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Darbhanga
Raj
Mithila
Brahamans
Mithila Casts
Vidyapati
Kanyadan
Ancient History of Mithila ( 600 BCE - 1097 CE) By Sri
Mohammad Aquique
The present work is an attempt at depicting the economic fabric of
Mithila from 600 B.C. to 1097 A.D.
The country of Mithila during this period was bounded on the north
by the Himalaya, on the south the Ganga, on the east the Kosi, and
on the west the Gandak.
It consisted of the modern districts of Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur,
Champaran, Saharsa, Purnea, north Monghyr, and north Bhagalpur, as
well as the tarai under Nepal lying between the district and lower
ranges of the Himalaya.
There is no denying the fact that the contribution of ancient
Mithila to Indian civilization is considerably more remarkable than
that of other parts of the country. It has a glorious past of which
any civilised nation and country may justly be proud. The relics of
its glorious past can yet be seen in its ancient cities. It was the
scene of the work of the two most venerated names in the religious
history of the world - Gautama Buddha and Vardhamana Mahavira - and
one of the world's great rulers, Emperor Asoka.
There are remains of once splendid cities and monasteries, temples,
shrines and places hallowed by the memory of the thinkers and
preachers. Its fertile plains, rippling with bouncing harvests and
teeming with multi- tudinous population, have witnessed the majestic
and interminable drama of the movement and migration of peoples.
It was the earliest Aryan settlement in Eastern India and from here
the wave of Aryanism spread over other parts of the country. Being
surrounded on three sides by the three great rivers, Mithila has had
the geographical advantage of seclusion where learning and culture
could flourish.
The Ramayana immortalizes the name of Mithila. The greatness of
Mithila also lies in the fact that it was an important ancient seat
of learning in India which attracted students from different part of
the country. King Janak was an eminent philosopher king. All the
learning and philosophy of ancient India was the product of her
solitary hermitages in the forests. The ideal which has inspired the
men of Bihar from age to age is that of Janak, and the women of this
province have kept up the glorious tradition of Sita whose love of
her husband, chastity and fortitude is still unparalleled in the
history of the world.
During the period under review, Mithila formed the part of Vijjian
republic and subsequently passed under the domination of outside
powers till the rise of the Karnats in 1097 AD. Naturally, one would
expect repercussions on various aspects of economic life of this
region. Our discussion in the following pages would, therefore, be
confined only to the economic life of Mithila. Though, there are
considerable scholarly works on economic history of ancient India,
viz., Social and Rural Economy of Northern India by A.N. Bose;
Social organization in North East India in Budhdha's Time by Fick;
Economic Condition of Ancient India by Pran Nath; Commerce between
the Roman Empire and India by Warmington; Economic Life and Progress
of Ancient India, Vol.I by Bandyopadhyaya; The Economic Life of
Northern India by Lallanji Gopal; Corporate Life in Ancient India by
Majumdar and others, none of these works, however, enlightens us on
the economic condition of ancient Mithila.
Similarly, some good works on the political history of Mithila of
this and other periods, have been written but it is surprising that
upto this time no work dealing exclusively with the economic history
of Mithila has been written in any language. We have stray
references and a few chapters scattered here and there in some
historical journals and works, but those lack scientific treatment
in the context of the economic development of the region. However,
within the limitations, an attempt has been made in the present work
to utilize all possible sources available. In the field of
literature both indigenous and foreign, religious, legal and secular
have been taken into account. Among the indigenous literary sources
we have utilized the Brahmanical works in order to trace the origin
and development of certain economic institutions and practices. The
Grhya-sutra and the Dharmasutras have been used as corroborative
evidence. The Arthasastra of Kautilya and Patanjali's Mahabhasya
have been utilized, for both the works provide us with sufficient
materialon various economic aspects. The Buddhist and Jaina works
have been utilized to the fullest. The Jatakas furnish us valuable
information about some aspects of the economic condition of the
period. Thus the Mahapanada Jatak, the Gandhara Jatak, the Nimi
Jatak, the Mahajanak Jatak, and the Suruci Jatak, etc. reflect the
everyday life of the commonman, his art and craftmanship, trade and
commerce. Several other Buddhist texts, viz., the Milindapanho, the
Divyavavadana, the Mahavastu, the Mahaniddesa, the Lalitavistara,
and the Jaina text Acaranga Sutra have supplied us with considerable
information, particularly about trade and industry, and hence have
been utilized in this work.
The Epics and Puranas are also of great value from the point of view
of the economic history. The narrative parts of the Epics supply us
with important material on some points in our accounts. We have also
the law books and commentaries of Manu, Visnu, Narada, Brhaspati,
and Katyayana, which are very important. The commentaries have been
fully utilized so far as the principles and regulations of the
economic institutions are concerned. The smrtis of Brhaspati,
Yajnavalkya, and Narada are also indispensable for us. The Kamasutra
of Vatsyana, which throws some light on the everyday life of the
people, are occasionally used. Among the Niti works, the
Kamandakiya-Nitisara and Sukra-Nitisara have been taken into
consideration. The work of Kalidasa, like Malavikagnimitra,
Raghuvamsa, and Kumarasambhav, contain useful references to the
economic life of the time. The Mudraraksasa of Visakhadatta
supplements our knowledge by depicting the general condition of
society. Coming to the archaeological sources, we find that very few
objects of art can,with any degree of certitude, be ascribed to
Mithila.
A few terracotta and stone sculptures have been discovered in the
excavations conducted at Basarh and other places. The numismatic
data are equally limited. In spite of its limited scope, a few
hoards of coins belonging to pre-Mauryan and Mauryan period, the
Kusanas, the Guptas, and the Palas etc., have been found from
various parts of Mithila. The sources are thus numerous and varied,
but none of these gives us a complete and comprehensive account
regarding the economic structure of Mithila during the period under
review. Nevertheless, basing on these sources we have attempted to
portray as complete a picture as possible of the economic life of
Mithila. To have a clear idea of our subject we have divided it into
seven convenient chapters. The first chapter deals with the
geographical position and sources of work. Chapter II offers a brief
survey of political condition during the period under review.
Chapter III treats of land system, existence of feudal elements,
revenue system, agriculture, crops and irrigation. Chapter IV
surveys slavery its origin in Mithila and its different forms in
later periods. Chapter V gives an account of the corporate life,
guilds, - its kinds and functions, and its contribution to the
material development of the people. Chapter VI discusses the history
of trade and industry in Mithila, inland and foreign trade, land and
sea-routes, credit and banking medium of exchange and coinage
system. The closing chapter (VII) gives a brief estimate of the
general economic life in the period and its importance in the
economic history of the country. " -------
(NOTE: This 'Introduction' chapter is from Sri Mohammad
Aquique's book "Economic History of Mithila (600 BCE-1097 CE)"
Abhinav Publications, New Delhi, 1974 )"
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