Palaces built by Maharajah of Darbhanga are the most important attractions in Darbhanga. Just a kilometer from bus and train terminal, most of the palaces are located inside a walled campus. There are plenty of temples dedicated to mother goddess primarily Kali and Durga built by erstwhile kings of Darbhanga. Major temples include Shyama Kali temple and Kankali temple.
Some of the important palaces are now converted into universities Lalit Narain Mithila University and Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University. Despite decay and chaos all around, you will encounter one of the best examples of Indo-European architectural traditions followed in building these palaces.
Darbhanga Fort is another attraction for outsiders coming to the city. Not much was built inside the fort except a few temples and a house for family deity. Successors of Darbhanga royal clan still stay inside the fort in an almost ruined house surrounded by mango trees.
Darbhanga is also known for its ponds and you will find hundreds of them across this city. Some of the major ones are Harahi in front of Railway station, Dighi and Gangasagar.
There are two museums in Darbhanga Chandradhari Museum and Maharaja Laxmiswar Singh Museum, both located in the same campus near the railway station 5 minutes walk. These museums exhibit clothes, arms, coins, and artifacts donated by the royal family of Darbhanga.
European Library of Mithila University and official library of Sanskrit University are a rich source for someone interested in researching ancient Indian culture and traditions. The library at Sanskrit University is know for its collection of around 5500 ancient manuscripts on subjects like Epic, Philosophy, Vyakaran, Dharmashastra, Agam-Tantra etc.
Darbhanga is a place known for its cultural traditions in music and it is home to the well-known Darbhanga tradition of Dhrupad singing. Some of the important artistes from this tradition include Pt. Ramchatur Mallik, Pt. Siyaram Tiwari, Pt. Vidur Mallik and others. Most of the famous singers of this ancient classical tradition now stay in the bigger Indian cities and there is not much you can do to explore this heritage.
Darbhanga is also know for its mangos, especially Maldah variety. It is said that Mughal emperor Akbar planted around 50,000 mango trees Darbhanga and it started a tradition of mango plantation in this region. Not much of the mango produce is exported from here and you can still find fresh succulent mangos directly picked from orchards.
Maithili is the language spoken in this part of the world and it's a member of Indo-European family. Maithili is one of the 22 official national languages of the country and spoken by around 45million people in Bihar and the Terai region of Nepal.
