|
Mithila's Janakpur
Mithila, the birth place of Hindu goddess, Sita and the
great medieval poet Vidyapati, was part of the ancient kingdom of Videha during
the later Vedic age. Tirabhikti was another name from Mithila, which was first
to make contact with oriental cultures, and consequently strengthened its own.
Historically, the name Mithila has been more frequently used
for a somewhat fluid cultural region than for a definite political or
geographical unit. The Land of Mithila comprised the present districts
Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Vaishali, Muzzaffarpur, Champaran, Mongyr,
Saharsa, and Purnea of North Bihar, India and Terai under Nepal lying between
the districts of Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Saptari, Rautahat, Sunsari and
Morang. Its total area was 25,000 sq miles.
Mithila was the center of spiritual as well as intellectual
discourses and discussions. In the history of human thought, it has carved out
for itself a place of unique distinction .The origin of Mithila is shrouded in
mystery. There are varieties of stories regarding this aspect. According to
Ramayana (great Hindu epic) an early king of Videha dynasty was Mithi by name.
Thus it is clear that the name Mithila was conferred to the capital of Videha
was conferred to the capital of Videha from that very Mithi. This very king
Mathav of Mithila was called as Mahadev by the Buddhista.
The Buddhist literature does know Jayanta but speaks of
Mithila only accordance to Dipavams, Mahavamse, Majjim Nikaya King Makahdava is
regarded as the founder of a royal line at Mithila, who left the worldly life
when he saw grey hair on his head. According to Digh-Nikaya
Mahagovinda-Suttanta, Mithila was founded by Mahagovinda, the steward of king
Renu. This in the Buddhist tradition, the founder of the royal line Videha was
Mahadeva, who was represented as the king of Mithila. The Kalpasutra, Jain
literature, gives a list of forty-two rainy seasons spent by Mahavira Jain,
since he renounced the life of householder. As per the commentary of
Kalpasutra, Mithila was the capital of the prosperous kingdom of Videhas. It is
identified with Janakpur, a small town in southeast of Nepal.
Mithila has witnessed the rise and fall of great monarchies
and republics. Long before the advent of the Buddha, and also during his life
time, the eight clans including the Videhas and the Lichhavis in habiting this
land formed the confederation of the Vrijis and established the famous
republic, probably the oldest one in the history of the world. The Maurya
dynasty and subsequently Gupta dynasty ruled this territory. The exit of Guptas
was promptly followed by Karnata dynasty under the leadership of Nayadev in
1097. The foundation of this new dynasty- Karnata or Simaron dynasty- ushered
in a new era, an era of kingdom- making. Under Nanyadev and his descendants,
Mithila gradually recovered her old glory and became a unique center of
philosophy, law and literature.
In the early nineteenth century, Prithivi Narayan Shah of
Gorkha Kingdom, unite the several kingdoms of hills and plains and became the
founder of modern Nepal. Since then Mithila Kingdom merged in two countries
Nepal and India.
At present, the town of Janakpur, in the northern Nepali
section of Mithila, is believed to be Janak's old capital. Now, Janakpur is a
Hindu pilgrimage site with legendary history. The Ramayana records a dynastic
marriage between Prince Rama of Ayodhya and Sita, the daughter of Raja Janak of
Mithila. And Sita is a maithi girl.Each year Janakpur celebrates Ram’s birthday
and his marriage anniversary. People come to Janakpur from all over the world
to see the Janaki Mandir, a Mogul- style temple dedicated to Sita. Janakpur was
once the capital of a kingdom called Maithili whose territory extended into
present day Bihar and it remains today the center of Maithili culture in Nepal.
| |
