History of the Mithila region

Mithila (IAST: mithilā, also known as Mithilanchal, Tirhut and Tirabhukti) is a geographical and cultural region located in the Indian subcontinent.

[2] Mithila is bounded in the north by the Himalayas, and in the south, west and east by the Ganges, Gandaki and Mahananda respectively.

[10][11][12] Tirabhukti is a Sanskrit compound word, a combination of tira ("shore") and bhukti (in the meaning of "limit").

[13] The name Tirhut is preserved in Tirhuta script of the Maithili language and Tirhut division in the Mithila region (state of Bihar), comprising six districts Muzaffarpur, West Champaran, East Champaran, Vaishali, Sitamarhi and Sheohar.

Vijayakanta Mishra, an Indian scholar, in his book "Cultural Heritage of Mithila" stated that the word Tirabhukti which is mentioned in the text of Brihada Vishnu Purana became popular during the period of 4th- th centuries AD in the Indian subcontinent to denote the Mithila region.

However, according to the Shatapatha Brahmana, a chieftain named Videgha Mathava migrated from the Saraswati Valley to Mithila during the Vedic period and established the Videha kingdom.

[16] Following the fall of the Videhas, Mithila came under the control of the Vajjika League which was a confederacy of clans the most famous of which was the Licchavi.