Mithila
Mithila ( Sanskrit : मिथिला Mithilā f. ) Was an ancient city in northern India and the capital of the historical kingdom of Videha near today's Tirhut in northern Bihar . The historic city of Mithila is identified with today's Janakpur in Nepal, on the border with India.
history
Mythical story
The legendary royal house of Mithila was derived from Nimi, a son of the mythical king Ikshvaku and is thus a branch of the solar dynasty . The most famous epic king of Mithila was Janaka the father of Sita , the wife of Rama . However, tradition knows several mythical kings named Janaka of Mithila.
Early history
After the death of King Karala Janaka in the 6th century BC. Mithila became a republic and soon after became a member of the Confederation of Vaishali / Licchavi .
At the latest in the 3rd century BC Mithila came under the rule of neighboring kings, and later came under the powerful dynasties such as the Nanda , Maurya or Gupta . In the 1st century Mithila was under the rule of Kushan .
middle Ages
In 1097 Mithila became an independent royal city again under King Nanyadeva. His descendants, the Karnata dynasty, ruled Mithila until 1324. They were followed by the Oinwar dynasty until 1526. In the Middle Ages Mithila was an important educational center where literature was not only written in Sanskrit , but also in the local language, Maithili . Mithila is an important center of the Nyaya school.
Modern times
After the death of the last Oinwar king Lakshminath Deva in 1526, the country fell into anarchy for 30 years until Mahesh Thakur was elected king of Mithila, the founder of the Khandwala dynasty, in 1556. This ruled Mithila until India's independence in 1947.
Famous people from Mithila
- Vachaspati Mishra (9th / 10th century)
- Gangesha Upadhyaya (12th century): founder of the Navya Nyaya school.
- Jyotirishvar Thakur (1290-1350): earliest Maithili poet
- Vidyapati (14th century): most famous Maithili poet
See also
literature
- Md. Aquique: Economic history of Mithila . Abhinav Publications, New Delhi 1974, ISBN 81-7017-004-4 .
- Paul R. Brass: Language, Religion and Politics in North India . iUniverse, Lincoln 2005. ISBN 0-595-34394-5 .