List of Kings of Mithila

Mithila (Nepali: मिथिला, mithilā) was capital of Videha kingdom located now in Janakpur situated between foothills of Himalayas of Nepal and River Ganges of India. Videha Kingdom is erroneously more popularly known as Mithila Kingdom. The ancient region of Mithila is today split into adjacent part of two countries – India and Nepal. Mithila was the capital of Videha Kingdom as per epic Ramayana. This city is identified as modern day Janakpur (also called Janakpurdham) in Dhanusa district of Nepal. This region was also called Tairabhukti, the ancient name of Tirhut.[1] The Videha or Mithila Kingdom is believed to be bounded on the north by the Himalaya, on the south the Ganges, on the east the Kosi, and on the west the Gandak. It was also the region where two most venerated names in the religious history of the world - Gautama Buddha and Vardhamana Mahavira, spend considerable time.

Ancient history and myths

Main article: History of Mithila

Ancestor of the first mythical King of this region was Nimi, who ruled in Sarasvati river region. As per the mythological tales, Nimi died due to curse placed on him by his Guru - Sage Vashista. After his death there was a period of anarchy. The sages then gathered and implored the spirit of Nimi to reassume human form. The dead body of Nimi was placed in a churn in hope that the dead body of Nimi would reaasume human form. Sages succeeded in their effort and MITHI (means soil) emerged from churn.The tribe, initially ruled by Nimi, left the Sarasvati region under the leadership of Mithi and after long period of wandering finally settled on the banks of Sadanira,now identified as Gandaka. Thereafter this region is known as Mithila. The name Mithila is derived after Mythical King MITHI. He established the capital of his kingdom at Mithilapuri and hence the region came to be called MITHILA.[2] Since he was born out of body of his father, he was called JANAK. After this, the Kings of Mithila were called Janak. The most famous Janak was Seeradhwaja Janaka, father of Sita. He was 21st Janak of Mithila. This Dynasty was also called VIDEH JANAKS. There were 52 kings in the dynasty of Videh Janak.[3] However, archaeological evidence is lacking to realistically assess the period of their migration.

The region was originally known as Videha. The kingdom of Videha is mentioned for the first time in Yajurveda Samhita. Mithila, the capital of Videha is mentioned in Buddhist Jatakas, the Brahamanas the Puranas (described in detail in Brhadvisnu Purana and various epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. A list of Kings is mentioned in Mahabharata and Jatakas. All the kings we known as Videha or Janak. There were total of 52 kings in this dynasty.[4]

Lineage of Janaks

Janaks till Ramayana

The lineage of Janaks is mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana. In Valimiki Ramayana, King Seeradhwaja Janaka, himself mentioned his ancestral list to King Dasratha, Father of Rama. The list of Janakas who ruled Mithila as per Valmiki Ramayana is as under:

The list of Janaks has been compiled from Valmiki Ramayana.[5]

Janaks after Ramayana

Source:[6]

Mithila after Janaks

It is said that the last King of Janak Dynasty – Kirti Janak was atrocious ruler who lost control over his subjects. He was dethroned by public under leadership of Acharyas (Learned Men). During this period of fall of Mithila empire, the famous republic of Lichavis was rising in Vaishali and Mithila region came under control of Lichavis in around seventh century BC. In the 6th century BC, Lichavis were defeated by Ajatshatru of the Haryanka dynasty and ruler of Magadha and thus Mithila region came under control of Magadhan empire.[7] Thereafter several dynasties such as Shaishunaga, Nanda, Maurya, Shunga, Kanta, Gupta, Vardhan etc. ruled there from time to time. There was no significant ruler in Mithila after Janaks till 5th-6th century when Jaywardhan Raja Salhesh became King. He made his capital at Mahisautha-Sirha (now in Nepal). He defended the region against attacks by Tibetans several times. Hence, he was called Shailesh (king of Mountains) from Jaywardhan which in local dialect was called Salhesh.

6th century to 9th century: Pala Dynasty

Mithila was ruled by Pala Dynasty of Gauda of Bengal for almost three centuries. Pala Dynasty were followers of Buddhism and according to some texts they were Kayasthas. Their capital is believed to be located at present town of Balirajgarh (Babubarhi-Madhubani district). The last king of Pal Dynasty was Madanpal. Madanpal was a weak king, as he was defeated by Adishur Samant Sen’s army.

The main rulers of Pal Dynasty were:

The founder of the Pala Empire was Gopala. He was the first independent Buddhist king of Bengal and came to power in 750 in Gaur by democratic election, which was unique at the time. He reigned from 750-770 and consolidated his position by extending his control over all of Bengal. His successors Dharmapala (r. 770-810) and Devapala (r. 810-850) expanded the empire across the northern and eastern Indian subcontinent. The Pala Empire eventually disintegrated in the 12th century under the attack of the Sena dynasty.

9th century to 11th century: Sena Dynasty

Sena Dynasty were followers of Hinduism (Gaud Kayasthas) and hence people of Mithila, being followers of Hinduism, helped Samant Sen in defeating Madanpal. Eminent scholar Vachaspati Mishra (from Village Thardhi in Madhubani district) was from this period, Sen Dynasty had five kings:

11th century to 14th century: Karnata Dynasty

The main influences on Nepal came from Mithila or Tirhut to the South. This area came intermittently under the domination of warriors allied to the Chalukya dynasaty from Karnataka in southern India. One of their lieutenants, Nanya Deva defeated the last King of Sen Dynasty, Laxman Sen and became King of Mithila in 1097 CE. Nanya Deva had come from west and had his first capital at Simraon Garh (Birganj) in the Terai. From there, the king launched raids that allowed the Chalukyas to later claim domination over Nepal. King Nanyadeva attacked Kathmandu valley and annexed it to his large kingdom. The people who had come with the king settled down in the valley.[8] Someswaradeva, a Chalukyan name, was the Nepal king from 1178-1185 CE indicating this influence.[9] After conquering entire Mithila, Nanyadeva shifted his capital to Kamaladitya Sthan (Kamladan). Another village named Andharatharhi village in Madhubani district is also mentioned to be capital of Karnatas. In the said village, there are six dozen ponds of which 27 ponds constitute the beads of a picturesque garland. The ponds are interconnected amongst themselves and also with the Sugarwe river for smooth recharging with the flood water. These ponds constructed by Karnata Kings constitute a unique irrigation system and is proving its relevance even today, spanning over eight centuries.

Karnata Dynasty also had five kings namely:

In the court of Hari Sinha Dev the Royal Priest was Jyotirishwar, the author of Varna Ratnakar. Upon Ghyasuddin Tughlak's invasion of Mithila (Tirhut) in 1326 CE, King Harisimhadeva, along with many Maithil Brahmins, fled to Nepal and founded a new dynasty in Nepal.[11] Karnata sambat, one of the calendars in use in Mithila. was brought about by the influence of Karnata dynasty.[8]

Kings from 1326 AD to 1526 AD: Oinwar Dynasty

In 1326, Ghyasuddin Tughlak attacked and conquered Mithila region. The last king of Karnata Dynasty Harisingh Dev fled to Nepal. According to historian Dr. Upendra Thakur anarchy prevailed in Mithila region for next 27 years. In 1353 Firoz Shah Tughlak appointed Pt. Kameshwar Thakur as Karad Raja (Tax Paying King - they were appointed as Kings by Emperors and had to collect and pay taxes, and to maintain army for the Emperor). Kameshwar Thakur belonged to village named Oini, which is now in Samastipur District. The dynasty was named after the village Oini as Oinwar Dynasty. Kameshwar Thakur, being of scholarly nature, was unable to collect and pay tax to Firoz Shah Tughlak. Thus, Kameshwar Thakkur was dethroned and his son, Bhogishwar Thakur was made next King of Mithila region. This dynasty was one of the few ruling dynasties of India who were Brahmins. Thereafter, the Mithila region had Kings from Brahmin caste only. The list kings of Oinwar Dynasty is as under:[12]

1526 to 1577: Period of Anarchy

Sikandar Lodhi made his son-in-law, Alauddin, the ruler of this area. During this period, Mogul Empire was beginning to take its root in Delhi. Alauddin was not a successful ruler and for next 50 years, anarchy prevailed in Mithila region. When Akbar became emperor, he tried to bring normalcy to Mithila region. He came to the conclusion that only after a Maithil Brahmin was made King, peace can prevail and rent can be collected in Mithila. In 1577, Emperor Akbar declared Pt. Mahesh Thakkur as the ruler of Mithila. Pt. Mahesh Thakkur was of the mool, Kharaure Bhaur and hence that dynasty was called ‘Khandwala Kul’ and the capital was made at Rajgram in Madhubani District.

1577 to 1947: Khandavala Dynasty

Maharajah Sir Lakhmishwar Singh, G.C.I.E., of Darbhanga, who was only in his forty-third year at the time of his death in 1898, was in every sense the best type of the Indian nobleman and landlord. He was the leading zemindar in Behar, where he owned no less than 2,152 square miles (5,570 km2) with a net yearly rental of 30 lakhs, and was the recognized head of the orthodox Hindu community. His philanthropy and his munificent contributions to all public movement won him the esteem of all classes and creeds. He took an active part in public life and enjoyed a high reputation as a progressive and liberal minded statesman. With but slight interruptions he was a member of the Supreme Legislative Council from the year 1883 until his death, and latterly he sat in that body as the elected representative of the non-official members of the Bengal Council. Few Asiatics have combined more successfully in themselves the apparently incompatible characteristics of East and West.[13]

Cotton, H.E.A.

For more details on this dynasty see Raj Darbhanga.

Kings of Banaili

It would also be relevant to mention the royal family of Banaili) who had considerable power in the region of Purnea, Sultanganj, Bhagalpur, etc. Though they controlled a small area compared to Kings of Khandavala Dynasty, they still had an influential role in shaping the society of Mithila. The main centres of residences of Rajas of Banaili are Banaili, Ramnagar, Champanagar, Garh Banaili, and Sultanganj. Bhagalpur was the centre from where administration of the estate was carried out.

The Kings of royal family of Banaili were as follows:[15][16]

References

  1. ↑ Reading Asia: New Research in Asian Studies; Author - Frans Hüsken, Dick van der Meij; Chapter 12 – The Maithili Language by Yogendra P. Yadav at page 240
  2. ↑ Encyclopaedia of Hinduism: Author - Nagendra Kumar Singh at page 3239
  3. ↑ http://www.bihar.ws/info/Cultural-regions-of-Bihar/A-Brief-History-of-Mithila-State.html accessed on 10 January 2008
  4. ↑ Encyclopaedia of Hinduism; Author - Nagendra Kumar Singh
  5. ↑ The Valmiki Ramayana
  6. ↑ http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/hindupuraan/3vishnu/4chaturth/5nimi.htm&date=2009-10-26+00:01:03 accessed on Jan 25, 2008
  7. ↑ Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational; Author Makhan Jha at page 113
  8. 1 2 Dev, Ramnarayan (12 November 2007). "Mithila sambat as the national sambat". Madhesi - United we stand. Kantipur: Wordpress.
  9. ↑ USA, IBP (3 March 2012). Nepal Country Study Guide - Strategic Information and Developments. Volume 1. Lulu.com. pp. 43–44. ISBN 9781438775142.
  10. ↑ http://www.mithilaonline.com/music.html accessed on January 25th, 2008
  11. ↑ "Mithila, Maithili and Maithil: the Field in Historical Context" (PDF). ShodhGanga. Inflibnet. pp. 88–89, 101–102.
  12. ↑ Makhan Jha. Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective. p. 155.
  13. ↑ Cotton, H.E.A., (1909/19800 Calcutta Old and New, pp 335-336, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
  14. ↑ http://www.mithilaonline.com/music.html
  15. ↑ http://girijanandsinha.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html
  16. ↑ Banaili - Roots to Raj by Kumar Girijanand Sinha
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