Champaran is identified with the Champāraṇya mentioned in the Bheraghat inscription as a place "devastated" by the Kalachuri king Yashaḥkarṇa (11th/12th century).[2]
In 1917, Mahatma Gandhi led a satyagraha movement in the Champaran district against the policies enforced by European landowners and the colonial government. These policies coerced local farmers into cultivating indigo at unfairly low prices. In response to Gandhi's leadership, the British authorities initially arrested him but later released him, subsequently amending the laws to alleviate the plight of the peasants. This marked Gandhi's first campaign in India and a significant triumph for the principles of civil disobedience.[3]
