मिथिला
The Ancient Land of Sita, Vidyapati & Madhubani Art
Mithila is one of India's oldest civilisations — a region spanning northern Bihar and Nepal's Terai, home to 50 million Maithil-speaking people, a 3,000-year literary tradition, and art forms that decorate the walls of UNESCO conferences.
What is Mithila?
मिथिला की पहचान
Mithila is the ancient cultural and geographical region in the eastern Gangetic plains — stretching from the Gandak River in the west to the Koshi in the east, and from the Himalayan foothills down through Bihar to the Nepal Terai.
Its history is recorded in the Ramayana and the Upanishads. Raja Janak, the philosopher-king of the Videha kingdom, ruled from here. His daughter Sita was born in Janakpur. The poet-saint Vidyapati composed his celebrated verses here in the 14th century.
Today, Mithila is alive in its language (Maithili, spoken by 50 million people), its distinctive art style (Madhubani / Mithila painting), its festivals, its cuisine, and its warm, tradition-bound communities.
Maithili became an official scheduled language of India in 2003 (8th Schedule). Madhubani painting received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Chhath Puja has spread to every corner of the world wherever Maithil diaspora has settled.
Geography
Northern Bihar (Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, Muzzafarpur) and Nepal's Terai (Janakpur zone).
People
Maithil Brahmin, Kayastha, Yadav, Teli, Dusadh and many other communities — united by language, food and festivals.
Language
Maithili is written in Mithilakshar (Tirhuta script) and Devanagari. It is one of the oldest Indo-Aryan literary languages.
Living Culture
Every life event — birth, marriage, harvest, death — has its own set of songs, rituals and art forms passed mother to daughter.
Global Reach
Chhath Puja is now celebrated in New York, London, Singapore and Mauritius. Madhubani art hangs in international galleries and the UN headquarters.
Mithila Knowledge Graph
मिथिला के पंद्रह ज्ञान स्तंभ — 15 SEO pillars
The largest structured online resource for Mithilanchal — language, culture, tourism, temples, history, Nepal Mithila, literature, Tirhuta, education, and more.
Faces of Mithila
मिथिलाक महान विभूति
Begin Your Journey
अपन यात्रा शुरू करू — मिथिलाक संग