MITHILA
Mithila has always been regarded as a junction of folk and religious traditions. Today by Mithila we mean that region of Bihar, where Maithili is prime language. His torically, this region has been known as ‘Videh, ‘Tirhut’ etc. Initially, Videh, was the kingdom with Mithila as its capital.
Mithila was named after “Mithi” as mythological texts put it. Creating a beautiful scity earned Mithi thje epithet of ‘Janak’ (One who creates) and all the descending kinds of Mithila held the title of Janak thereafter, with most famous of them being Seerdhwaj Janak (Seeta’s father).
In many holy texts, Mithila has been described as land expanding till Kaushaki river in the east, Gandak river in the west, Ganges in the south and Himalayas in the north which has not changed much even today, especially in context of cultural vastness of Mithila. At present, Madhubani , Darbhanga, Samastipur, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, Purnia , Katihar, Kishanganj , Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Khagaria, Bhagalpur and some parts of Champaran, Begusarai, some districts of Nepal just across the border –Morang, Saptari, Nehutari, Janakpur, Sarlahi, Nainahat etc. constitute Mithila region of Bihar.
Mithila has largely been a closed region with minimal interaction with the outside world, as a result of which, it has not been subject to much of foreign intrusion and attack. However, these are strong evidences of extensive non-material c onnection between Mithila and rest of the India. This land has produced gems like Vajasney, Yajyavalkya, Janak,Gargi, Gautam, Mandan Mishra, Vachaspati Mishra, Udanacharya, Gangesh, Jakshadhar Mishra, Baccha Jha, Ganganath Jha- who enriched the soul of entire nation with many distinct pursuits, disparate conviction and a veritable feast of viewpoints. They provided the foundation on which heart and soul of Indian philosophy has been resting.
Apart from being a Hindu stronghold, this land has been home to Buddhism and Jainism (Both Gautam and Mahavir were born in extended region of Mithila) and Vaishali, where Buddhism spread its wings, was a part of ancient Mithila. Vishakha- disciple who served Buddha in shravasti- belonged to Mithila. In Vidyapati’s writings, (Vidyapati enjoys cult status in Maithili literature) - there are dissipations of Buddhist temples can be seen even today in some parts of the region.
One distinctive feature of the society in Mithila has been that intellect has always been worshipped here. People are not respected for the wealth they possess or the caste they belong to but for their intelligence, presence of mind and capability to win others over with gift of gab. This explains why Gonu Jha enjoys cult status in folk stories of Mithila. This region might be counted among one of the most under developed ones but there is hardly any trace of feudal tendencies despite of a long history of kings and landlords. Contentment has been not only a virtue – but also a way of life. Folk stories are witness to this. You might not come across the ways to earn riches but would surely learn how to be content, happy and enjoy hardships of life with elevated state of mind. The rich and engrossing folk tradition has made lives value-loaded and exemplary for others.
Almost every part of India is characterised by its own set of festivities, stories and distinctive features Mithila is no different. It’s folk culture is as rich as its religious culture, Madhushravani, sama-chakeba, Barsait, chaurchan, kojagna , Jud-sheetal are some of the important festivals. Every such festival is associated with folk story and women-as they are known for leading from the front in these matters. Madhushravani, for example is celebrated by newly wed women during a month in first, shravan’ (Hindi calendar) after their marriage stories of this festival are ways to introduce brides to nitty – gritties of family life providing practical suggestion to behave in the society and to acquaint them with sex life. What a good way to introduce a woman to a new chapter of her life!
Mithila culture takes pride on its most colorful element folk songs and most important of them are those sung during various rituals of weddings. In these songs, brides and grooms are mostly equated to Ram and Sita- mythological ideal couple. Could there be any better way to bless a couple entering matrimony- holiest bond of human relation in our society? Probably no!
Today, Globalization, modernization and capitalist forces are making their presence felt in evenly spheres of life. Mithila is no exception. Folk culture has largely been overshadowed external effects and more sadly extinct in some cases. It is the need of the hour to use our general consciousness and tools of mass communication to revive, preserve, protect and promote rich values of folk life and traditions of their great land because these are the elements which make it what it is.