|language=en}} philanthropist and a leader of Indian Independence Movement.{{Cite book|last=Ambastha|first=Gouri Shankar P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FnhuAAAAMAAJ&q=ras+bihari+lal+mandal|title=Freedom Movement and Role of Congress Leaders|date=1995|publisher=Classical Publishing Company|isbn=978-81-7054-163-9|language=en}} He wrote a book named 'Bharat Mata Ka Sandesh' during the Bang Bhang (Partition of Bengal, present-day Bengal is divided between the independent state of Bangladesh or East Bengal and the Indian state of West Bengal) Movement 1905.{{Cite web|title=समाज-सुधारक रास बिहारी लाल मंडल के सारे विचार आज भी प्रासंगिक हैं- डॉ.मधेपुरी {{!}} Madhepura Abtak Online News Portal of Madhepura District Bihar|url=http://www.madhepuraabtak.com/?p=11436|access-date=2022-02-15|website=www.madhepuraabtak.com|language=en-US}}
Biography
Rash Bihari Lal was born in 1866 as the only son of Raghubar Dayal Mandal, a Ahir zamindar of Murho Estate.{{Cite book|last=Department|first=Bengal (India) Revenue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n6s-AQAAMAAJ&q=rash+behari+lal+mandal|title=Report on the Administration of the Wards, Attached and Trust Estates|date=1909|language=en}} He was only a few years old when his parents died. After which he was brought up by his maternal grandmother in Ranipatti.{{Cite web|title=औपचारिक रूप से मनाई गई रासबिहारी मंडल की पुण्यतिथि|url=https://www.jagran.com/bihar/madhepura-10673814.html|access-date=2022-02-15|website=Dainik Jagran|language=hi}}
Rash Bihari Lal studied till 11th standard and had knowledge of Hindi, Urdu, Maithili, Sanskrit, Persian, English and French languages.{{Cite web|title=बाबू रासबिहारी लाल मंडल की पुण्यतिथि मनी|url=https://www.livehindustan.com/bihar/madhepura/story-death-anniversary-of-babu-rasbihari-lal-mandal-3450269.html|access-date=2022-02-15|website=Hindustan|language=hindi}} At young age, he took control of the zamindari estate of Murho. He was married to Sitavati Mandal, they had three sons, Bhuvaneshwari Prasad Mandal, Kamleshwari Prasad Mandal and Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal.
File:Rashbihari Lal Mandal.png
Rash Bihari Lal Mandal is one of the founding members of Congress in Bihar and He had been an elected member of the Bihar Provincial Congress Committee and the All India Congress Committee from 1908 to 1918.{{Cite book|last=Ambastha|first=Gouri Shankar P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FnhuAAAAMAAJ&q=ras+bihari+lal+mandal|title=Freedom Movement and Role of Congress Leaders|date=1995|publisher=Classical Publishing Company|isbn=978-81-7054-163-9|language=en}} He was one of the delegates of Bihar to the 25th Session of Indian National Congress at Allahabad in 1910.{{Citation|last1=Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.)|title=India 2010: A Reference Annual|date=2010|work=States and Union Territories: Bihar: Government|pages=1118–1119|edition=54th|place=New Delhi, India|publisher=Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India|isbn=978-81-230-1617-7|last2=Srivastava|first2=Dayawanti et al (ed )}}
Rashbihari Lal was one of the few zamindar of Bihar to launch an attack on British.{{Cite book|last=Rupa|first=Chatterjee|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3XTaAAAAMAAJ&q=Zamindari|title=Reservation Policy: Mandal Commission and After|date=1992|publisher=Sterling|isbn=978-81-207-1384-0|language=en}} He participated in many agitations against the British, due to which more than 120 cases were filed against him by the British.{{Cite book|last=Rupa|first=Chatterjee|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3XTaAAAAMAAJ&q=120+cases|title=Reservation Policy: Mandal Commission and After|date=1992|publisher=Sterling|isbn=978-81-207-1384-0|language=en}} Despite being anti-British, In 1911, Rash Bihari Lal Mandal was given a prestigious place in the Delhi Durbar of Emperor George V's coronation in India.{{Cite web|last=Murho|first=Amberish K. Diwanji in|title=A village that symbolises Bihar|url=https://www.rediff.com/election/2005/feb/11spec2.htm|access-date=2022-02-20|website=Rediff|language=en}}
In 1911, Rashbihari Lal founded the Gop Jatiya Mahasabha. Later, the All-India Yadav Mahasabha was formed by merging the Gop Jatiye Mahasabha and other regional organization of Ahirs.{{Cite book|last1=Banerjee|first1=Supurna|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Tn3DwAAQBAJ&dq=ras+bihari+lal+mandal&pg=PA117|title=Caste and Gender in Contemporary India: Power, Privilege and Politics|last2=Ghosh|first2=Nandini|date=2018-09-17|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-429-78396-8|language=en}}
Babu Rash Bihari Lal died of illness on 26 August 1918 in Banaras, at the age of 52.