Maithili literature - Revision history

MartiAshley1795: quick reworked section per sources and added references

2026-02-27T19:17:58Z

quick reworked section per sources and added references

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:47, 28 February 2026
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			{{Short description\|Literature in the Maithili language}}
			{{Distinguish\|Meithei literature}}
	{{Multiple issues\|		{{Multiple issues\|
	{{More footnotes needed\|date=July 2020}}		{{More footnotes needed\|date=July 2020}}
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	'''Maithili literature''' is the entire collection of poetry, novels, short stories, documents and other writings in the [[Maithili language]]. The most famous literary figure in [[Maithili language\|Maithili]] is the poet [[Vidyapati]] (1350–1450), who wrote his poems in the language of the people, i.e., Maithili, at a time when state's official language was [[Sanskrit]] and Sanskrit was being used as a literary language. The use of Maithili, instead of Sanskrit, in literature became more common after Vidyapati.		'''Maithili literature''' is the entire collection of poetry, novels, short stories, documents and other writings in the [[Maithili language]]. The most famous literary figure in [[Maithili language\|Maithili]] is the poet [[Vidyapati]] (1350–1450), who wrote his poems in the language of the people, i.e., Maithili, at a time when state's official language was [[Sanskrit]] and Sanskrit was being used as a literary language. The use of Maithili, instead of Sanskrit, in literature became more common after Vidyapati.

	The main characteristics of [[Magadhi Prakrit]] is to mutate 'r' into 's', the 'n' for n, of 'j' for 'y', of 'b' for 'y' In the edicts of Ashoka the change of 'r' to 'h' is established. Mahavir and Buddha delivered their sermons in the eastern languages. The secular use of language came mainly from the east as will be evident from the ''Prakritpainglam'', a comprehensive work on Prakrit and Apabhramsa-Avahatta poetry. Jyotirishwar mentions Lorika. Vachaspati II in his ''Tattvachintamani'' and Vidyapati in his ''Danavakyavali'' have profusely used typical Maithili words of daily use.		The main characteristics of [[Magadhi Prakrit]] is to mutate 'r' into 's', the 'n' for n, of 'j' for 'y', of 'b' for 'y' In the edicts of [[Ashoka]] the change of 'r' to 'h' is established. [[Mahavira\|Mahavir]] and [[The Buddha\|Buddha]] delivered their sermons in the eastern languages. The secular use of language came mainly from the east as will be evident from the ''Prakritpainglam'', a comprehensive work on Prakrit and [[Apabhraṃśa\|Apabhramsa]]-Avahatta poetry. Jyotirishwar mentions Lorika. Vachaspati II in his ''Tattvachintamani'' and Vidyapati in his ''Danavakyavali'' have profusely used typical Maithili words of daily use.

	The Maithili script, Mithilakshara or Tirhuta as it is popularly known, is of a great antiquity. The ''[[Lalitavistara]]'' mentions the Vaidehi script. Early in the latter half of the 7th century A.D., a marked change occurred in the northeastern alphabet, and the inscriptions of Adityasena exhibit this change for the first time. The eastern variety develops and becomes the Maithili script, which comes into use in Assam, Bengal, and Nepal. The earliest recorded epigraphic evidence of the script is found in the Mandar Hill Stone inscriptions of Adityasena in the 7th century A.D., now fixed in the Baidyanath temple of [[Deoghar]].<ref>Choudhary, R. (1976). [https://books.google.com/books?lr=&id=C0f898HDLAYC&pg=PA1 ''A survey of Maithili literature'']. Ram Vilas Sahu.</ref>		The Maithili script, Mithilakshara or Tirhuta as it is popularly known, is of a great antiquity. The ''[[Lalitavistara]]'' mentions the Vaidehi script. Early in the latter half of the 7th century A.D., a marked change occurred in the northeastern alphabet, and the inscriptions of Adityasena exhibit this change for the first time. The eastern variety develops and becomes the Maithili script, which comes into use in Assam, Bengal, and Nepal. The earliest recorded epigraphic evidence of the script is found in the [[Mandar Hill]] Stone inscriptions of [[Ādityasena\|Adityasena]] in the 7th century A.D., now fixed in the [[Baidyanath Temple\|Baidyanath temple]] of [[Deoghar]].<ref>Choudhary, R. (1976). [https://books.google.com/books?lr=&id=C0f898HDLAYC&pg=PA1 ''A survey of Maithili literature'']. Ram Vilas Sahu.</ref>

	The language of the Buddhist [[Songs of realization\|dohas]] is described as belonging to the mixed Maithili—Kamrupi language.<ref>{{cite book \|author=Barua, K. L. \|year=1933 \|title=Early history of Kamarupa \|location=Shillong \|publisher=Published by the Author \|url=https://archive.org/details/EarlyHistoryOfKamarupa}}</ref>		The language of the Buddhist [[Songs of realization\|dohas]] is described as belonging to the mixed Maithili—Kamrupi language.<ref>{{cite book \|author=Barua, K. L. \|year=1933 \|title=Early history of Kamarupa \|location=Shillong \|publisher=Published by the Author \|url=https://archive.org/details/EarlyHistoryOfKamarupa}}</ref>
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	The period was of ballads, songs, and [[Doha (Indian literature)\|dohas]]. Some important Maithili writers of this era were:		The period was of ballads, songs, and [[Doha (Indian literature)\|dohas]]. Some important Maithili writers of this era were:
	* [[Jyotirishwar Thakur]] (1290–1350) whose ''Varnartnakar'' is the first prose and encyclopedia in northern Indian language.		* [[Jyotirishwar Thakur]] (1290–1350) whose ''[[Varna Ratnakara\|Varnartnakar]]'' (1324 AD) is the first prose and encyclopedia in northern Indian language.

	== Middle Maithili Literature (ca. 1350–1830 AD) ==		== Middle Maithili Literature (ca. 1350–1830 AD) ==
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	* [[Vidyapati]] (1350–1450)		* [[Vidyapati]] (1350–1450)
	* [[Srimanta Sankardeva]] (1449–1568)		* [[Srimanta Sankardeva]] (1449–1568)
	* [[Govindadas(Maithili language poet)\|Govindadas]] (late 17th century)		* [[Govindadas (Maithili language poet)\|Govindadas]] (late 17th century)

	== Modern Maithili Literature (1830 AD to date) ==		== Modern Maithili Literature (1830 AD to date) ==

	Modern Maithili came into its own after [[George Abraham Grierson]], an Irish linguist and civil servant, tirelessly researched Maithili folklore and transcribed its grammar. [[Paul Brass\|Paul R. Brass]] wrote that "Grierson judged that Maithili and its dialects could fairly be characterized as the language of the entire population of [[Janakpur]], [[Siraha]], [[Saptari]], [[Sarlahi]], [[Darbhanga district\|Darbhanga]] and [[Madhubani, Nepal\|Madhubani]]".<ref>Brass, P. R. (1974). [https://books.google.com/books?id=SylBHS8IJAUC~~&lpg=PP8&ots=HomHSVPpk-&lr~~&pg=PP1~~#v=onepage&q&f=false~~ ''Language, Religion and Politics in North India'']. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974. page 64</ref>		Modern Maithili came into its own after [[George Abraham Grierson]], an Irish linguist and civil servant, tirelessly researched Maithili folklore and transcribed its grammar. [[Paul Brass\|Paul R. Brass]] wrote that "Grierson judged that Maithili and its dialects could fairly be characterized as the language of the entire population of [[Janakpur]], [[Siraha]], [[Saptari]], [[Sarlahi]],[[Rautahat]], [[Darbhanga district\|Darbhanga]] and [[Madhubani, Nepal\|Madhubani]]".<ref>Brass, P. R. (1974). [https://books.google.com/books?id=SylBHS8IJAUC&pg=PP1 ''Language, Religion and Politics in North India'']. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974. page 64</ref>

	In April 2010 a translation of the [[New Testament]] into Maithili was published by the [[Bible Society of India]] under joint copyright with [[Wycliffe Bible Translators\|Nepal Wycliffe Bible Translators]].		In April 2010 a translation of the [[New Testament]] into Maithili was published by the [[Bible Society of India]] under joint copyright with [[Wycliffe Bible Translators\|Nepal Wycliffe Bible Translators]].

	The development of Maithili in the modern era was due to magazines and journals. Some important writers of this era are:<!-- TO BE LISTED, PEOPLE MUST HAVE A WIKIPEDIA PAGE SEE [[WP:LISTPEOPLE]] - [[WP:WTAF]] -->		The development of Maithili in the modern era was due to magazines and journals. Some important writers of this era are:<!-- TO BE LISTED, PEOPLE MUST HAVE A WIKIPEDIA PAGE SEE [[WP:LISTPEOPLE]] - [[WP:WTAF]] -->
	* [[Baldev Mishra]] (1890–1975)<ref>{{cite book \|last = Mishra \|first = V. \|title = Makers of Indian Literature series (Maithili): Baldev Mishra \|publisher = Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi \|year=1998 \|~~ISBN~~ = 81-260-0465-7}}</ref>		* [[Baldev Mishra]] (1890–1975)<ref>{{cite book \|last = Mishra \|first = V. \|title = Makers of Indian Literature series (Maithili): Baldev Mishra \|publisher = Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi \|year=1998 \|isbn = 81-260-0465-7}}</ref>
	* [[Surendra Jha 'Suman']] (1910–2002) represented Maithili in the Sahitya Akademi		* [[Surendra Jha 'Suman']] (1910–2002) represented Maithili in the Sahitya Akademi
	* [[Radha Krishna Choudhary]] (1921–1985)		* [[Radha Krishna Choudhary]] (1921–1985)
	* [[Jaykant Mishra]] (20 December 1922 – 3 February 2009) represented Maithili in the Sahitya Akademi		* [[Jaykant Mishra]] (20 December 1922 – 3 February 2009) represented Maithili in the Sahitya Akademi
	* [[Binod Bihari Verma]] (1937–2003)
	* [[Parichay Das]] (1964– )		* [[Parichay Das]] (1964– )
	* [[Gajendra Thakur]] (1971– )		* [[Gajendra Thakur]] (1971– )
			* [[Santosh Kumar Mishra\|Santosh Kr. Mishra]] (1980– )

			"......Umesh Mishra had expressed his desire to include the literary history of Maithili under a volume on modern Indian Languages, but the biggest impediment to Maithili getting official recognition as a distinct language was its erroneous identification in the colonial imagination either as a dialect of Bengali or Hindi or its construction as a ganweri boli [language of peasants]. In a letter written in
			September 1934, Bhola Lal Das, one of the pioneers of Maithili journalism and founder of Maithili Sahitya Parishad, Laheriasarai,
			appealed to George Abraham Grierson, who was living in England after his retirement from the Indian Civil Services, to help him revive "the dying Maithili culture” (letter cited in Jha 2013, p. 196).
			Das lamented that due to “serious misconception regarding this
			language and literature” (p. 196), prevalent mainly among the colonial officials and the intelligentsia, some officials continued to
			reject it as a dialect, notwithstanding Grierson’s assertion made in
			his various works, including his Linguistic Survey (1903), Grammar (1881)and “A Plea for the People’s Tongue”(1880), that Maithili is not a dialect but a language. Questions of misconception, omission, exclusion, marginalization, dialectization, and above all misidentification are central to the examination of the history of the
			Maithili language and literature. The classification of Maithili as a
			dialect of either Bengali or Hindi continued in post-Independence period as well, not only in various Census reports
			but also in an institution like Sahitya Akademi till 1965, when Maithili was
			eventually accorded the status of a distinct modern Indian language.
			....................."
	== References ==		== References ==
	{{Reflist}}		{{Reflist}}
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	[[Category:Maithili literature\| ]]		[[Category:Maithili literature\| ]]
	[[Category:Indian literature by language]]		[[Category:Indian literature by language]]
			[[Category:Nepalese literature by language]]

imported>David Biddulph: /* Modern Maithili Literature (1830 AD to date) */ nn - add when articles written

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Modern Maithili Literature (1830 AD to date): nn - add when articles written

New page

{{Multiple issues|
{{More footnotes needed|date=July 2020}}
{{Refimprove|date=July 2020}}
}}
{{use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Indian literature}}
'''Maithili literature''' is the entire collection of poetry, novels, short stories, documents and other writings in the [[Maithili language]]. The most famous literary figure in [[Maithili language|Maithili]] is the poet [[Vidyapati]] (1350–1450), who wrote his poems in the language of the people, i.e., Maithili, at a time when state's official language was [[Sanskrit]] and Sanskrit was being used as a literary language. The use of Maithili, instead of Sanskrit, in literature became more common after Vidyapati.

The main characteristics of [[Magadhi Prakrit]] is to mutate 'r' into 's', the 'n' for n, of 'j' for 'y', of 'b' for 'y' In the edicts of Ashoka the change of 'r' to 'h' is established. Mahavir and Buddha delivered their sermons in the eastern languages. The secular use of language came mainly from the east as will be evident from the ''Prakritpainglam'', a comprehensive work on Prakrit and Apabhramsa-Avahatta poetry. Jyotirishwar mentions Lorika. Vachaspati II in his ''Tattvachintamani'' and Vidyapati in his ''Danavakyavali'' have profusely used typical Maithili words of daily use.

The Maithili script, Mithilakshara or Tirhuta as it is popularly known, is of a great antiquity. The ''[[Lalitavistara]]'' mentions the Vaidehi script. Early in the latter half of the 7th century A.D., a marked change occurred in the northeastern alphabet, and the inscriptions of Adityasena exhibit this change for the first time. The eastern variety develops and becomes the Maithili script, which comes into use in Assam, Bengal, and Nepal. The earliest recorded epigraphic evidence of the script is found in the Mandar Hill Stone inscriptions of Adityasena in the 7th century A.D., now fixed in the Baidyanath temple of [[Deoghar]].<ref>Choudhary, R. (1976). [https://books.google.com/books?lr=&id=C0f898HDLAYC&pg=PA1 ''A survey of Maithili literature'']. Ram Vilas Sahu.</ref>

The language of the Buddhist [[Songs of realization|dohas]] is described as belonging to the mixed Maithili—Kamrupi language.<ref>{{cite book |author=Barua, K. L. |year=1933 |title=Early history of Kamarupa |location=Shillong |publisher=Published by the Author |url=https://archive.org/details/EarlyHistoryOfKamarupa}}</ref>

== Early Maithili Literature (ca. 700–1350 AD) ==

The period was of ballads, songs, and [[Doha (Indian literature)|dohas]]. Some important Maithili writers of this era were:
* [[Jyotirishwar Thakur]] (1290–1350) whose ''Varnartnakar'' is the first prose and encyclopedia in northern Indian language.

== Middle Maithili Literature (ca. 1350–1830 AD) ==

The period was of theatrical writings. Some important Maithili writers of this era were:
* [[Vidyapati]] (1350–1450)
* [[Srimanta Sankardeva]] (1449–1568)
* [[Govindadas(Maithili language poet)|Govindadas]] (late 17th century)

== Modern Maithili Literature (1830 AD to date) ==

Modern Maithili came into its own after [[George Abraham Grierson]], an Irish linguist and civil servant, tirelessly researched Maithili folklore and transcribed its grammar. [[Paul Brass|Paul R. Brass]] wrote that "Grierson judged that Maithili and its dialects could fairly be characterized as the language of the entire population of [[Janakpur]], [[Siraha]], [[Saptari]], [[Sarlahi]], [[Darbhanga district|Darbhanga]] and [[Madhubani, Nepal|Madhubani]]".<ref>Brass, P. R. (1974). [https://books.google.com/books?id=SylBHS8IJAUC&lpg=PP8&ots=HomHSVPpk-&lr&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Language, Religion and Politics in North India'']. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974. page 64</ref>

In April 2010 a translation of the [[New Testament]] into Maithili was published by the [[Bible Society of India]] under joint copyright with [[Wycliffe Bible Translators|Nepal Wycliffe Bible Translators]].

The development of Maithili in the modern era was due to magazines and journals. Some important writers of this era are:
* [[Baldev Mishra]] (1890–1975)<ref>{{cite book |last = Mishra |first = V. |title = Makers of Indian Literature series (Maithili): Baldev Mishra |publisher = Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi |year=1998 |ISBN = 81-260-0465-7}}</ref>
* [[Surendra Jha 'Suman']] (1910–2002) represented Maithili in the Sahitya Akademi
* [[Radha Krishna Choudhary]] (1921–1985)
* [[Jaykant Mishra]] (20 December 1922 – 3 February 2009) represented Maithili in the Sahitya Akademi
* [[Binod Bihari Verma]] (1937–2003)
* [[Parichay Das]] (1964– )
* [[Gajendra Thakur]] (1971– )

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Maithili language}}

[[Category:Maithili literature| ]]
[[Category:Indian literature by language]]