Mithila, Nepal

This article is about the federal region in Nepal. For the ancient region, see History of Mithila. For the proposed state in India, see Mithila, India.
Nepalese Mithila
मिथिला/মিথিলা
South eastern region of Nepal
Country    Nepal
Historical region Mithila
Linguistic Division Maithili and Nepali
Capital City Janakpurdham
Time zone Nepal Time (UTC+5:45)

Mithila (Nepali मिथिला Tirhuta মিথিলা ), or the eastern Terai of Nepal, is a historical region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The name also refers to the ancient kingdom of Videha, which extended from the foot of the Sivalik Hills in the north to Indo-Nepal border in the south. In general terms, it is the Maithili-speaking region of Nepal. Mithila region of Nepal includes some 13 district of Nepal lies on south east part of Nepal boundaring from current Parsa to Jhapa District of Nepal.[1]

Geography

The region is surrounded by:[2]

The region contains a total of 948 VDCs (Village Development Committees), including 14 municipalities. The province covers about 14,058.7 km2 (5,428.1 sq mi). of Nepal's total area of 147,181 km2 (56,827 sq mi). with an estimated 6.65 million inhabitants, it is by far the most populous of the new proposed provinces.[3]

Transport

Roadways

Janakpurdham lies 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the East-West Highway.[4] At its eastern end this road joins an Tribhuvan Highway that connects it to Kathmandu, the capital city of the country and Pokhara.[5] At its western end it enters the Lumbini state of the country which further links to Nepalgunj and Birgunj, the industrial states of Nepal.[4] The Mahendra (East-West) Highway is the longest in the country, at 1,000 kilometres (620 mi).[4] The Tribhuvan Highway does not cross as much of the Mithila region of Nepal as the Mahendra Highway, but it is equally important as it connects the Mithila region to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, on one side and to the Indian State of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on the other side.[6]

Railways

Main article: Nepal Railways

A few other railway projects are under progress in the Mithila region of Nepal. All these projects are of Nepal Railways. Government of Nepal has proposed Janakpur as a Main Station for 1024 KM east-west Metro Railway project and further be extended to India and China for connecting Nepal Railways with Indian Railways and China Railways for business and tourism promotion.[7]

Airways

Mithila region has 3 airports:

Districts: languages and population

Maithili is the most commonly spoken language of Nepalese people of Maithali ethnicity in the Mithila districts ranging between Jhapa to Parsa.

Culture

Temples and festivals

Janki Mandir, Janakpur, Nepal.

Mithila is known for the Janaki Mandir of Janakpur. This temple, one of the biggest in Nepal, was built in 1898 (1955 in the Nepali calendar) by Amar Singh Thapa with financial aid by Queen Brisabhanu Kunwar of Tikamgarh.[8] It is also called "Nau Lakha Mandir" after the cost of construction, said to be nine (nau) lakh. The oldest temple in Janakpur is Ram Mandir, built by the Nepali soldier Amar Singh Thapa.[8] Pilgrims also visit the more than 200 sacred ponds in the city for ritual baths. The two most important, Dhanush Sagar and Ganga Sagar, are located close to the city centre in Janakpur. The Vivah Mandap temple is where Lord Rama and Sita are said to have been married. It is situated next to the Janki Mandir.

Major religious celebrations include the Hindu festivals Tihar (festival) and Dashain,[8] followed by the spectacular Chhath Puja originated here (sun worship) six days after Deepavali. Both Deepavali and Chhath are celebrated with a carnival atmosphere.

The festival of Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month Phalguna (February/March). Other festivals honor Rama and Sita:

Pilgrims stay in one of the city's five good hotels or small guest houses. There are also five fully equipped dharmashalas (cheap lodgings for pilgrims).

Art

Nepali Maithil women are known internationally for their Mithila art, also called as Madhubani art, especially their paintings on pottery, walls and courtyards. Madhubani painting is done with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks, using natural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eye-catching geometrical patterns. There are paintings for each occasion and festival such as birth, marriage, holi, surya shasti, kali puja, Upanayanam (sacred thread ceremony), and durga puja.

Entertainment

Cinemas in the region show new and old films in Maithili, Nepali and Hindi languages. Hollywood films are less popular. Stage shows, concerts and plays are occasionally organized by the local clubs and organizations. Mithila Natyakala Parishad (MINAP), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting Mithila culture, is a prominent promoter of the performing arts.[10]

History of Mithila

Ancient history

According to Ramayana, King Sirdhwaj Janaka of Nepal 24th king of the Janaka Dynasty, ruled Videha. There had been 54 kings in this dynasty.[11] Janakpur in Dhanusa District was the capital of Videha kingdom.

After the end of the Janaka dynasty, Mithila was divided into 8 states and power was decentralized to the local representatives elected by the people. During this period, south-west Mithila was known as the Vajji Republic or the Great Union of Vajji. Licchavis were the most powerful and influential out of the 8 states of the Union.

Even the powerful kingdom of Magadh had to conclude matrimonial alliances in 519 B.C. with the neighboring estates of the Licchavis. Ajatshatru invaded Vaishali and extended his sway over Mithila. It was at this time that Pataliputra (the modern Patna) was founded at the village of Patali on the banks of the sacred river Ganga. Ajatshatru built a strong fortress to keep vigil over the Licchavis on the other side of the river. Vaishali was a center of religious renaissance. Baso kund (vaishali,bihar) was the birthplace of Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankar and a contemporary of Lord Buddha, and attracted visitors.

From the visit of the Hieuen Tsang’s till the rise of the Pala dynasty, Mithila was under the control of King Harsha Vardhan. After 647 A.D., the region passed on to the local chiefs; the Pala kings continued to maintain control of Mithila until 1019 A.D. There was a brief interlude during which Chedi kings of Central India ruled but they were replaced by the Sena dynasty later in the 11th century.

Islamic invasion

Between 1210 and 1226, Ghais-u-ddin Iwaz, the ruler of Bengal, was the first Muslim invader of Mithila. He, however, could not succeed in conquering the kingdom but extorted tributes. It was in 1323 that Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq established his control over Mithila.

The history of Mithila would remain incomplete without a reference to the Simraon dynasty (in the Western part of Mithila i.e. Champaran) and its founder Nanyupa Deva who extended his power over the whole of Mithila and Nepal.

During the regime of Harasimha Deva, the last king of the dynasty, Tughlaq Shah invaded Mithila in 1323 and gained control over the territory. Tughlaq Shah handed over the management of Mithila to Pt. Kameshwar Thakur. Thus, the sovereign power of Mithila passed from the Hindu chiefs to the Muslims but the Hindu chief continued to enjoy complete autonomy.[12]

Mithila under the administration of Bengal

By the end of the 14th century, Mithila was controlled entirely by the kings of Jaunpur and remained so for nearly a century until Sikandar Lodi of Delhi defeated the king of Jaunpur. Meanwhile, Hussain Shah, the Nawab of Bengal had expanded his control over greater regions, which now included Mithila. The emperor of Delhi advanced against Hussain Shah in 1499 and thus gained control of Mithila. The power of the Nawabs of Bengal began to wane and with the decline and fall of Mahood Shah, north Bihar, including Mithila, became part of the Mughal Empire. Though Mithila had been annexed, the petty chieftains continued to exercise effective control over this area till the days of Daud Khan, the Nawab of Bengal. Daud Khan had his stronghold at Patna and Hajipur; after his fall, a separate Subah of Bihar was constituted under the Mughal dynasty, which included Mithila.

Nomenclature of provinces in Nepal

Nepal had been a unitary state with centralized system of governance. For the first time, Nepal is being transformed into a federal state. Naming the federal units is a primary concern. The following factors were considered when determining the province names:[13]

Considering the above factors, Mithila is referred as Mithila-Bhojpura-Koch-Madhesh by the Constituent Assembly of Nepal; while SRC refers it as Mithila-Bhojpura-Koch. Although the name has not yet been finalized, there have been complaints against the name being lengthy, difficult to pronounce and odd.[14]

Notable people from Mithila region

The following are notable residents (past and present) of Mithila (Nepal).

References

  1. ↑ Bansh, Hari and Jha, Jayanti (January–March 2005). "A Ritual for Ladies Only". Hinduism Today Magazine. Accessed 5 May 2012.
  2. ↑ Federalism dialogues, series-3 (2011). Mithila (PDF). Kathmandu: CCD-2011. pp. iii.
  3. ↑ Center for constitutional dialogue, Series 3 (2011). Mithila-Bhojpur-Koch-Madhes (PDF). Kathmandu: CCD-2011. p. 14.
  4. 1 2 3 David Reed, James McConnachie. The rough guide to Nepal. Nepalganj p. 361, Mahendranagar p. 374, Janakpur p. 388, Kankarbhitta p. 400, Itahar p. 442 (Google book). Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  5. ↑ Woodhatch, Tom. Nepal handbook. Western Nepal p. 29, Junctions p. 44, Length p. 238, Overview p. 373, Nepalganj p. 394 -398, Terai east of Sapt Kosi p. 401, Janakpur p. 436, Eastern Nepal p. 450, (Google books). Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  6. ↑ Highways in Nepal
  7. ↑ Nepal,India agree on five rail projects
  8. 1 2 3 "Tourism in Janakpur stays undeveloped" by Rastriya Samachar Samiti. The Himalyan Times, 13 April. Accessed September 2008
  9. ↑ "Janakpur | Travel". NepalVista.com. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  10. ↑ Mithila Natyakala Parishad (MINAP)
  11. ↑ "A Brief History of Muzaffarpur". Muzaffarpur.bih.nic.in. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
  12. ↑ "Tirhut – The Land of Maa Sita – About Tirhut". Tirhutlive.in. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
  13. ↑ Constituent Assembly, Restructuring of the State and Distribution of State Power Committee (2066 (Nepali Year)). Report on Concept Paper and Preliminary Draft, 2066 (PDF). Kathmandu: Singha Durbar. pp. Page no– NA.# Chapter 5 # Topic no 5.1 – Besis of Name Choice. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ↑ Federalsim Dialogues, Series 3 (2011). Mithila-Bhojpura-Koch-Madhesh (PDF). Kathmandu: CCD-2011. pp. 36 # Anexure III # Topic no 8. Queries raised regarding nomenclature and demarcation of the province.
  15. ↑ Ram Baran Yadav
  16. ↑ "Nepal parliament elects new PM". AFP via Google News.
  17. ↑ "Nepal PM quits in live TV address". BBC News. 30 June 2010.
  18. ↑ Madhav Kumar Nepal
  19. ↑ Suhasini, Lalitha (19 July 2005). "Destiny’s child". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
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