Where is Mithila Kingdom Located?
The Videha kingdom or popularly known as Mithila Kingdom is the ancient Vedic kingdom that is popular for its religious and cultural significance. Goddess Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, was a Maithili princess and she was born to King Seersdhwaj Janak. The ancient kingdom today is known for its art, Madhubani art (In India) and Mithila art (In Nepal). Mithila was the capital of the Videha Kingdom.
Who founded it?
The Mithila Kingdom was the region bounded by the Koshi River in the East, the Gandaki River in the West the Ganges in the South, and the foothills of the Himalayas in the North. It was ruled by the Videha Janak dynasty. The Aryan people of the Indian sub-continent first settled in the area and consequently during that time, the kingdom rose to prominence. Nimi, the twelfth son of Iksvaku, was the first king of the region. The name “Videha” also originated from him. It is believed that once King Nimi turned to Gautam rishi to perform a yajna after he was refused by the Vasistha guru. This enraged the guru when he returned to perform the yajna after he completed his work. Vasistha guru in return cursed King Nimi and he dropped dead on the floor immediately. Videha refers to the situation where one is without their body. However, the priests present there performed another yajna and gave rise to a baby by churning the dead body of King Nimi. As he was born out of churning(Mathana), the baby king was referred to as Mithi. After that, the dynasty of King Nimi was called Videha and the Mithila region was the capital. The Videha kingdom was ruled by a total of 57 Janaks. Goddess Sita’s father, Siradhvaja Janak was the 21st king of the Mithila Kingdom.
Historical locations (Expansions, Capital Cities)
The Videha kingdom was ruled peacefully and prosperously during the reign of the Janaks. During this time, the land was once ruled by LicHowever, during the time of King Kirti Janak, the land was in unrest and oppression. So, the Maithili people themselves rose against the king and dethrone him. After that, for many years, the Kingdom was ruled by democracy. Around the 6th century, the Mithila region was ruled by the Magadan dynasty for around a century. Then, in the 7th century, the Lichhavi tribe of the Northeastern Indian subcontinent battled against the Magadan empire and subsequently won it. Although the Mithila region after the Videha Janak didn’t have any powerful rulers, the kingdom has been ruled over by different empires during its history. After Lichhavika, the kingdom was ruled by Pal Dynasty at the end of the 8th century, and the Sena Dynasty from the 9th century to the 11th century. The Maithili people were actively involved to overthrow the Pal Dynasty. However, soon after, the last king of the Sena Dynasty, Laxman Sen was defeated by Karnat Dynasty. During the reign of the Karnat dynasty, the Maithili land, and people were happy with their rulers. Only four Karnat kings have ruled over Mithila. They were defeated by the Oinwar Dynasty, the original Mithila Brahmins. They ruled from 1326 AD to 1526 AD. For a short period of time, the region was in a state of anarchy and was indirectly ruled by the Mogul Empire. Then, in 1577, the region was once again ruled by the Maithili Brahmins, known as the Khandavala dynasty. During this period, the capital city of the Mithila Kingdom was Darbhanga so it is also known as Raj Darbhanga. The Khandaval dynasty ruled the Kingdom till 1947 when India gained independence from British rule. After that, more than half of the kingdom falls under the Indian region and the rest of the area falls under Nepal.
Where is it located now?
In Nepal, some areas of the three provinces, Province No.1, Madesh Province, and Bagmati Province fall under the ancient Mithila region. While the adjoining parts of the Bihar and Jharkand states of India comes under the Mithila region. Although, most of the people are not entirely Maithili people, the people in this region follow the culture and religion of the Mithila.
