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{{use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
#REDIRECT [[Videha#Monarchic period]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
 
{{Infobox country
{{Redirect category shell|
|native_name      =
{{R from move}}
|conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Videha
|common_name      = Videha
|era              = [[Iron Age]]
|government_type  = [[Monarchy]]
|year_start        = uncertain
|year_end          = 500 BCE
|s1                = Vajji
|image_map        = Late Vedic Culture (1100-500 BCE).png
|image_map_alt    = Videha
|image_map_caption = The Kingdom of the Videhas (Mithila) and other kingdoms of the late [[Vedic period]]
|capital          = [[Mithila (ancient city)|Mithila]], which could either be [[Janakpur]] (in present-day Nepal),<ref name="Raychaudhuri 1972"/> or [[Baliraajgadh]] (in present-day [[Madhubani district]], Bihar, India).<ref name="hindi.news18.com">https://hindi.news18.com/blogs/satyam/balirajharh-a-ancient-mithila-915917.html</ref><ref name="Archived copy">{{cite web |url=http://www.newsofbihar.com/khas-khabar/kaun-lega-mithila-key-baliraajgadh-ki-sudhi.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-10-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026162756/http://www.newsofbihar.com/khas-khabar/kaun-lega-mithila-key-baliraajgadh-ki-sudhi.html |archive-date=26 October 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
|common_languages  = [[Sanskrit]]
|religion          = [[Historical Vedic religion|Vedic]]-[[Hinduism]]<ref name=benami9>Ben-Ami Scharfstein (1998), ''A comparative history of world philosophy: from the Upanishads to Kant'', Albany: State University of New York Press, pp. 9-11</ref>
|currency          =
|title_leader      = [[Janaka]]
|today            = {{flag|India}}<br />{{flag|Nepal}}
}}
}}
[[Image:Map of Vedic India.png|thumb|400px|Kingdom of Videha in Vedic India Map]]
The '''Kingdom of the Videhas''' (also known as '''Mithila'''<ref>http://lrc.bih.nic.in/Gazetteer/Saharsa/chapter-II.pdf</ref> and '''Tirabhukti'''<ref name="Chakrabarti2001">{{cite book|author=Dilip K. Chakrabarti|title=Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Lower and the Middle Ganga|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OEZe-wAIiKIC&pg=PA207|year=2001|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-7824-016-9|pages=207–}}</ref>) was an [[ancient India]]n kingdom in Late [[Vedic India]]<ref name="Indo-Aryennes' pages 13, 17">[[Michael Witzel]] (1989), ''Tracing the Vedic dialects'' in ''Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes'' ed. [[Colette Caillat|Caillat]], Paris, pages 13, 17 116-124, 141-143</ref> which rose to prominence under King [[Janaka]] ({{circa}} 8th-7th centuries BCE). The ancient kingdom's territory is located in [[Mithila (region)|Mithila region]] on the northern part of the [[Indian subcontinent]], what is today  northeastern [[Bihar]] of [[India]] and the eastern [[Terai]] of [[Nepal]].<ref name="Chakrabarti2001"/><ref name="Indo-Aryennes' pages 13, 17"/>
==History==
During the late [[Vedic period]] (c. 900 – c. 500 BCE), Videha became one of the major political and cultural centers of Ancient India, along with Kuru and Pañcāla.<ref>[[Michael Witzel]] (1989), ''Tracing the Vedic dialects'' in ''Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes'' ed. [[Colette Caillat|Caillat]], Paris, pages 13, 141-143</ref> Late [[Vedic literature]] such as the ''[[Brahmana]]s'' and the ''[[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]'' both mention [[Janaka]], as a great [[philosopher-king]] of Videha, renowned for his patronage of Vedic culture and philosophy, and whose court was an intellectual centre for [[Rishi]] (sages) such as [[Yajnavalkya]].<ref>[[Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri|H. C. Raychaudhuri]] (1972), ''Political History of Ancient India and Nepal'', Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp.41–52</ref> Raychaudhuri suggests 8th- to 7th-century BCE range, while Witzel suggests c. 750 to 500 BCE for the Brahmanas and Upanishads composition period in Videha.<ref>[[Michael Witzel]] (1989), [http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/dialects.pdf ''Tracing the Vedic dialects''] in ''Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes'' ed. [[Colette Caillat|Caillat]], Paris, pages 13, 39-46, 141-143</ref>{{refn|group=note|Raychaudhuri notes that the [[Puranas|Puranic]] chronology would extend the possible range back to the 12th century BCE, but considers this to be of limited value, and necessary to treat with caution (pp.27–28).}} The Vedic school of Aitareyins probably moved to Videha and other centers of scholarship, during the late Vedic period.<ref>[[Michael Witzel]] (1989), ''Tracing the Vedic dialects'' in ''Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes'' ed. [[Colette Caillat|Caillat]], Paris, pages 76-77, 125</ref>
The region and culture of Videha is often mentioned in Hindu literature.<ref name=samueloyt70>Geoffrey Samuel, (2010) ''The Origins of Yoga and Tantra: Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century'', Cambridge University Press, pages 69-70</ref> The texts mention the idea of royal dynasty and the tradition of philosopher-kings who [[Sannyasa|renounce]], with examples including Nami (or Nimi in some texts), Janaka and other kings.<ref name=samueloyt70/> Their stories are found in ancient surviving Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina texts, suggesting that renunciation by kings was a respected tradition before the birth of Buddha, and that this tradition was also broadly accepted in regions other than Videha, such as in Pancala, Kalinga and Gandhara.<ref name=samueloyt70/> King Nimi or Nami of Videha is included as the 21st of the twenty four [[Tirthankara]]s in Jainism (not to be confused with closely spelled Nemi, the 22nd Tirthankara).<ref name=samueloyt70/>
Towards the end of the Vedic period, Videha likely became part of the Vriji (Pali: [[Vajji]]) confederation and subsequently into the [[Magadha]] empire.<ref>H.C. Raychaudhuri (1972), pp. 70-76</ref><ref>Raychaudhuri Hemchandra (1972), ''Political History of Ancient India'', Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp. 85–86</ref> The Videha kingdom is also mentioned in the [[Sanskrit epics]], the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and the ''[[Ramayana]]''. In the Ramayana, [[Sita]] is the princess from Videha,<ref name=samueloyt70/> who marries [[Rama]] creating an alliance between the kingdoms of [[Kosala]] and Videha.<ref name="Raychaudhuri 1972">Raychaudhuri (1972)</ref> The capital of Videha is believed to be either [[Janakpur]] (in present-day Nepal),<ref name="Raychaudhuri 1972"/> or [[Baliraajgadh]] (in present-day [[Madhubani district]], Bihar, India).<ref name="hindi.news18.com">https://hindi.news18.com/blogs/satyam/balirajharh-a-ancient-mithila-915917.html</ref><ref name="Archived copy">{{cite web |url=http://www.newsofbihar.com/khas-khabar/kaun-lega-mithila-key-baliraajgadh-ki-sudhi.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-10-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026162756/http://www.newsofbihar.com/khas-khabar/kaun-lega-mithila-key-baliraajgadh-ki-sudhi.html |archive-date=26 October 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
According to the [[Digambara]] ''[[Uttarapurana]]'' text, [[Mahavira]] was born in Kundpur in the [[Kingdom of the Videhas]].{{sfn|Pannalal Jain|2015|p=460}}
== See also ==
*[[Maithil]]s
*[[Vedic Civilization]]
*[[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru]], [[Panchala]], [[Kosala]]
*[[Kingdoms of Ancient India]]
*[[Mithila, India]]
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}
== References ==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}
===Sources===
* {{citation |last=Jain |first=Pannalal |author-link=Pannalal Jain |title= Uttarapurāṇa of Āchārya Guṇabhadra |year=2015 |publisher=[[Bhartiya Jnanpith]] |isbn=978-81-263-1738-7 |ref={{sfnref|Pannalal Jain|2015}} }}
*Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, translated to English by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GdKcAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA246|title=The Geography of India: Sacred and Historic Places|date=April 2010|publisher=Britannica Educational Publishing|isbn=9781615302024}}
==External links==
{{Tribes and kingdoms of the Mahabharata}}
{{Darbhanga Division topics}}
{{Nepal topics}}
[[Category:Mithila]]
[[Category:Dynasties of India]]
[[Category:Kingdoms in the Ramayana]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of the Ikshwaku clan]]
[[Category:Historical Indian regions]]
[[Category:History of Bihar]]
[[Category:Populated places in Mithila, India]]
[[Category:2nd millennium BC in India]]
[[Category:1st millennium BC in India]]
[[Category:15th-century BC establishments]]
[[Category:6th-century BC disestablishments in India]]
[[Category:Dynasties of Nepal]]

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