The distinct regional identity of Mithila notwith-standing, this region, unlike many other similarly placed areas of the sub-continent, failed to transcend to the status of nationhood in the twentieth century. Despite its geographical uniqueness and a separate cultural personality this part of northern Bihar could not articulate viable traits of regional consciousness. It is extremely significant to note that in the neighbouring Bengal the idea of nationalism started gaining substance right from the nineteenth century but, despite contaguous location, Mithila remained unaffected by such developments. One can, no doubt, project a variety of factors to explain this variant patterns of regional formation, but such an exercise admits of a gap in our understanding of the problem. We may cite factors, like lack of renaissance, the absence of a cohesive regional elite, the non-availability of indigenous capital, etc., for rationalising this situation. Is it not ironical that the trajectory of spatial consciousness in our region, instead of embarking upon the path traversed by the neighbouring region of Bengal, adopted the course followed by the entire Hindi belt ?
This is obviously suggestive of both the identity and
unity of Mithila with the entire Hindi belt. This geographical
location may be underlined as yet another factor for the lack of
the crystallisation of the Maithil nationalism. But this again will
prove to be extremely simplistic. It needs to be remembered
that till the end of the nineteenth century one hardly comes
across any indicator whatsoever of a distinct Maithil nation.
The idea germinates only in the twentieth century and that too
possibly as a fall out of the creation of the State of Bihar. The
cultural commonality between Mithila and Bengal on the one
hand and the dissimilar political fortunes of the two regions on
the other may have had forced the Maithil elite' to rethink over
their political status. The elite in question, however, was
undeniably heterogeneous in character. Besides a section of
the backward looking elite that shunned all progressive projects,
the section of the elite that welcomed changes was itself
divided one group was advocating to go along with the
all-India national movement while the other was articulate in
terms of the necessity for fostering the idea of Maithilness. This
internal contradiction of the elite decisively constrained the
growth of Maithil nationalism. Their mutual preferences
invariably proved antithetical and as the national movement
grew in strength, the section aligning with it gained in
prominence. Unlike Bengal and Maharastra, Maithil
nationalism tried to evolve itself during the heydays of Indian
nationalism and possibly this was a potent factor for its "fatal
development." Obviously, therefore, the study of the
dynamics of nation-building, or the lack of it, in Mithila needs
to be located both in the geographical and cultural setting of
this peripheral region and in the broader contemporary
developments of the sub-continent.
The particular geographical expression of Mithila has been represented in the historical literature right from the ancient times. The early texts of the Vedic period, such as Shatpatha Brahmana, Brihadaranyaka Upanisad, etc., narrate many episodes reflecting the glory of this region, which was then ruled by the Janaka dynasty. The great Sanskrit epic, Ramayana of Valmiki, speaks of the Videhas in general whose courts had acquired the reputation of being great centres of learning and Siradhvaja Janaka in particular whose daughter Sita was married to Rama. These scriptures, however, do not inform us about the geographical expanse of the region, a fact which emerges with clarity in the Jataka stories.
The boundaries of the region, it is suggested, extended upto the Nepalese terai in the north, upto Kosi in the east, upto the domains of the Lichchhavis of Vaishali in the south and upto the river Sadanira in the west. Pargiter proposes the following delineation of the boundaries of Videha, synonymous with Mithila. "Videha comprised the country from Gorakhpur on the Rapti to Darbhanga, with Kosala on the west and Anga on the east, On the north it approached the hills and on the south it was bounded by the small kingdom of Vaishali." This is no doubt an extensive boundary but certainly not an exaggeration if one refers to Suruchi Jataka which states that the whole kingdom of Videha was 300 leagues in extent. According to the Puranas, it extended from the river Kaushika in the east to the Gandaki in the west and from the Ganga in the south to the forest of the Himalayas in the north. The forest on the banks of the Gandaki was known as Champaranya. The Shaktisangama-tantra says that "from the banks of the Gandaki (Gondkitiramarabhya) to the forest of Champa, the country is called Videha, also known as Tirabhukti." This "Gandakitira", according to D.C. Sircar, appears to indicate the southern boundary of this territorial expanse. Champaranya (modern Champaran) seems to be its northern limit. The name Tirabhukti still survives in its modern form, Tirhut.
Hindu (947)
Agriculture (126)
Ancient (1129)
Archaeology (825)
Architecture (580)
Art & Culture (944)
Biography (731)
Buddhist (549)
Cookery (168)
Emperor & Queen (595)
Islam (247)
Jainism (339)
Literary (891)
Mahatma Gandhi (397)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist