Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh (1858–1898), the first Western-educated ruler of the Darbhanga Raj, was a notable reformer and philanthropist. He founded schools, funded famine relief, and was a leading early financier and member of the Indian National Congress.
He launched the Tirhut Railway (1874) — often called India’s first private railway — and used the estate’s wealth for public works and education across Mithila, setting a template of princely patronage his successors continued.