Mahesha Thakura | |||||
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Maharaja | |||||
Reign | 1527 AD - 1558 AD | ||||
Successor | Gopala Thakura | ||||
Successor | Hemangada Thakura | ||||
Successor | Parmananda Thakura | ||||
Died | 1558 AD | ||||
| |||||
House | Khandwala Dynasty | ||||
Dynasty | Khandwala Dynasty | ||||
Father | Chandrapati Thakura | ||||
Religion | Hinduism | ||||
Occupation | Astronomer and Philosopher |
Mahesha Thakura | |
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Born | |
Nationality | Indian |
Alma mater | Ancient Mithila University |
Known for | Atīcārādinirṇayaḥ |
Awards | Mahamahopadhyay |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Astronomy, Indian philosophy |
Notable students | Raghunandan Dasa |
Mahesha Thakura was the ruler of Mithila in the 16th century. He made his capital at Bhaur which is in the northwest of Sarisab-Pahi and Rajgram. He was also wrote some treatises and commentaries on astronomy and Indian philosophy. He was gifted the Kingdom of Mithila for his scholarly wisdom by the Mughal emperor. He established the Khandwala dynasty in Mithila, later known as Raj Darbhanga, in 1527. [1] [ page needed ]
Mahesha Thakura was the middle son of Rajpandita Chandrapati Thakura. His mother name was Dhira. [2] Chandrapati Thakura was Rajpandita (Royal Priest) in Akbar empire. He belonged to Shandilya Gotra in Maithil Brahmin. His mool was Kharaure Bhaur. Chandrapati Thakura was living in Garh Mandla which is presently in Madhya Pradesh. [3]
Mahesha Thakura was a priest at the court of Dalapatishah in Garha Mandla. He was a priest even during the time of Rani Durgavati. Since he was the scholar of philosophy as well as Karmakanda, he used to narrate the Puranas to the queen Rani Durgavati every day. It is said that during the reign of Rani Durgavati, Mahesha Thakura left Garha Mandla and went to Mithila to establish his kingdom in the region. This kingdom was later called as Darbhanga Raj. [3]
It is said that the Mughal emperor Akbar was very influenced by the wisdom of Raghunandana Dasa and gifted him the throne of Mithila. Raghunandan Dasa, in turn, gifted the throne of Mithila to his teacher Mahesha Thakura as Gurudakshina. [4] [5]
Some scholars claim that Mahesha Thakura's father Chandrapati Thakura was the priest at the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar and the emperor asked Chandrapati Thakura to advise any name of his son for the caretaker of Mithila. Then Chandrapati Thakura advised Akbar his middle son Mahesha Thakura as the caretaker of Mithila. [6] It said that the Mughal emperor Akbar was also very influenced with the wisdom of Mahesha Thakura so he granted the throne of Mithila to Mahesha Thakura as the caretaker. Mahesha Thakura then became the ruler of Mithila and established Khadwala Dynasty in Mithila on the day of Ramnavami. [7] [8] [9]
Mahesha Thakura established the Khandwala Dynasty, which continued for nearly 400 years ( from 16th century CE to 20th century CE ) in the Mithila region till the independence of India. He is well known for the institution of Dhaut Pariksha at his court to examine the scholarship of the scholars in his kingdom. [10]
Apart from being the ruler of the Mithila region, Mahesha Thakura was also a renowned scholar of Sanskrit literature, Indian philosophy and astronomy. He was the author several treatises and commentaries. He wrote a commentary Aloka Pradipa on the Nyaya Aloka commentary text of the 15th century eminent Naiyayika Pakshadhara Mishra. Similarly he also wrote a commentary text Darpan on the Tattavachintamani text of the Naiyayika Gangesha Upadhyaya.
Mahesha Thakura also wrote the texts Dayasara and Tethitattava Chintamani. He wrote an astronomical text known as Atīcārādinirṇayaḥ. [11]
Darbhanga is the fifth largest city and municipal corporation in the state of Bihar in India, and is considered an important city in North Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. It is held that the name Darbhanga has been derived from Dwar Banga or Dari – Banga, meaning the 'door of Bengal'.
Mandla is a city with municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandla District. The city is situated in a loop of the Narmada River, which surrounds it on three sides, and for 15 miles between Mandla and Ramnagar, Madhya Pradesh the river flows in a deep bed unbroken by rocks. The Narmada is worshiped here, and many ghats have been constructed on the banks of the river. It was a capital of the Gondwana Kingdom who built a palace and a fort, which in the absence of proper care have gone to ruins.
Narsinghpur district is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. Vindhyachal is on its northern border and the Satpura range extends along its entire length on the southern border. In the northern part, the Narmada river flows from east to west. Latitude 22º.45N 23º.15N, Longitude 78º.38E 79º.38E, Area 5125.55 Square Kilometers, 359.8 meters above sea level. The city of Narsinghpur is administrative headquarters of the district. As of 2001 Narsinghpur is the most literate district of MP.
Rani Durgavati was the queen regent of Gondwana in 1550–1564 AD. She married King Dalpat Shah, the son of King Sangram Shah of Gondwana. She served as regent of Gondwana during the minority of her son, Vir Narayan, from 1550 until 1564. She is chiefly remembered for defending Gondwana against the Mughal Empire.
The Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Khandwala dynasty, was a Maithil Brahmin dynasty and the rulers of territories, not all contiguous, that were part of the Mithila region, now divided between India and Nepal. The rulers of Raj Darbhanga were Maithil Brahmins and their seat in the town of Darbhanga became the core of the Mithila region as the rulers were patrons of Maithil culture and the Maithili language.
Mithila, also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal, is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothills of the Himalayas in the north. It comprises certain parts of Bihar and Jharkhand of India and adjoining districts of the Koshi Province, Bagmati Pradesh and Madhesh Province of Nepal. The native language in Mithila is Maithili, and its speakers are referred to as Maithils.
Mithila is a geographical and cultural region located in the Indian subcontinent. The native language is known as Maithili and its speakers are referred to as Maithils. The majority of the Mithila region falls within modern-day India, more specifically in the state of Bihar. Mithila is bounded in the north by the Himalayas, and in the south, west and east by the Ganges, Gandaki and Mahananda respectively. It extends into the southeastern Terai of Nepal. This region was also called Tirabhukti, the ancient name of Tirhut.
Raja Sangram Shah Madavi was a king of the Garha Kingdom of Gondwana, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Raja Sangram Shah, who belonged to the Gond Dynasty in central India, was the 48th and most well known ruler of the dynasty, and during his reign he had conquered 52 forts to strengthen his kingdom. The Chouragarh Fort in Narsinghpur was built in his honour for conquering 52 forts.
The Garha kingdom, also called Garha-Mandla or Garha Katanga, was an early-modern-era kingdom in India. It was the first large kingdom to be founded by the Gond tribe kings and was based in Central India. The kingdom was founded in the 15th century and lasted until conquest by the Maratha Confederacy in 1781.
The Oiniwar dynasty, or Oiṇīvāra dynasty also known as the Sugauna dynasty, was a Maithil ruling dynasty of territories that form part of the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. They governed the area between 1325 and 1526, being preceded by the Karnat dynasty. Following the demise of the dynasty, emerged the dynasty of the Raj Darbhanga. One of the Oiniwar Dynasty's most notable rulers was Shivasimha who was known for his patronisation of the art as well as leading military campaigns against neighbouring polities.
The Mughal conquest of Garha was launched by the Mughal Empire in 1564 under Asaf Khan I against the Garha Kingdom led by regent Rani Durgavati.
Hridayshah, also called Hirde Shah, was the 54th and last great king of Garha-Mandla. Hridayshah was a great patron and lover of music, and wrote the musical compostions of "Hriday Koutuk" and "Hriday Prakash" in 1660. He moved his kingdom's capital from Chouragarh to Ramnagar of Mandla district to secure it from Bundela attacks.
Dalpat Shah was the 49th ruler of the Garha Kingdom, which controlled the Indian region of Gondwana. His reign was short, he died in 1550, leaving the kingdom in the hands of his able wife Rani Durgavati, acting as a regent for their son Vir Narayan.
Vedic learning started in Mithila with the expansion of Vedic and Brahmanic culture eastwards along the Ganges plain. Some sources consider this centre of Brahminical study to form an Ancient Mithila University. From the 12th/13th to 15th century CE it was an important centre of Nyaya Shastra and logical sciences.
Hemangada Thakura was the King of Mithila between 1571 AD to 1590 AD. He was also an Indian Astronomer in 16th century. He was famous for his astronomical treatise Grahan Mala. The book told the dates of the eclipses for 1088 years from 1620 AD to 2708 AD. The dates of lunar and solar eclipse that Hemangad Thakur had fixed on the basis of his unique calculations are proving to be true till date.
Pakshadhara Mishra was a 15th-century Indian philosopher from the Mithila region and the founder of the Nyaya Shastra sampradaya in the tradition of Gaṅgeśa. He was a practitioner of the Nyaya Shashtra during the 15th century CE. He was a member at the court of King Bhairava Singh of the Oiniwar Dynasty in Mithila. Notable pupils of his pupils include Vasudeva Sarvabhauma and Raghunatha Siromani.
Mekala is a historical region of India, extending from Amarkantak to Balaghat. It corresponds to the Maikal Hills, which comprises the present-day Kawardha District of Chhattisgarh state and Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh. In the medieval period, the region was ruled by the Panduvamshis of Mekala.
Dhaut Pariksha or Dhout Pariksha was the highest examination system established in Mithila during the Darbhanga Raj Kingdom.
Bhaur Gram is a historical village in the Madhubani district of the Mithila region in Bihar, India. It is the birthplace of the founder King Mahesha Thakura of the Khandwala Dynasty in Mithila. The King Mahesha Thakura established the first capital of his kingdom at Bhaur Gram. It is one of the major villages in the Mithila region for the residence of the Maithil Brahmins.