Kings of Mithila
Encyclopedia
Mithila was capital of Videha kingdom in ancient India
situated between foothills of Himalayas
and River Ganges. 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
. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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.
Janaks after Ramayana
Thereafter several dynasties such as Shaishunag, Nand, Maurya, Shung, Kant, 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 (presently 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.
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.
were followers of Hinduism 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:
Karnat Dynasty also had five kings namely:
In the court of Hari Singh Dev the Royal Priest was Pt. Kameshwar Thakur the author of VARNA RATNAKAR, which is considered to be the first prose, an encyclopedia in any north Indian language. Pt. Kameshwar Thakur later became founder of OINWAR DYNASTY)
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:
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
.
For more details on this dynasty see Raj Darbhanga
.
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 :
History of India
The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from...
situated between foothills of Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and River Ganges. 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
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. Mithila
Mithila
Mithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
was the capital of Videha Kingdom
Videha Kingdom
In the Ramayana, Videha was the kingdom of the royal sage Seeradhwaja Janaka, the father of Sita, Raghava Rama's wife. Rama's brothers married Sita's sisters, so the Videha Kingdom was closely allied to the Kosala Kingdom. Mithila was the capital of Videha, now identified with Janakpur, a town in...
as per epic Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. This city is identified as modern day Janakpur (also called Janakpurdham) in Dhanusa district
Dhanusa District
Dhanusa District of 671,364. It lies in the Central Development Region of Nepal. Also famous as a cultural center, the city attracts many Hindu pilgrims during festivals from both Nepal and India....
of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. This region was also called Tairabhukti, the ancient name of Tirhut
Tirhut
Historically Tirhut refers to the Indo-Gangetic plains lying north of the Ganges River, in the Indian state of Bihar. The geographical area known as Tirhut corresponds to the ancient region of Mithila. Tirhut, a densely populated area of India, has alluvial plains and several rivers pass through...
. 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
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. 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
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
. He was 21st Janak of Mithila. This Dynasty was also called VIDEH JANAKS. There were 52 kings in the dynasty of Videh Janak. 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
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. 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.
Lineage of Janaks
Janaks till RamayanaThe 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:
- NimiNimiNimi is considered to be the first king in lineage of Janaks. Janaks were Kings of Mithila region in ancient India. Nimi was grandson of Manu and son of Ikshwaku.,- Story of Nimi :...
- Nimi was son of King Ikshwaku and grandson of ManuManu (Hinduism)In various Hindu traditions, Manu is a title accorded to the progenitor of mankind, and also the very first brahman king to rule this earth, who saved mankind from the universal flood. He was absolutely honest which was why he was initially known as "Satyavrata"...
. - Mithi - Founder of Mithila and the first Janaka.
- Udavasu
- Nandivardhana
- Suketu
- Devarata
- Brihadvrata
- Mahavira
- Sudhriti
- Dristaketu
- Haryasva
- Maru
- Pratindhaka
- Kritiratha
- Devamidha
- Vibhuta
- Mahidhrata
- Kirtirata
- Mahorama
- Swarnorama
- Hrisvaroma
- Seeradhwaja - Father of Sita.
The list of Janaks has been compiled from Valmiki Ramayana.
Janaks after Ramayana
- Bhaanumaan
- Shatadyumn
- Shuchi
- Oorjnaamaa
- Kriti
- Anjan
- Kurujit
- Arishtnemi
- Shrutaayu
- Supaarshwa
- Srinjaya
- Kshemaavee
- Anenaa
- Bhaumarath
- Satyarath
- Upagu
- Upagupt
- Swaagat
- Swaanand
- Suvarchaa
- Supaarshwa
- Subhaash
- Sushrut
- Jaya
- Vijaya
- Rit
- Sunaya
- Veetahavya
- Dhriti
- Bahulaashwa
- Kriti
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 6th century BC, Lichavis were defeated by Ajatshatru of Magadha and thus Mithila region came under control of Magadhan empire.Thereafter several dynasties such as Shaishunag, Nand, Maurya, Shung, Kant, 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 (presently 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.
Around 6th Century to 9th century- Pal Dynasty
Mithila was ruled by Pal Dynasty for almost three centuries. Pal Dynasty were followers of Buddhism, 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:
- GopalaGopala (Pala king)Gopala was the founder of the Pala Dynasty of Bengal. The last morpheme of his name pala means "protector" and was used as an ending for the names of all the Pala monarchs...
(750-770) - DharmapalaDharmapala of BengalDharama Pala was the second ruler of the Pala Empire of Bengal region in the Indian Subcontinent. He was the son and succeessor of Gopala , the founder of the Pala Dynasty. He greatly expanded the boundaries of the Pala Empire founded by his father and made the Palas the most dominant power in...
(770-810) - DevapalaDevapalaDeva Pala , was a powerful emperor from the Pala Empire of Bengal region in the Indian Subcontinent. He was the third king in the line and had succeeded his father, emperor Dharamapala...
(810-850) - Shurapala/MahendrapalaMahendrapalaMahendrapala was the fourth emperor of the Pala dynasty. He succeeded his father Devapala. We came to know about him and his mahasenapati Vajradeva from the Jagjivanpur copper plate grant dated in his 7th regnal year and issued from the Kuddalakhataka jayaskandhavara . He was succeeded by his...
(850 - 854) - VigrahapalaVigrahapalaVigrahapala was the fifth emperor of the Pala dynasty and the successor of Mahendrapala, the son and successor of Devapala. He reigned for 1 year. Vigrahapala was a grandson of Dharmapala's younger brother Vakapala and son of Jayapala. He was succeeded by his son, Narayanapala...
(854 - 855) - NarayanapalaNarayan PalaNarayanapala was the sixth emperor of the Pala dynasty of eastern India, mainly the Bengal and Bihar regions. The Gaya temple inscription dated in his 7th regnal year, the Indian Museum stone inscription dated in his 9th regnal year, the Bhagalpur copper-plate grant dated in his 17th regnal year,...
(855 - 908) - RajyapalaRajyapalaRajyapala was the seventh emperor of the Pala dynasty. He succeeded his father Narayanapala. He reigned for 32 years. The Bargaon inscription is dated in his 24th regnal year. He was succeeded by his son Gopala II....
(908 - 940) - Gopala IIGopala IIGopala II was the successor to the Pala king Rajyapala, and eighth ruler of the Pala line reigning for 20 years. He was succeeded by Vigrahapala II.-References:...
(940-960) - Vigrahapala IIVigrahapala IIVigrahapala II was the successor to the Pala king Gopala II, and ninth ruler of the Pala line reigning for 22 years. He was succeeded by the famed Mahipala.-References:...
(960 - 988) - MahipalaMahipalaMahipala I is considered the second founder of the Pala dynasty. Gopala I established the dynastic rule of the Palas in the middle of the 8th century CE. The Pala Dynasty ruled Bengal and Bihar for about four centuries from the middle of the 8th century CE...
(988 - 1038) - NayapalaNaya PalaNaya Pala is the name of eleventh ruler of the Pala dynasty of eastern Indian Subcontinent, mainly the Bengal and Bihar regions....
(1038–1055) - Vigrahapala IIIVigrahapala IIIVigrahapala III was the successor to the Pala king Nayapala, and twelfth ruler of the Pala line reigning for 15 years. He was succeeded by Mahipala II.-References:...
(1055–1070) - Mahipala IIMahipala IIMahipala II was the successor to the Pala king Vigrahapala III, and thirteenth ruler of the Pala line reigning for 5 years. He was succeeded by Shurapala II.-References:...
(1070–1075) - Shurapala IIShurapala IIShurapala II was a ruler of the Pala Empire in northeast India. He was the successor to the Pala king Mahipala II and fourteenth ruler of the Pala line, reigning for two years. He was succeeded by Ramapala.-References:...
(1075–1077) - RamapalaRamapalaRamapala was the successor to the Pala king Shurapala II, and fifteenth ruler of the Pala line reigning for 53 years. He is recognised as the last great ruler of the dynasty, managing to restore much of the past glory of the Pala lineage. He crushed the Varendra rebellion and extended his empire...
(1077–1130) - Kumarapala of BengalKumarapala of BengalKumarapala was the successor to the Pala king Ramapala, and sixteenth ruler of the Pala line reigning for 10 years. During his reign he put down an uprising in Kamarupa by the governor Timgyadeva, eventually replacing him with Vaidyadeva . He was succeeded by Gopala III.-References:*Sircar, D. C...
(1130–1140) - Gopala IIIGopala IIIGopala III was the successor to the Pala king Kumarapala, and seventeenth ruler of the Pala line reigning for 4 years. He was succeeded by Madanapala.-References:...
(1140–1144) - MadanapalaMadanapalaMadanapala was the successor to the Pala king Gopala III, and eighteenth and final ruler of Pala lineage reigning for 18 years. He was succeeded by Govindapala, whose lineage of that name is questionable....
(1144–1162) - GovindapalaGovindapalaGovindapala is believed to be the successor of Madanapala the last ruler of the Pala dynasty. However the lineage of that name is questionable....
(1162–1174)
The founder of the Pala Empire
Pala Empire
The Pāla Empire was one of the major middle kingdoms of India existed from 750–1174 CE. It was ruled by a Buddhist dynasty from Bengal in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, all the rulers bearing names ending with the suffix Pala , which means protector. The Palas were often described...
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.
Around 9th Century to 11th century- Sena Dynasty
Sena DynastySena dynasty
The Sena Empire was a Hindu dynasty that ruled from Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. At its peak the empire covered much of the north-eastern region in the Indian Subcontinent. They were called Brahma-Kshatriyas, as evidenced through their surname, which is derived from the Sanskrit,...
were followers of Hinduism 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:
- Hemanta Sen (1070 AD)
- Vijay Sen (1096-1159 AD)
- Ballal Sen (1159 - 1179 AD)
- Lakshman SenLakshman SenLakshman Sen was the fourth king of the Sen dynasty of Bengal, who ruled for about 28 years. Lakshman Sen succeeded his father Ballal Sen...
(1179 - 1206 AD) - Vishvarup Sen (1206 - 1225 AD)
- Keshab Sen (1225-1230 AD)
Around 11th Century to 14th Century - Karnat Dynasty
Nanya Deva defeated the last King of Sen Dynasty, Laxman Sen and became King of Mithila. Nanya Deva had come from west and had his first capital at Simraun Garh (Birganj). After conquering entire Mithila, he shifted his capital to Kamaladitya Sthan (Kamladan). Another village named Andharatharhi village in Madhubani district is also mentioned to be capital of Karnats. 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 Karnat Kings constitute a unique irrigation system and is proving its relevance even today, spanning over eight centuries.Karnat Dynasty also had five kings namely:
- Nanya Dev - Nanya Dev apart from being a great warrior, also had a keen interest in music.He classified and analyzed the Ragas and opines Madhya laya is chosen for Hasya (humorous) and sringar (libido) rasa, Bilambit is chosen for karun (compassion) rasa and Drut is chosen for veer (brave), Rodra (anger), Adbhut (marvelous) and Bhayanak (fearful) rasas. He wrote a treaty on music'Saraswati Hridayalankar' which is preserved in the Bhandarkar Research Institute of Pune. Nanya Dev is also considered to be the "forgotten King of Maithila".
- Gang Dev
- Narshingh Dev
- Shakrasingh Dev
- Hari Singh Dev - King Hari Singh Dev is the most famous. He was instrumental in initiating and implementing PANJIPanjiPanji may refer to:*Panji , legendary prince in East Java, Indonesia.*Panji District , Huainan, Anhui, China**Panji Town , town in Panji District...
VYAVASTHA in Maithil Brahmins and Maithil Kayasthas (Karn Kayasthas). He was also great patron of art and literature.
In the court of Hari Singh Dev the Royal Priest was Pt. Kameshwar Thakur the author of VARNA RATNAKAR, which is considered to be the first prose, an encyclopedia in any north Indian language. Pt. Kameshwar Thakur later became founder of OINWAR DYNASTY)
Kings from 1326 AD to 1526 AD- Oinwar Dynasty
In 1326, Firoz Shah Tughlak attacked and conquered Mithila region. The last king of Karnat 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 as well as maintain army for the Emperor). Kameshwar Thakur belonged to village named Oini, which is presently in SamastipurSamastipur
Samastipur is a city and a municipality in Samastipur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is headquarters of the Samastipur district.It is situated on the banks of Burhi Gandak River.-Demographics:...
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:
- Kameshwar Thakur - In 1353,Pt. Kameshwar Thakur was appointed by Firoz Shah Tughlak himself as KARAD RAJA (Tax Paying King).
- Bhogishwar Thakur - Kameshwar Thakkur did not prove to be able ruler and was unable to collect and pay tax to Firoz Shah Tughlak. Thus, Firoz Shah Tughlak dethroned him and made Bhogishwar Thakkur the King in place of Kameshwar Thakur. Bhogishwar Thakur was son of Kameshwar Thakur.
- Ganeshwar Singh - Ganeshwar Singh became king after death of his father Bhogishwar Thakur. He was mortally stabbed by a person named Aslan in 1361 AD in a conspiracy to usurp the throne. Aslan wanted to kill his two sons-Vir Singh and Kirti Singh as well, but did not succeed since they had been safely hidden somewhere.
- Kirti Singh - Kirti Singh enlisted help of Tughlaks, who send his army to recapture Mithila. In the battle that ensued, Aslan and Vir Singh were killed. Kirti Singh became King but died after shortly thereafter.
- Bhavesh Thakur (also known as Bhav Singh) – He was younger son of Kameshwar Thakur. Since Kirti Singh died issueless, the kingdom passed over to Bhavesh Thakur.
- Dev Singh
- Shiv Singh – He declared himself to be independent King and stopped paying taxes to Tughlak empire. Due to his decision to challenge authority of Tughlaks empire, Ibrahim Shah Tughlak attacked Mithila. In the battle, Shiv Singh was killed.
- Padma Singh – He was younger brother of Shiv Singh.
- Queen Bishwas Devi – Padma Singh died died issueless at an early age. After his death, his wife Queen Bishwas Devi ruled Mithila region, but she too died soon after taking over reign of Mithila.
- Hari Singh – He was cousin of Padma Singh. Since Padma Singh died issueless, the throne passed to Hari Singh.
- Nar Singh
- Dhir Singh (ruled 1459 to 1480)
- Bhairav Singh (ruled 1480 to 1515) _ He was a very popular king and initiated several development works like digging of ponds construction of roads, wells, temples, etc. He was a great patron of art and culture as well.
- Rambhadra Singh Dev
- Laxminath Singh Dev – He was the last King of OINWAR dynasty. Sikandar Lodhi attacked Mithila region in 1526 and Maharaja Laxminath Singh Dev was killed in the ensuing battle.
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
Madhubani District
Madhubani District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Madhubani town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Madhubani district is a part of Darbhanga Division. The district occupies an area of 3501 km² and has a population of 3,570,651...
.
1577 to 1947 – Khandavala Dynasty
- Raja Mahesh Thakur (expired 1558).
- Raja Gopal Thakur He was eldest Son of Raja Mahesh Thakur. He died suddenly and was king for a very small period only.
- Raja Parmanand Thakur He was second son of Raja Mahesh Thakur. He too ruled for a brief period before his death.
- Raja Subhankar Thakur (expired 1607) - He was fifth son of Raja Mahesh Thakur. He was a great patron of music and art. He wrote a treatise on music Sri Hastamuktavali that deals with a companion art of dance.
- Raja Purushottam Thakur (ruled - 1607 to 1623)
- Raja Narayan Thakur (ruled 1623 to 1642)
- Raja Sundar Thakur (ruled - 1642 to 1662)
- Raja Mahinath Thakur (ruled - 1662 to 1684)
- Raja Nirpat Thakur (ruled - 1684 to 1700)- He shifted his capital to Darbhanga from Rajgram. Darbhanga remained their seat of power till independence of India.
- Raja Raghu Singh (ruled - 1700 to 1736)
- Raja Bishnu Singh (ruled - 1736 to 1740)
- Raja Narendra Singh (ruled 1740 to 1760)
- Raja Pratap Singh (ruled - 1760 to 1776)
- Raja Madho Singh (ruled - 1776 to 1808)
- Maharaja Chhatra Singh Bahadur (ruled - 1808 to 1839)
- Maharaja Rudra Singh Bahadur (ruled 1839 to 1850)
- Maharaja Maheshwar Singh Bahadur (ruled - 1850 to 1860)
- Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur (ruled 1860 to 1898)
- Maharaja Rameshwar Singh Bahadur (ruled 1898 to 1929)
- Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Bahadur (ruled 1929 to 1947 i.e. till independence of India on 15 August 1947 when all the kingdoms merged with Union of India)
For more details on this dynasty see Raj Darbhanga
Raj Darbhanga
Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Royal Family of Darbhanga, were a family of Zamindars and rulers of territories that are now part of Mithila and Darbhanga district, Bihar, India. Their seat was at the city of Darbhanga...
.
Kings of Banaili
It would also be relevant to mention the royal family of BanailiBanaili
Banaili estate in Bihar was one of the largest estates in India. It stretched into four of India's current states - Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa...
who had considerable power in the region of Purnea, Sultanganj
Sultanganj
Sultanganj is a city and a notified area in Bhagalpur district in the Indian state of Bihar.-History:Sultanganj is a town in Bhagalpur district and has a railway station, of the same name on the loop-line of the Eastern Railway running from kolkata to Kiul. An excellent all-weather road connecting...
, Bhagalpur
Bhagalpur
Bhagdattpuram was one of the most influential towns in "Aryavarta" . It is supposed to have been concurrent to Patliputra or Patna. Bhagdattpuram finds its mention in the Vedas and Ramayana as well. It is supposed to be the kingdom of Daanvir Karna, the son of Kunti and the Sun God...
, 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 :
- Raja Bahadur Dular Singh Chowdhry - He received the title of Raja Bahadur from the British Government for his services during the Anglo-Nepalese War. Raja Dular Singh died in 1821. He was succeeded by his son Raja Bahadur Bedanand Sinha.
- Raja Bahadur Bedanand Sinha – (1778–1851) - He is credited for the creation of much of the family's wealth which he did in a period of 30 years at the helm. He received his title of Raja Bahadur with his succession in continuation of the title given to his father.
- Raja Bahadur Lilanand Sinha - Raja Lilanand Singh had two sons from his third wife - Raja Kalanand Sinha and Raja Bahadur Kirtyanand Sinha.
- Raja Kalanand Singh & Raja Bahadur Kirtyanand Singh.