Mithila, India

This article is about the proposed state in India. For the ancient kingdom, see Videha. For the state of Nepal, see Mithila, Nepal.
Mithila
मिथिला/ মিথিলা
Aspirant state
Country  India
Languages Maithili, Nepali
Districts 30 total: Darbhanga, Madhubani, Madhepura, Muzaffarpur, Saharasa, Sheohar, Supaul, West Champaran
Establishment status Not yet established
Time zone IST (UTC+05:30)

Mithila (Devnagri: मिथिला, mithilā Tirhuta: মিথিলা) is a proposed state in India, comprising the Maithili speaking region of North Bihar bordering Nepal.

Mithila also refers to a Janakpur (Mithila Nagari), the capital of the Videha Kingdom, located in southern Nepal. The capital city of Mithila has been identified as Janakpur in the Dhanusa district of Nepal.

History

Islamic invasion

During the regime of Harasimha Deva, the last king of the dynasty, Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq invaded Mithila in 1323 and gained control over the territory. Tughluq handed over the management of Mithila to Pt. Kameshwar Thakur. Thus, the sovereign power of Mithila, became part of Delhi Sultanate, but continued to enjoy complete autonomy.[1]

British rule

Maharaja Kameswar Singh was the last jamindar King of Mithila. The insurgency at Delhi in 1857, caused a grave concern to the English inhabitants, in Mithila. A revolutionary fervor began to permeate in the entire region.[1]

Rivers and floods

Mithila has seven major rivers, Mahananda, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati, Kamala, Balan, and the Budhi Gandak.[2] They flow from the Himalaya mountains in the north to the Ganges river in the south. These rivers regularly flood, depositing silt onto the farmlands and sometimes causing death or hardship.

On 18 August 2008 the Kosi embankment burst at Kusha in Nepal, near the border with India. The Kosi river inundated areas of Mithila that hadn't experienced floods in many decades.[3][4] 250 people died and 3 million people were forced from their homes.[5] More than 300,000 houses were destroyed and at least 340,000 hectares (840,000 acres) of crops were damaged.[5] Villagers in Mithila ate raw rice and flour mixed with polluted water. Hunger and disease were widespread. The Supaul district was the worst-hit; surging waters swamped 1,000 square kilometres (247,000 acres) of farmlands, destroying crops.[6]

Political support

Bharatiya Janata Party

Several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders like Hukumdev Yadava, Indranath Jha have supported the cause of a separate state of Mithila.

Janata Dal (United)

Janata Dal (United) was the only party which supported the demand for statehood of Mithila during the 14th State assembly elections.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Tirhut – The Land of Maa Sita – About Tirhut". Tirhutlive.in. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  2. ↑ "Rivers of Bihar | Bihar Articles". Bihar.ws. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  3. ↑ "A Dalit watch report on the flood camps in Bihar" (PDF). Indiawaterportal.org. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  4. ↑ "Half of Bihar under water, 30 lakh suffer;". CNN IBN. 9 January 2008. Archived from the original on 3 September 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
  5. 1 2 Michael Coggan in New Delhi (29 August 2008). "Death toll rises from Indian floods". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  6. ↑ Kataria, Sunil (30 August 2008). "Bihar villagers desperate as floods spread". Reuters. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "Demand for Mithila state gains momentum, politicians join demonstration at Jantar Mantar". Post.jagran.com. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  8. ↑ http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/epaper/article/index.php?page=article&choice=print_article&location=24&category=&articleid=6242779130240
  9. ↑ "article". Post.jagran.com. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  10. ↑ "राज्य पुनर्गठन : व्यापक हो नजरिया « संपादकीय ब्लॉग". Jagraneditorial.jagranjunction.com. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "जेडी(यू) ने पृथक मिथिला राज्य की मांग का समर्थन किया- Navbharat Times". Navbharat Times. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2012.

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