Maithili language
Encyclopedia
Maithili language is spoken in the eastern region of India
and South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar
, Jharkhand
,parts of West Bengal
and South-east Nepal
. The cultural and linguistic centers of Maithili in Bihar
are the districts of Madhubani, Supaul
, Araria
, Darbhanga
, Sitamarhi
, Saharsa
, Begusarai
, Muzaffarpur
, Sheohar
, Samastipur
, and Vaishali
. Maithili is also spoken in the Terai
region of Nepal
, mainly in Narayani Zone
, Janakpur Zone
, Koshi Zone, and Sagarmatha Zone
of Nepal.
It is the second largest spoken language of Nepal (around 12%).
Linguists have classified Maithili as one of the Indo-Aryan languages. It is an offshoot of the Indo-Aryan languages
, which is a branch of the Indo-European languages
. Early Indo-Aryan languages
(2500 BC to 500 BC) developed from Vedic Samskrit to Laukik Samskrit. Middle Indo-Aryan Languages (500 BC to 1000 AD) developed from Pali (early Prakrit, 500 BC to 100 BC) to Prakrit (middle Prakrit, 100 BC to 500 AD), Apbhramsha (neo Prakrit, 500 AD to 900 AD) and Avhattha (neo regional Prakrit, 900 AD to 1100 AD). From neo Magadhi Prakrit and its Variant Maithil Avahattha came Maithili Language (1000 AD). It is in the category of Modern Indo-Aryan Language (1000 AD to till date). Linguists
consider Maithili to be an Eastern Indic language.
According to the 2001 census in India, 12,179,122 people speak Maithili. Maithili has 35 million (2000) native speakers in the world. In 2003, Maithili was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which allows the language to be used in education, government, and other official contexts. Maithili has a rich literary and cultural heritage.
The first grammar of Maithili was written in the year 1880–81. A. F. Rudolf Hoernle published a Grammar of the Eastern Hindi from London in 1880 and compared with the other Gaudian Languages. In this Grammar, Dr. Hoernle recognized Maithili as a dialect distinct from Hindi. He was able to give some specimens of its grammatical forms, but no published materials were then available. The mis-classification by early linguists led to language politics in respect of Maithili.Beames (1872/reprint 1966: 84-85) considered Maithili as a dialect of Bengali. Grierson, however, adopted the notional term "Bihari" language for the language used in Bihar; it has since been shown to be a misnomer for Maithili.
Maithili is derived from Avahattha, the Maithil Apabhramsha, which is derived from Magadhi Apbhramsha.
Maithili was traditionally written in the Maithili script (also known by the names Tirhuta ,i.e., Mithilakshar
) and Kaithi
script. The ISO of Unicode Technical Committee has approved the encoding of Kaithi
and Tirhuta scripts. Nowadays, Devanagari script is most commonly used. An effort is underway to preserve the Maithili script and to develop it for use in digital media by encoding the script in the Unicode
standard, for which proposals have been submitted by Sh. Anshuman Pandey (now it has been approved by the ISO, the Unicode Technical Committee).
The term Maithili comes from Mithila
, which was an independent state in ancient times. Mithila is important in Hindu mythology
, since it is regarded as the birth place of Goddess Sita
, the daughter of King Janak of Mithila, who eventually gets married to Lord Rama.
The most famous literary figure in Maithili is poet Vidyapati
(1350-1450), who wrote his poems in the language of the people, i.e. Maithili, at a time when state's official language used to be Sanskrit
and Sanskrit was still being used as a literary language. The use of Maithili,instead of Sanskrit, in literature became more common after Vidyapati.
is derived from the word Mithila
, an ancient kingdom of which King Janaka
was the ruler (See Ramayana
). Maithili is also one of the names of Sita
, the wife of King Rama
and daughter of King Janaka
. Scholars in Mithila used Sanskrit for their literary work and Maithili was the language of the common folk (Abahatta
). The earliest work in Maithili appears to be Varna(n) Ratnakar by Jyotirishwar Thakur
dated about 1324.
With the fall of Pala
rule, disappearance of Buddhism
,establishment of karnāta kings and patronage of Maithili under Harasimhadeva (1226–1324) of karnāta dynasty, Jyotirisvara Thakur (1280–1340) wrote a unique work Varnaratnākara in pure Maithili prose, the earliest specimen of prose available in any Modern Indo-Aryan language.
In 1324, Ghyasuddin Tughluq, the emperor of Delhi
invaded Mithila, defeated Harasimhadeva , entrusted Mithila to his family Priest Kameshvar Jha, a Maithil Brahmin
of the Oinvar family but disturbed era did not produce any literature in Maithili until Vidyapati Thakur (1360 to 1450), who was an epoch making poet under the patronage of king Shiva Simha and his queen Lakhima Devi. He produced over a thousand immortal songs in Maithili on the theme of erotic sports of Radha and Krishna and the domestic life of Shiva
and Parvati
as well as on the subject of suffering of migrant labourers of Morang and their families; besides he wrote a number of treaties in Sanskrit on various subjects. His love-songs spread far and wide in no time and enchanted saints, poets and youth in general. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw divine light of love behind these songs, and soon these songs became themes of Vaisnava sect of Bengal
. Rabindranath Tagore
, out of curiosity, imitated these songs under the pseudonym Bhanusimha. Vidyapati influenced the religious literature of Asama, Banga and Utkala.
After the invasion of Mithila by the Sultan of Johnpur, Delhi, and the disappearance of Shivasimha in 1429, Onibar rule grew weaker and the literary activity shifted to present Nepal.
The earliest reference to Maithili or Tirhutiya is in Amaduzzi's preface to Beligatti's Alphabetum Brammhanicum, published in 1771. This contains a list of Indian languages amongst which is 'Tourutiana.' Colebrooke's essay on the Sanskrit and Prakrit languages, written in 1801, was the first to describe Maithili as a distinct dialect.
U
Many devotional songs were written by vaisnava saints, including in the mid-17th century, Vidyapati and Govindadas. mapati Upadhyaya wrote a drama entitled pārijātaharaṇa in Maithili. A number of professional troupes, mostly from dalit
classes known as Kirtanias, the singers of bhajan or devotional songs, started to perform this drama in public gatherings and the courts of the nobles.
Lochana (Circa. 1575-1660) wrote Rāgatarangni, a significant treatise on the science of music, describing the rāgas, tālas and lyrics prevalent in Mithila.
The Malla dynasty
's mother tongue was Maithili, which spread far and wide throughout Nepal from the 16th to the 17th century. During this period, at least 70 Maithili dramas were produced. In the drama Harishchandranrityam by Siddhinarayanadeva (1620–57), some characters speak pure colloquial Maithili, while others speak Bangla, Sanskrit or Prakrit
. The Nepal tradition may be linked with the Ankiya Nāta in Assam
and Jatra in Orissa
.
After the demise of Maheshwar Singh, the ruler of Darbhanga Raj, in 1860, the Raj was taken over by the British Government as regent. The return of the Darbhanga Raj to his successor, Maharaj Lakshmishvar Singh, in 1898. But these happenings has nothing to do with the use of Maithili Language, as the Zamindari Raj has lackadaisical approach towards Maithili Language. The use of Maithili language was revived, however, through personal efforts of MM Parameshvar Mishra, Chanda Jha, Munshi Raghunandan Das and others.
Publication of Maithil Hita Sadhana (1905), Mithila Moda (1906), and Mithila Mihir (1908), further encouraged writers. The first social organization, Maithil Mahasabha was established in 1910 for the development of Mithila and Maithili, but it blocked its membership for people outside from the Maithil Brahmin and Karna Kayastha castes. Maithil Mahasabha campaigned for the official recognition of Maithili as a regional language. Calcutta University recognized Maithili in 1917, and other universities followed suit.
In 1965, Maithili was officially accepted by Sahitya Academy, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Indian literature.
In 2003 Maithili was recognized on the VIII schedule of the Indian Constitution as a major Indian language; Maithili is now one of the 22 national languages of India.
The first maithili poem book in mithilakshar (maithili) script published by Santosh Kumar Mishra from Nepal
The Kamrupa dialect was originally a variety of eastern Maithili and it was, no doubt, the spoken Aryan language throughout the kingdom which then included the whole of Assam valley and whole of North Bengal with the addition of the district of Purnea. The language of the Buddhist Dohas is described as belonging to the mixed Maithili—Kamrupi language.
Early Maithili Literature (C. 700-1350 A.D.)-The period was of ballads, songs, and dohas. Some important Maithili writers of of this era were:
Middle Maithili Literature (C. 1350-1830 A.D.)-The period was of theatrical writings. Some important Maithili writers of of this era were:
Modern Maithili Literature (1830 A.D. to date)-
Modern Maithili came into its own after Sir George Abraham Grierson
, an Irish linguist and civil servant, tirelessly researched Maithili folklore and transcribed its grammar. Paul R. Brass wrote that "Grierson judged that Maithili and its dialects could fairly be characterized as the language of the entire population of Darbhanga
and Bhagalpur district
s and of a majority or a significant minority of the populations of Muzaffarpur
, Monghyer, Purnia
and Santhal Parganas." In April 2010 a translation of the New Testament
into Maithili was published by the Bible Society of India
under joint copyright with Wycliffe Bible Translators
.
The development of Maithili in modern era was due to various magazines and journals. Some notable journals, which led to the resurgence in modern writing, are Maithil Hit Sadhana (Jaipur,1905), Mithila Moda (Varanasi, 1905), Mithila Mihir (Darbhanga and Patna—), ShriMaithili (Laheriasarai—), Mithila (Laheriasarai—), Maithila Bandhu (Ajmer—), Bharati (Laheriasarai—), Bibhuti (Muzaffarpur—) Sahitya Patra (Darbhanga—)Vaidehi (Kasi-) (Sitamarhi—)(Darbhanga—), Satyasandesha (Kasi—), Swadesha(Darbhanga—), Maithila Jyoti (Patna—), Mithilascvaka (Calcutta—), Mithila Darshan (again Maithili Darsana and now again Mithila Darshan) (Calcutta—), Chaupadi (Patna—), Mithila (Darbhanga—), Pallava (Nehra), Abhivyanjana (Patna,Saharsa), Dainik Swadesha (Darbhanga), Sanjiwani (Laheriasarai), Akhar (Calcutta), Mithilabani (Darbhanga—), Mithila Mitra (Sultanganj), Tatka (Jamshedpur), Batuk (Allahabad), Dhiyaputa (Lohna), Sishu (Darbhanga), Ijot (Darbhanga), Janak (Darbhanga)Nirman (Laheriasarai) Matribani (Tharhi)Matribani (Darbhanga)Nutan Vishwa (Laheriasarai), Maithili Samachar (Allahabad), Mithila Amar(Aligarh), Mithila Doot (Kanpur), Mithili Alok (Ferozabad), Sonamatl (Patna), Swadeshvani (Deoghar), Anama (Patna), Sannipata (Patna), Maithili (Biratnagar), Foolpat (Kathmandu), Agnipatra (Calcutta), Maithili Prakash (Calcutta), Mithila Bharati (Patna), Apan Desha (Laheriasarai), Mithila Bhumi (Latheriasari), Mithila Times (Darbhanga), Changur (Saharsa), Sakti Bhumi Maithili Kavita (Calcutta), Ego Rahathi Raja Lai Dhuan (Shivanagar), Bhumhar (Laheriasarai), Shikha (Calcutta), Mahur Darbhanga), LokemanchFarak (Patna), Karnamrit (Calcutta), Desil Bayana (Calcutta), Desh kosh (Calcutta), Aarumbha (Patna), Matipani (Patna), Videha ejournal, Videha-Sadeha (Delhi), Antika (Ghaziabad), Mithila srijan (Madhubani), Samay saal (Patna), Ghar Bahar (Patna), Vidyapati Times (Darbhanga), Gamghar (Janakpur), Purvottar Maithil (Guwahati, Assam, by Satyanand pathak), Purvottar Maithil samaj (Guwahati, Assam), Hilkor (Khagaria), Dachhin Mithila (Begusarai), Maithili Sandesh(Ranchi,1994),Mithila Samad (Daily Newspaper,Kolkata, 31st Aug 2008 to till date).
The list of books are written by santosh Kr. Mishra is as follow:
1. Udas Mon
2. Aena (the mirror)
3. Posput (the adopted son) Devanagari & mithilakshar script
4. Ena Kiya (why so?) in Devanagari & mithilakshar script
Some important writers of this era are:
Kavishwar Chanda Jha was famous as "Kavichandra", he wrote Ramayan in Maithili (Mithila bhasha Ramayan), Geeti Sudha, Maheshvani Samgraha,Chandra Padavali,Laxmishwar Vilas,Ahilya Charit and he translated from Samskrit into Maithili the Purush ParikSha of Vidyapati. Mahakavi Laldas wrote Rameshwar Charit Ramayan, strishiksha,savitri satyavan, chandi charit and virudavali.
Some other modern Maithili writers and their works are: Dhirendra (Bhorukba, Kado Aa Koila), Sudhansu Sekhar Chaudhary (Tarpatta upper Patta, E Bataha Sansar), Somadeva (Hotel Anarkali/Chano Dai), Manipadma (Vidyapati, Ardhanariswara, Raja Salhesa, Lorika Vijaya, Naika-Banjara, winner of Akademy award, Dulara Dayal, Kobra Girl, Kanki, Analapatha), Prabhas Kumar Choudhary (Abhispta/ Yugapurusha/ Hamara Lag Rahab), Jivakant (Du Kuhesa Ka Bat, Panipata, Aginaban, Piar Gulab Chhal, Nahi, Katahu Nahi), Ramanand Renu (Dudh-Phool
) , Lalit (Prithviputra), Raj Kamal (Andolana), Mayanand Mishra (Khota Aa Chirai), Shashikant (Girahkatta, Akasadeepa), Trilokanath Mishra (Ranjana), Bindeshwar Mandal (Bat Ka Bhent, Jindagi Ka Genth), Gangesa Gunjan (Appana Loka), Gauri Mishra (Chingi), Laliteshwar Mallik (Dain), Gajendra Thakur (Sahasrabadhani, Sahasrashirsha, Sahasrabdik Chaupar Par, Tvanchahanch, Asanjati Man,Sankarshan), Jagdish Prasad Mandal (Gamak Jingi), Kalikant Jha Buch (Kalanidhi), RasBihari Lal das (Sumati), Nachiketa (No etrt :maa pravish, pratyavartan), Bechan Thakur (Betik Apman aa Chhinardevi), Umesh Mandal (Nistuki), Shankardeo Jha (Sandhi samas), Ravi Bhushan Pathak (Rehearshal), Shiv Kumar Jha (Anshu, Kshanprabha), Prity Thakur (Gonu Jha aa aan Maithili Chitrakatha,2008, Maithili Chitrakatha, 2009 and Mithilak Lokdevta, 2010), Devanshu Vatsha (Natasha, 2009), Subhash Chandra Yadava (Ghardekhia, Banait-Bigrait), Kedarnath Chaudhary (Chamelirani), Dhoomketu (Mor par), Saketanand (Sarvashvant),Vibha Rani (Bhagrau aa Balchanda), Taranand viyogi (Tumi chir sarathi, Karmdharay, Pralaya Rahasya), Narendra Jha (Vikas o Arthatantra), Panna Jha (Anubhuti), Vinit Utpal (Ham Puchhait Chhi), Jyoti Sunit Chaudhary (Archis), Nagendra Kumar (Sasarphani), Prabodh Narayan Singh (Hathik daant), Gopalji Jha Gopesh (Makhanak paat, Gumma Bhel tharh chhi), DeoShankar navin (Aadhunik Sahityak Paridrishya),Satyanand Pathak (Hamar Gaam), Madaneshwar Mishra (Ek Chhalih Maharani), Brikhesh Chandra Lal (Malha) .
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 South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
,parts of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and South-east 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...
. The cultural and linguistic centers of Maithili in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
are the districts of Madhubani, Supaul
Supaul
Supaul is a town and a municipality that is headquarters of Supaul district in the Indian state of Bihar. Not far from this place is the Indian border connecting Nepal. The Supaul Town is the administrative headquarters of this district....
, Araria
Araria
Araria is a town and a municipality that is headquarters of Araria district in the state of Bihar, India.-Geography:Araria is located at . It has an average elevation of 47 metres . Araria is situated at the northern part of Purnia and Madhepura in Bihar...
, Darbhanga
Darbhanga
Darbhangā is a twin city and a municipal corporation and the capital city of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India. It is one of the most important districts of North Bihar situated in the very heart of Mithilanchal. According to the latest 2011 census, the...
, Sitamarhi
Sitamarhi
Sitamarhi is a town and the district headquarters of Sitamarhi district, Bihar, India.-History:The name Sitamarhi, derives from "Sitamahi", meaning "hermitage of Sita". It is the mythological birthplace of Sita, and the spiritual centre of many sages and saints.This district is often bereaved by...
, Saharsa
Saharsa
Saharsa is a city and a municipality in the Saharsa district in the Indian state of Bihar in north India, east of the Kosi River. It is the administrative headquarters of the Saharsa District, and is in the Kosi Division. Sahrasa is also the name of the Parliamentary constituency, which contains...
, Begusarai
Begusarai
Begusarai is a city and a municipal council in Begusarai district in the state of Bihar, India. Begusarai had traditionally been a communist stronghold and it was earlier also referred to as the Leningrad of Bihar.- Recent history :...
, Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur Town is a town in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division....
, Sheohar
Sheohar
Sheohar is headquarters of Sheohar district.-Geography:Sheohar is located at coor 26.52N, 85.3E. It has an average elevation of 53 metres .The district contains five blocks: Piprahi, Purnahiya, Sheohar, Taryani and Dumri Katsari....
, Samastipur
Samastipur
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:...
, and Vaishali
Vaishali
Vaishali may refer to:* Vaishali , an ancient city located in current Vaishali District, Bihar, India* Vaishali district, a district in Bihar, India* Vaishali , a Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, India...
. Maithili is also spoken in the Terai
Terai
The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...
region 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...
, mainly in Narayani Zone
Narayani Zone
- Geography :Narayani contains parts of the Terai, Inner Terai, and Hill regions of Nepal, but it does not contain any of the Mountain or Himalayan region. Narayani is rich in flora and fauna...
, Janakpur Zone
Janakpur Zone
Janakpur Zone The headquarters of Janakpur zone and its main city is Janakpur. Close to the Indian border, it is a historic city of Hinduism. The city was believed to be the capital city of the King Janak, the father in law of Lord Rama, the son of the then King of Ayodhya, Dasharatha. The city...
, Koshi Zone, and Sagarmatha Zone
Sagarmatha Zone
Sagarmāthā zone in the north, hill districts in the center, and valley districts of the Terai in the south. The borders of this zone are China to the north, India to the south, the Koshi Zone to the east and the Janakpur Zone to the west....
of Nepal.
It is the second largest spoken language of Nepal (around 12%).
Linguists have classified Maithili as one of the Indo-Aryan languages. It is an offshoot of the Indo-Aryan languages
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
, which is a branch of the Indo-European languages
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
. Early Indo-Aryan languages
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
(2500 BC to 500 BC) developed from Vedic Samskrit to Laukik Samskrit. Middle Indo-Aryan Languages (500 BC to 1000 AD) developed from Pali (early Prakrit, 500 BC to 100 BC) to Prakrit (middle Prakrit, 100 BC to 500 AD), Apbhramsha (neo Prakrit, 500 AD to 900 AD) and Avhattha (neo regional Prakrit, 900 AD to 1100 AD). From neo Magadhi Prakrit and its Variant Maithil Avahattha came Maithili Language (1000 AD). It is in the category of Modern Indo-Aryan Language (1000 AD to till date). Linguists
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
consider Maithili to be an Eastern Indic language.
According to the 2001 census in India, 12,179,122 people speak Maithili. Maithili has 35 million (2000) native speakers in the world. In 2003, Maithili was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which allows the language to be used in education, government, and other official contexts. Maithili has a rich literary and cultural heritage.
The first grammar of Maithili was written in the year 1880–81. A. F. Rudolf Hoernle published a Grammar of the Eastern Hindi from London in 1880 and compared with the other Gaudian Languages. In this Grammar, Dr. Hoernle recognized Maithili as a dialect distinct from Hindi. He was able to give some specimens of its grammatical forms, but no published materials were then available. The mis-classification by early linguists led to language politics in respect of Maithili.Beames (1872/reprint 1966: 84-85) considered Maithili as a dialect of Bengali. Grierson, however, adopted the notional term "Bihari" language for the language used in Bihar; it has since been shown to be a misnomer for Maithili.
Maithili is derived from Avahattha, the Maithil Apabhramsha, which is derived from Magadhi Apbhramsha.
Maithili was traditionally written in the Maithili script (also known by the names Tirhuta ,i.e., Mithilakshar
Mithilakshar
Tirhuta or Mithilakshar is the script traditionally used for the Maithili language, an Indo-European language spoken in the Indian state of Bihar, Jharkhand, parts of West Bengal and eastern Nepal...
) and Kaithi
Kaithi
Kaithi , also called "Kayathi" or "Kayasthi", is the name of a historical script used widely in parts of North India, primarily in the former North-Western Provinces, Oudh and Bihar...
script. The ISO of Unicode Technical Committee has approved the encoding of Kaithi
Kaithi
Kaithi , also called "Kayathi" or "Kayasthi", is the name of a historical script used widely in parts of North India, primarily in the former North-Western Provinces, Oudh and Bihar...
and Tirhuta scripts. Nowadays, Devanagari script is most commonly used. An effort is underway to preserve the Maithili script and to develop it for use in digital media by encoding the script in the Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
standard, for which proposals have been submitted by Sh. Anshuman Pandey (now it has been approved by the ISO, the Unicode Technical Committee).
The term Maithili comes from 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...
, which was an independent state in ancient times. Mithila is important in Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
, since it is regarded as the birth place of Goddess Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
, the daughter of King Janak of Mithila, who eventually gets married to Lord Rama.
The most famous literary figure in Maithili is poet Vidyapati
Vidyapati
Vidyapati Thakur , also known by the sobriquet Maithil Kavi Kokil was a Maithili poet and a Sanskrit writer. He was born in the village of Bishphi in Madhubani district of Bihar state, India. He was son of Ganapati...
(1350-1450), who wrote his poems in the language of the people, i.e. Maithili, at a time when state's official language used to be Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Sanskrit was still being used as a literary language. The use of Maithili,instead of Sanskrit, in literature became more common after Vidyapati.
History
The name MaithiliMaithili
Maithili may refer to:* Maithili language, a language spoken in the eastern part of India and south - eastern part of Nepal and it is a second national language of Nepal. It belongs to the ancient Kingdom Mithila....
is derived from the word 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...
, an ancient kingdom of which King Janaka
Janaka
Janaka or Raja Janaka were the kings of Videha Kingdom. Their capital was Mithila, which is believed to be present day Janakpur, Nepal...
was the ruler (See 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...
). Maithili is also one of the names of Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
, the wife of King Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
and daughter of King Janaka
Janaka
Janaka or Raja Janaka were the kings of Videha Kingdom. Their capital was Mithila, which is believed to be present day Janakpur, Nepal...
. Scholars in Mithila used Sanskrit for their literary work and Maithili was the language of the common folk (Abahatta
Abahatta
Abahatta, from Prakrit abasatta and ultimately from Sanskrit apaśabda "meaningless sound", is a stage in the evolution of the Eastern group of Indo-Aryan languages such as Bangla, Maithili, Oriya. It is also called Apabhramsa Avahatta, Apabhramsha Abahatta or Purvi Apabhramsa. Abahatta is...
). The earliest work in Maithili appears to be Varna(n) Ratnakar by Jyotirishwar Thakur
Jyotirishwar Thakur
Jyotirishwar Thakur or ' was a Sanskrit poet and an early Maithili writer, known for the , his encyclopedic work in Maithili.-Life:...
dated about 1324.
With the fall of Pala
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...
rule, disappearance of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
,establishment of karnāta kings and patronage of Maithili under Harasimhadeva (1226–1324) of karnāta dynasty, Jyotirisvara Thakur (1280–1340) wrote a unique work Varnaratnākara in pure Maithili prose, the earliest specimen of prose available in any Modern Indo-Aryan language.
In 1324, Ghyasuddin Tughluq, the emperor of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
invaded Mithila, defeated Harasimhadeva , entrusted Mithila to his family Priest Kameshvar Jha, a Maithil Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
of the Oinvar family but disturbed era did not produce any literature in Maithili until Vidyapati Thakur (1360 to 1450), who was an epoch making poet under the patronage of king Shiva Simha and his queen Lakhima Devi. He produced over a thousand immortal songs in Maithili on the theme of erotic sports of Radha and Krishna and the domestic life of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
as well as on the subject of suffering of migrant labourers of Morang and their families; besides he wrote a number of treaties in Sanskrit on various subjects. His love-songs spread far and wide in no time and enchanted saints, poets and youth in general. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw divine light of love behind these songs, and soon these songs became themes of Vaisnava sect of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
, out of curiosity, imitated these songs under the pseudonym Bhanusimha. Vidyapati influenced the religious literature of Asama, Banga and Utkala.
After the invasion of Mithila by the Sultan of Johnpur, Delhi, and the disappearance of Shivasimha in 1429, Onibar rule grew weaker and the literary activity shifted to present Nepal.
The earliest reference to Maithili or Tirhutiya is in Amaduzzi's preface to Beligatti's Alphabetum Brammhanicum, published in 1771. This contains a list of Indian languages amongst which is 'Tourutiana.' Colebrooke's essay on the Sanskrit and Prakrit languages, written in 1801, was the first to describe Maithili as a distinct dialect.
U
Many devotional songs were written by vaisnava saints, including in the mid-17th century, Vidyapati and Govindadas. mapati Upadhyaya wrote a drama entitled pārijātaharaṇa in Maithili. A number of professional troupes, mostly from dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
classes known as Kirtanias, the singers of bhajan or devotional songs, started to perform this drama in public gatherings and the courts of the nobles.
Lochana (Circa. 1575-1660) wrote Rāgatarangni, a significant treatise on the science of music, describing the rāgas, tālas and lyrics prevalent in Mithila.
The Malla dynasty
Malla (Nepal)
The Malla Dynasty was a ruling dynasty of Nepal from the 12th to the 18th century. Malla kings of Nepal visited Lumbini in the 11th and 12th century. It was during their reign the people living in and around the Kathmandu Valley began to be called as "Newars" . The Mallas were the ruling clan of...
's mother tongue was Maithili, which spread far and wide throughout Nepal from the 16th to the 17th century. During this period, at least 70 Maithili dramas were produced. In the drama Harishchandranrityam by Siddhinarayanadeva (1620–57), some characters speak pure colloquial Maithili, while others speak Bangla, Sanskrit or Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
. The Nepal tradition may be linked with the Ankiya Nāta in Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
and Jatra in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
.
After the demise of Maheshwar Singh, the ruler of Darbhanga Raj, in 1860, the Raj was taken over by the British Government as regent. The return of the Darbhanga Raj to his successor, Maharaj Lakshmishvar Singh, in 1898. But these happenings has nothing to do with the use of Maithili Language, as the Zamindari Raj has lackadaisical approach towards Maithili Language. The use of Maithili language was revived, however, through personal efforts of MM Parameshvar Mishra, Chanda Jha, Munshi Raghunandan Das and others.
Publication of Maithil Hita Sadhana (1905), Mithila Moda (1906), and Mithila Mihir (1908), further encouraged writers. The first social organization, Maithil Mahasabha was established in 1910 for the development of Mithila and Maithili, but it blocked its membership for people outside from the Maithil Brahmin and Karna Kayastha castes. Maithil Mahasabha campaigned for the official recognition of Maithili as a regional language. Calcutta University recognized Maithili in 1917, and other universities followed suit.
In 1965, Maithili was officially accepted by Sahitya Academy, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Indian literature.
In 2003 Maithili was recognized on the VIII schedule of the Indian Constitution as a major Indian language; Maithili is now one of the 22 national languages of India.
The first maithili poem book in mithilakshar (maithili) script published by Santosh Kumar Mishra from Nepal
Literature
The main characteristics of Magadhi Prakrit is to corrupt ‘r’ into ‘s’, the ‘n’ for n, of ‘j’ for ‘y’, of ‘b’ for ‘y’ In the edicts of Ashoka the change of ‘r’ to ‘h’ is established. Mahavir and Buddha delivered their sermons in the eastern languages.The secular use of language came mainly from the east as will be evident from the Prakritpainglam, a comprehensive work on Prakrit and Apabhramsa-Avahatta poetry. Jyotirishwar mentions Lorika. Vachaspati II in his Tattvachintamani and Vidyapati in his Danavakyavali have profusely used typical Maithili words of daily use. The Maithili script, Mithilakshara or Tirhuta as it is popularly known, is of a great antiquity.. The Lalitavistara mentions the Vaidehi script. Early in the latter half of the seventh century A. D., we find a marked change in the north-eastern alphabet and the inscriptions of Adityasena exhibit this change for the first time and hence forward the eastern variety develops by itself and becomes the Maithili script—a script which ultimately comes into use in Assam, Bengal and Nepal.The earliest recorded epigraphic evidence of the script is to be found in the Mandar Hill Stone inscriptions of Adityasena (c. 7th century A. D.), now fixed in the Baidyanath temple, Deoghar.The Kamrupa dialect was originally a variety of eastern Maithili and it was, no doubt, the spoken Aryan language throughout the kingdom which then included the whole of Assam valley and whole of North Bengal with the addition of the district of Purnea. The language of the Buddhist Dohas is described as belonging to the mixed Maithili—Kamrupi language.
Early Maithili Literature (C. 700-1350 A.D.)-The period was of ballads, songs, and dohas. Some important Maithili writers of of this era were:
- Sarahapad (700 AD-780 AD)
- Jyotirishwar ThakurJyotirishwar ThakurJyotirishwar Thakur or ' was a Sanskrit poet and an early Maithili writer, known for the , his encyclopedic work in Maithili.-Life:...
(1290 to 1350) whose 'Varnartnakar' is a the first prose and encyclopedia in any north Indian language; - Umapati
- Shankaradatta
Middle Maithili Literature (C. 1350-1830 A.D.)-The period was of theatrical writings. Some important Maithili writers of of this era were:
- VidyapatiVidyapatiVidyapati Thakur , also known by the sobriquet Maithil Kavi Kokil was a Maithili poet and a Sanskrit writer. He was born in the village of Bishphi in Madhubani district of Bihar state, India. He was son of Ganapati...
(1350 to 1450) - Srimanta SankardevaSrimanta SankardevaMahapurusha Srimanta Shankardeva , was the greatest Assamese saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer and a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India...
(1449 to 1568) - Govindadas
- Vishnupuri
- Kamsanarayan
- Mahesh Thakur
- Karn Jayanand
- Kanharamadas
- Nandipati
- Lalkavi
- Manabodha
- Sahebramadas
- Buddhilal
- Ratnapani
Modern Maithili Literature (1830 A.D. to date)-
Modern Maithili came into its own after Sir George Abraham Grierson
George Abraham Grierson
Sir George Abraham Grierson OM KCIE was born to a prominent Dublin family in 1851. His father and grandfather, both also named George, were well-known printers and publishers.-Biography:Educated at St...
, an Irish linguist and civil servant, tirelessly researched Maithili folklore and transcribed its grammar. Paul R. Brass wrote that "Grierson judged that Maithili and its dialects could fairly be characterized as the language of the entire population of Darbhanga
Darbhanga District
Darbhanga district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in eastern India, and Darbhanga town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Darbhanga district is a part of Darbhanga Division...
and Bhagalpur district
Bhagalpur District
Bhagalpur district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Bhagalpur town is the administrative headquarters of this district.-Geography:...
s and of a majority or a significant minority of the populations of Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur Town is a town in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division....
, Monghyer, Purnia
Purnia
Purnia is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Purnia district of the Indian state of Bihar. It is located 400 km from Patna.The Indian army, Border Security Force ,and the SSB and the have bases around the city...
and Santhal Parganas." In April 2010 a translation of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into Maithili was published by the Bible Society of India
Bible Society of India
The Bible Society of India is a Christian body that is authorized to translate, produce, distribute and market the Holy Bible. The Central Office of the BSI is located in Bangalore city in the state of Karnataka in South India.-Auxiliaries:...
under joint copyright with Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators is an interdenominational organization mandated to making a translation of the Bible in every living language in the world, especially for cultures with little existing Christian influence. Wycliffe was founded in 1942 by William Cameron Townsend and is associated with...
.
The development of Maithili in modern era was due to various magazines and journals. Some notable journals, which led to the resurgence in modern writing, are Maithil Hit Sadhana (Jaipur,1905), Mithila Moda (Varanasi, 1905), Mithila Mihir (Darbhanga and Patna—), ShriMaithili (Laheriasarai—), Mithila (Laheriasarai—), Maithila Bandhu (Ajmer—), Bharati (Laheriasarai—), Bibhuti (Muzaffarpur—) Sahitya Patra (Darbhanga—)Vaidehi (Kasi-) (Sitamarhi—)(Darbhanga—), Satyasandesha (Kasi—), Swadesha(Darbhanga—), Maithila Jyoti (Patna—), Mithilascvaka (Calcutta—), Mithila Darshan (again Maithili Darsana and now again Mithila Darshan) (Calcutta—), Chaupadi (Patna—), Mithila (Darbhanga—), Pallava (Nehra), Abhivyanjana (Patna,Saharsa), Dainik Swadesha (Darbhanga), Sanjiwani (Laheriasarai), Akhar (Calcutta), Mithilabani (Darbhanga—), Mithila Mitra (Sultanganj), Tatka (Jamshedpur), Batuk (Allahabad), Dhiyaputa (Lohna), Sishu (Darbhanga), Ijot (Darbhanga), Janak (Darbhanga)Nirman (Laheriasarai) Matribani (Tharhi)Matribani (Darbhanga)Nutan Vishwa (Laheriasarai), Maithili Samachar (Allahabad), Mithila Amar(Aligarh), Mithila Doot (Kanpur), Mithili Alok (Ferozabad), Sonamatl (Patna), Swadeshvani (Deoghar), Anama (Patna), Sannipata (Patna), Maithili (Biratnagar), Foolpat (Kathmandu), Agnipatra (Calcutta), Maithili Prakash (Calcutta), Mithila Bharati (Patna), Apan Desha (Laheriasarai), Mithila Bhumi (Latheriasari), Mithila Times (Darbhanga), Changur (Saharsa), Sakti Bhumi Maithili Kavita (Calcutta), Ego Rahathi Raja Lai Dhuan (Shivanagar), Bhumhar (Laheriasarai), Shikha (Calcutta), Mahur Darbhanga), LokemanchFarak (Patna), Karnamrit (Calcutta), Desil Bayana (Calcutta), Desh kosh (Calcutta), Aarumbha (Patna), Matipani (Patna), Videha ejournal, Videha-Sadeha (Delhi), Antika (Ghaziabad), Mithila srijan (Madhubani), Samay saal (Patna), Ghar Bahar (Patna), Vidyapati Times (Darbhanga), Gamghar (Janakpur), Purvottar Maithil (Guwahati, Assam, by Satyanand pathak), Purvottar Maithil samaj (Guwahati, Assam), Hilkor (Khagaria), Dachhin Mithila (Begusarai), Maithili Sandesh(Ranchi,1994),Mithila Samad (Daily Newspaper,Kolkata, 31st Aug 2008 to till date).
The list of books are written by santosh Kr. Mishra is as follow:
1. Udas Mon
2. Aena (the mirror)
3. Posput (the adopted son) Devanagari & mithilakshar script
4. Ena Kiya (why so?) in Devanagari & mithilakshar script
Some important writers of this era are:
- Chanda Jha (1831–1907)
- Lal Das (1856–1921)
- MM Parmeshwar Jha (1856–1924)
- Munshi Raghunandan Das (1860–1945)
- Rasbihari Lal Das (1872–1940)
- Dinbandhu Jha (1878–1955)
- Pt. Ramji Chaudhary (1878–1952)
- Acharya Ramlochan SaranAcharya Ramlochan SaranAcharya Ramlochan Saran was a Hindi littérateur, grammarian and publisher. He founded the Pustak Bhandar in Laheriasarai and Patna in 1915, which made the little known place like Laheriasarai prominent in Indian publishing...
(1889–1971) - Sitaram Jha (1891–1975)
- Badrinath Jha (1893–1973)
- Babu Dhanushdhari Lal Das (1895–1965)
- Bhola Lal Das (1897–1977)
- Kumar Ganganand Singh (1898–1971)
- Damodar Lal Das Visharad (1904–1981)
- Babuaji Jha "Agyat" (1904–1996)
- Ramanath Jha (1906–1971)
- Kashikant Mishra "Madhup" (1906–1987)
- Kanchinath Jha 'Kiran'(1906–1988)
- Isnath Jha(1907–1965)
- Bhuvneshwar Singh "Bhuwan"(1907–1944)
- Hari Mohan Jha (1908–1984) published the collection Khattar kakaKhattar kakaKhattar Kaka ke Tarang is a collection of short stories written by Late Professor Hari Mohan Jha. These stories were originally published in Maithili periodical called Mithila Mihir...
- Subhadra Jha(1909–2000)
- Snehlata(1909–1993)
- Tantranath Jha(1909–1984)
- Surendra Jha 'Suman' (1910–2002) represented Maithili in the Sahitya Akademi
- Baidyanath Mishra 'Yatri' (June 30, 1911 – November 4, 1998) wrote Hindi as Nagarjun, was conferred Sahitya Akademi, Delhi Fellowship (India's top literary honour) as a Hindi and Maithili Poet in 1994
- Arsi Prasad Singh(1911–1996)
- Vaidyanath Mallik "Vidhu"(1912–1987)
- Upendra Thakur "Mohan(1913-1980)
- Ramcharitra Pandey "Anu"(1917–2010)
- Upendra Nath Jha "Vyas" (1917–2002), an engineer by profession, "Doo Patra", his most famous work, exhibited the goods and the evils of the Maithili society.
- Manmohan Jha(1918–2009)
- Brajkishor Varma "Manipadm"(1918–1986)
- Budhidhari Singh "Ramakar"(1919–1991)
- Radha Krishna ChoudharyRadha Krishna ChoudharyProfessor Radha Krishna Choudhary was a historian, thinker and writer of Bihar. He has contributed to the historical and archaeological studies of Bihar as well as to Maithili literature. He published numerous original researches on the history of Bihar and was acclaimed as a researcher...
(1921–1985) - Sudhanshu Shekhar Chaudhari (1922–1990)
- Jaykant Mishra (20.12.1922 – 3.2.2009) represented Maithili in the Sahitya Akademi
- Chandrabhanu Singh (1922- )
- Govind Jha (1923- )
- Yoganand Jha(1923–1986)
- Ramkrishna Jha "Kishun"(1923–1970)
- Umanath Jha(1923–2009)
- Prabodh Narayan Singh(1924–2005)
- Anima Singh (1924- )
- Jayamant MishraJayamant MishraDr. Jaymant Mishra was a renowned Sanskrit scholar of India. He was also a well-known Maithili poet. He had been awarded several prestigious honors including "Mahamahopadhyaya", President Award, "Kalidas Samman" and Vanabhatta award. He was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award in 1995...
(15.10.1925 – 7.9.2010) - Chandranath Mishra "Amar" (1925- ) was conferred Sahitya Akademi, Delhi's Fellowship (India's top literary honour) as a Maithili writer in 2010
- Anant Bihari Lal das "Indu"(1928–2010)
- Rajkamal ChaudharyRajkamal ChaudharyRajkamal Chaudhary , was an Indian poet, short story writer, novelist, critic and thinker in Hindi, Maithili and Bangla languages. He was known as "a bold leader of new poetry" and writer who "stands out differently" from most other experimentalists.-Biography:Raj Kamal was born at Mahishi village...
(1929–1967) - Durganath Jha "Sreesh(1929- )
- Shailendra Mohan Jha(1929-1994)
- Gopaljee Jha "Gopesh" (1931–2008)
- Lalit(1932–1983)
- Dhoomketu(1932–2000)
- Lili Rey(1933- )
- Kalikant Jha "Buch" (1934–2009)
- Rajmohan Jha(1934- )
- Dr. Dhirendra(1934–2004)
- Mayanand Mishra(1934- )
- Somdev(1934- )
- Ramanand Renu(1934- )
- Rambhadra(1935- )
- Kedarnath Chaudhary(1936- )
- Jeevkant(1936- )
- Pt. Tarakant Jha
- Shri Tarakant Jha - Editor "Mithila Samad"
- Balram(1936–2008)
- Ramdev Jha(1936- )
- Binod Bihari VermaBinod Bihari VermaBinod Bihari Verma was a Maithili littérateur by soul, medical doctor by profession and a defence officer by career. He is most noted for his pioneering work on Panjis, which are ancient genealogical charts, Maithili Karna Kayasthak Panjik Sarvekshan. He is also known for his depiction of rural...
(1937–2003) - Birendra Mallik (1937- )
- Kirtinarayan Mishra (1937- )
- Praphulla Kumar Singh "Maun"(1938- )
- Kulanand Mishra(1940–2000)
- Bilat Paswan "Vihangam"(1940- )
- Fazlur Rahman "Hashmi"(1940- )
- Saketanand (1940- )
- Prabhas Kumar Chaudhary(1941–1998), was conferred Sahitya Akademi Award in 1990 (Prabhasak Katha-Maithili)
- Gangesh Gunjan (1942- )
- Premshankar Singh (1942- )
- Markandey Pravasi(1942–2010)
- Dr.Devendra Jha (1943- )
- Dr Bina Thakur
- Dr.Raman Jha- (1957- )
- Shanti Suman (1942- )
- Upendra Doshi(1943–2001)
- Uday Chandra Jha "Vinod"(1943- )
- Revati Raman Lal (1943- )
- Mohan Bhardvaj (1943- )
- Shefalika Varma (1943- )
- Mantreshwar Jha (1944- )
- Bhimnath Jha (1945- )
- Prabhavati Jha(1945–1999)
- Ilarani Singh(1945–1993)
- Ushakiran Khan (1945- )
- Nirja Renu (1945- )
- Mahendra Malangia (1946- )
- Veena Karn (1946- )
- Mahaprakash (1946- )
- Jagdish Prasad Mandal (1947 – )
- Subhash Chandra Yadav(1948- )
- Siyaram Jha Saras (1948- )
- Agnipushp (1948- )
- Ramanand Jha "Raman"(1949- )
- Ramlochan Thakur(1949- )
- Vidyanath Jha "Vidit"
- Naresh Kumar Vikal (1950- )
- Harekrishna Jha (1950- )
- Sukant Som (1950- )
- Udaya Narayana singh "Nachiketa"(1951- )
- Rambharos Kapari Bhramar (1951- )
- Kunal (1951- )
- Dr. Chandramani Jha (1952- )
- Shailendra Kumar Jha (1952- )
- Shivshankar Sriniwas (1953- )
- Ashok (1953- )
- Vibhuti Anand (1953- )
- Kamla Chaudhary (1953- )
- Laxman Jha Sagar (1953- )
- Arvind Thakur (1954- )
- Shyam Darihare (1954- )
- Yoganand Jha (1955- )
- Narayanji (1956- )
- Kumar Pawan (1958- )
- Maneshwar Manuj (1958- )
- Vibha Rani (1959- )
- Kedar Kanan (1959- )
- Ramesh (1961- )
- Meghan Prasad (1961- )
- Satyanand pathak (1961- )
- Susmita Pathak (1962- )
- Devshankar Navin (1962- )
- Jyotsna Chandram (1963- )
- Pradip Bihari (1963- )
- Vidyanand Jha (1965- )
- Taranand Viyogi (1966- )
- Ramesh Ranjan (1966- )
- Dhirendra Premarshi (1967- )
- Sunil Kumar Mallick (1968- )
- Krishna Mohan Jha (1968- )
- Analkant (1969- )
- Daman Kumar Jha (1969- )
- Anmol Jha (1970- )
- Gajendra ThakurGajendra ThakurGajendra Thakur is an Indian author. He writes in the Maithili language, a language spoken in Northern Bihar and South-Western Nepal...
(1971 – ) - Munnaji (1971- )
- Dayakant (1972 - )
- Shiv Kumar Jha(1973- )
- Sri Dharam (1974- )
- Anand Kumar Jha (1977- )
- Vinit Utpal(1978-
- Santosh Kumar Mishra (1980-)
- Umesh Mandal(1980- )
- Amarendra Yadav
- Shankardeo Jha
- Roshan Janakpuri
- Rajdeo Mandal
- Bechan Thakur
- Prity Thakur
- Ashish Anchinhar
- Rupesh Kumar Jha 'Teoth'
- Durganand Mandal
- Rabi Bhushan Pathak
- Jyoti Sunit Chaudhary
- Sumit Anand- (1992- )
Kavishwar Chanda Jha was famous as "Kavichandra", he wrote Ramayan in Maithili (Mithila bhasha Ramayan), Geeti Sudha, Maheshvani Samgraha,Chandra Padavali,Laxmishwar Vilas,Ahilya Charit and he translated from Samskrit into Maithili the Purush ParikSha of Vidyapati. Mahakavi Laldas wrote Rameshwar Charit Ramayan, strishiksha,savitri satyavan, chandi charit and virudavali.
Some other modern Maithili writers and their works are: Dhirendra (Bhorukba, Kado Aa Koila), Sudhansu Sekhar Chaudhary (Tarpatta upper Patta, E Bataha Sansar), Somadeva (Hotel Anarkali/Chano Dai), Manipadma (Vidyapati, Ardhanariswara, Raja Salhesa, Lorika Vijaya, Naika-Banjara, winner of Akademy award, Dulara Dayal, Kobra Girl, Kanki, Analapatha), Prabhas Kumar Choudhary (Abhispta/ Yugapurusha/ Hamara Lag Rahab), Jivakant (Du Kuhesa Ka Bat, Panipata, Aginaban, Piar Gulab Chhal, Nahi, Katahu Nahi), Ramanand Renu (Dudh-Phool
) , Lalit (Prithviputra), Raj Kamal (Andolana), Mayanand Mishra (Khota Aa Chirai), Shashikant (Girahkatta, Akasadeepa), Trilokanath Mishra (Ranjana), Bindeshwar Mandal (Bat Ka Bhent, Jindagi Ka Genth), Gangesa Gunjan (Appana Loka), Gauri Mishra (Chingi), Laliteshwar Mallik (Dain), Gajendra Thakur (Sahasrabadhani, Sahasrashirsha, Sahasrabdik Chaupar Par, Tvanchahanch, Asanjati Man,Sankarshan), Jagdish Prasad Mandal (Gamak Jingi), Kalikant Jha Buch (Kalanidhi), RasBihari Lal das (Sumati), Nachiketa (No etrt :maa pravish, pratyavartan), Bechan Thakur (Betik Apman aa Chhinardevi), Umesh Mandal (Nistuki), Shankardeo Jha (Sandhi samas), Ravi Bhushan Pathak (Rehearshal), Shiv Kumar Jha (Anshu, Kshanprabha), Prity Thakur (Gonu Jha aa aan Maithili Chitrakatha,2008, Maithili Chitrakatha, 2009 and Mithilak Lokdevta, 2010), Devanshu Vatsha (Natasha, 2009), Subhash Chandra Yadava (Ghardekhia, Banait-Bigrait), Kedarnath Chaudhary (Chamelirani), Dhoomketu (Mor par), Saketanand (Sarvashvant),Vibha Rani (Bhagrau aa Balchanda), Taranand viyogi (Tumi chir sarathi, Karmdharay, Pralaya Rahasya), Narendra Jha (Vikas o Arthatantra), Panna Jha (Anubhuti), Vinit Utpal (Ham Puchhait Chhi), Jyoti Sunit Chaudhary (Archis), Nagendra Kumar (Sasarphani), Prabodh Narayan Singh (Hathik daant), Gopalji Jha Gopesh (Makhanak paat, Gumma Bhel tharh chhi), DeoShankar navin (Aadhunik Sahityak Paridrishya),Satyanand Pathak (Hamar Gaam), Madaneshwar Mishra (Ek Chhalih Maharani), Brikhesh Chandra Lal (Malha) .
See also
- MithilaksharMithilaksharTirhuta or Mithilakshar is the script traditionally used for the Maithili language, an Indo-European language spoken in the Indian state of Bihar, Jharkhand, parts of West Bengal and eastern Nepal...
- Languages of IndiaLanguages of IndiaThe languages of India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-European languages—Indo-Aryan and the Dravidian languages...
- Languages with official status in India
- List of Indian languages by total speakers
- Languages of NepalLanguages of NepalThere are some 120 native languages of Nepal, belonging to the Indo-Aryan, Sino-Tibetan, Austro-Asiatic and Dravidian language families.The official language of Nepal is Nepali , formerly called Khaskura then Gorkhali. The 2001 census counted 11 million native speakers in Nepal and it is spoken as...
External links
- http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mai Ethnologue: Maithili]
- Maithili at the Rosetta Project
- National Translation Mission's (NTM) Maithili Pages
- The Linguist List: The Maithili Language
- Videha Ist Maithili ejournal -ISSN 2229-547X
- Maithili Books