Madhesh Province

Map in late Vedic Period

Madhesh Province is located in the Nepalese portion of the Mithila region, a cultural and historical region now divided between Nepal and India. Mithila first gained prominence after being settled by Indo-Aryan peoples who established the Videha kingdom.[22] During the Later Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Videha became one of the major political and cultural centers of Ancient India, along with Kuru and Panchala. The kings of the Videha Kingdom were called Janakas.[23] The Videha Kingdom was later incorporated into the Vajjika League, which had its capital in the city of Vaishali, which is located in Indian Mithila.[24]

From the 11th century to the 20th century, Mithila was ruled by various indigenous dynasties. The first of these were the Karnatas, the Oiniwar Dynasty and the Khandwala Dynasty a.k.a. Raj Darbhanga. The Malla and Licchavi dynasties of Nepal were also Maithil in origin. The rulers of the Oiniwar dynasty and the Raj Darbhanga were Maithil Brahmins. During the reign of the Raj Darbhanga family, the capital of Mithila was shifted to Darbhanga.[25]

Harisimhadeva (r. 1295 to 1324 CE), the sixth descendant of Nanyadeva was ruling the Tirhut Kingdom. At the same time, the Tughlaq dynasty came to power, which ruled the Delhi sultanate and whole Northern India from 1320 to 1413 CE. In 1324 CE, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty and Delhi Sultan, Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq turned his attention towards Bengal.[26] The Tughlaq army invaded Bengal and on his way back to Delhi, The sultan heard about the Simraungarh which was flourishing inside the jungle.[27] The last king of the Karnat dynasty Harisingh Dev didn't show his strength and left the fort as he heard the news of approaching army of the Tughlaq Sultan towards the Simraungarh.[28] The Sultan and his troop stayed there for three days and cleared the dense forest. On the third day, the army attacked and entered into the huge fort whose walls was tall and surrounded by seven big ditches.[29][30]

The remains are still scattered all over the Simroungarh region. King Harisingh Deva fled northwards into the then Nepal. The son of Harisingh Dev, Jagatsingh Dev married the widow princess of Bhaktapur Nayak Devi.[31]

Until the mid 18th century, the Nepal Terai was divided into several smaller kingdoms, and the forests were little disturbed.[32] By the 16th century, the rulers of Palpa and Makwanpur controlled the mid-western Terai and extended this control to the eastern Terai by the 17th century.[33] They controlled the area of today's districts of Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusa, Mahottari and Sarlahi.[34] The rulers of Makwanpur controlled the central Terai region of present-day Madhesh Province.

Mithila Paag

The Paag is a headdress in the Mithila region of Nepal and India worn by Maithil people. It is a symbol of honour and respect and a significant part of Maithil culture. The Paag dates back to pre-historic times when it was made of plant leaves. It exists today in a modified form. The Paag is wore by the whole Maithil community. The colour of the Paag also carries a lot of significance. The red Paag is worn by the bridegroom and by those who are undergoing the sacred thread rituals. Paag of mustard colour is donned by those attending wedding ceremonies and the elders wear a white Paag.

Mithila painting featuring God Shiva-Parvati and the Mahavidyas

Madhubani art is practiced in the Mithila region. It was traditionally created by the women of different communities of the Mithila region.[40] This painting as a form of wall art was practiced widely throughout the region; the more recent development of painting on paper and canvas originated among the villages around Madhubani, and it is these latter developments that may correctly be referred to as Madhubani art.[41]

Madhubani_art

Artists create these paintings using a variety of mediums, including their own fingers, or twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks. The paint is created using natural dyes and pigments. The paintings are characterised by their eye-catching geometrical patterns.

Gujiya

Curd/Yoghurt

Machher Jhol

Ghughnee

Maithil cuisine is a part of Nepalese cuisine. It is a culinary style which originated in Mithila. Some traditional Maithil dishes are:

• Curd-flattened rice
• Vegetable of Taro
• Ghugni
• picklesmade of fruits and vegetables which are generally mixed with ingredients like salt, spices, and vegetable oils and are set to mature in a moistureless medium.
• Tarua of Coccinia grandis
• Bada
• Badee
• Yogurt
• Irhar
• Purakiya ( also known as Gujia) which is basically dumplings.
• Foxnut payas
• Anarsa
• Bagiya

Jhijhiya is a cultural dance from the Mithila region.[42]

Women_performing_Jhijhiya_dance

Jhijhiya is mostly performed at time of Dusshera, in dedication to Durga Bhairavi, the goddess of victory.[43] While performing jhijhiya, women put lanterns made of clay on their head and they balance it while they dance.[44]

Domkach is a folk dance performed in Mithila and Bhojpur regions of Madhesh Province.[45]

Jat Jatin

Jat Jatin is based on folk songs of Mithila and Tharu community which they perform from Shrawan Purnima to Bhadra Purnima. It is based on the love story of hero jat and heroine Jatin and their lives.[46]

Gauna dance

The Dance is based in Mithila Tradition and popular in Janakpur region of Nepal. This dance is performed in the religious occasions.

The Governor acts as the head of the province while the Chief Minister is the head of the provincial government. The present Governor and Chief Minister are Hari Shankar Mishra and Saroj Yadav respectively.[49][50]

The province has 107 provincial assembly constituencies and 32 House of Representative constituencies.[51]

Madhesh Province has a unicameral legislature, like all of the other provinces in Nepal. The term length of provincial assembly is five years. The Provincial Assembly of Madhesh Province is temporarily housed at the District Education Office in Janakpur.[52]

The Chief Judge of the Janakpur High Court is the head of the judiciary.[53] The acting chief justice is Binod Sharma.[54]

Madhesh Province is divided into eight districts, which are listed below. A district is administrated by the head of the District Coordination Committee and the District Administration Officer. The districts are further divided into municipalities or rural municipalities. The municipalities include one metropolitan city, three sub-metropolitan cities, and 73 municipalities. There are 59 rural municipalities in the province.[55]

Maithils are the largest ethnolinguistic group. Yadav is the largest group among the Madhesi people in the province making up around 14.80% of the population. Muslims are the second largest group making up 11.59% of the population. Teli (5.10%), Koiri/Kushwaha (4.56%), Chamar (4.22%), Dhanuk (3.49%), Musahar (3.02%), Kurmi (2.83%), Dusadh/Paswan (2.79%), Mallaah (2.26%), Maithil Brahmin (2.2%), and Karan Kayastha (1.5%) are other Madhesi pandit (8.0) groups in the province.[56]

Hill Brahmans and Chhetris are the largest Khas Arya groups in the province making up 2.34% and 1.99% of the population, respectively. Tharu (5.27%) is the largest non-Madhesi, non-Khas Arya group followed by Tamang (2.17%).[56]

Maithili including its dialect Bajjika is spoken as the mother tongue by 60.04% of the population in the province and Bhojpuri is spoken by 18.59% and of the population. Despite being the province's official language, Nepali is spoken as their mother tongue by only 6.56% of the population. Urdu (5.88%), Tharu (3.77%) and Tamang (1.94%) are other languages spoken in the province by a significant minority population.[56]

The Language Commission of Nepal has recommended Maithili, Bhojpuri and Bajjika as official language in the province. The commission has also recommended Urdu, Tharu and Tamang to be additional official languages, for specific regions and purposes in the province.[57]

Hinduism is the most followed religion in the province being followed by 84.75% of the population. Islam is the second largest religion with 11.55% of the population being Muslims and Buddhism is followed by 3.01% of the population.[56]

The only passenger train service of Nepal in Janakpur

Madhesh Province has no difficult terrains. However, it is the only province with a passenger serviceable railway line in Nepal.

The major connecting link for the province is the Mahendra Highway, which runs longitudinally across the province. All major cities of the province remain disconnected from this highway. Janakpurdham, Rajbiraj , Birgunj and Gaur lie 25,10, 24 and 42 kilometres south of the Mahendra Highway, respectively.[58] The Tribhuvan Highway does not cross as much of the province as the Mahendra Highway, but it is most important link as it connects the province to Kathmandu and to the India.[59] The starting point of Tribhuvan Highway i.e. Birgunj is the most important International Gateway and trade way for this province and entire country and hence known as "The Gateway of Nepal". In terms of revenue generation, Birgunj custom point is the largest. Birendra Highway which is connected to Mahendra highway from Headquarter of Rautahat district Gaur to the Chandranigahapur is 42 km (26 mi) in length.

• Mahendra Highway (East West Highway) - Part
• Postal Highway - Part
• Tribhuvan Highway - Part
• BP Highway - part

Janakpur Train Station is the largest Railway Station in Nepal

A few other railway projects are under progress in the Madesh province All these projects are of Nepal Railways. Government of Nepal has proposed Janakpur as a Main Station for 1024 km east–west Metro Railway project and further be extended to India and China for connecting Nepal Railways with Indian Railways and China Railway for business and tourism promotion.[60]

• Birgunj (Nepal) to Kathmandu (Nepal)
• Birgunj, Parwanipur (Nepal) to Raxaul (India)
• Birgunj (Nepal) to Kerung (China)
• Janakpur (Nepal) to Lhasa (China)
• Bardibas, Janakpur (Nepal) to Jainagar, Bihar (India)
• Janakpur (Nepal) to Kathmandu (Nepal)
• Janakpur (Nepal) to Biratnagar (Nepal)
• Janakpur (Nepal) to Birgunj (Nepal)

Domestic Airports: Madhesh province has three domestic airports in use which are the busiest among the country.

• Rajbiraj Airport in Rajbiraj
• Janakpur Airport in Janakpur
• Simara Airport in Pipara Simara (BARA) close to Birgunj and Kalaiya

International Airport:

• Nijgadh International Airport in Nijgadh is under construction.

• Gaige, F. H. (1975). "Migration into the Tarai". Regionalism and National Unity in Nepal (Second ed.). Delhi: Vikas Publishing House. pp. 58–86.
• Kabir, H. (2013). Education, Nationalism, and Conflict in Plural Society in Nepal: Terai Region in the Post-Maoist Context. Discussion Paper Series. Vol. 19. Hiroshima: Hiroshima University Partnership Project for Peace Building and Capacity Development.
• Pradhan, Kumar L. (2012), Thapa Politics in Nepal: With Special Reference to Bhim Sen Thapa, 1806–1839, New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, p. 278, ISBN 9788180698132