| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Maithili | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Brahmin groups |
Maithil Brahmins are the Hindu Brahmin community originating from the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent that comprises Tirhut, Darbhanga, Kosi, Purnia, Munger, Bhagalpur and Santhal Pargana divisions[a] of India[1] and some adjoining districts of Nepal. They are one of the five Pancha-Gauda Brahmin communities.[2][3] Apart from the Mithila region, they also inhabit various other places in India, including Agra, Aligarh, Hathras And Mathura of Western Uttar Pradesh[4] The main language spoken by Maithil Brahmins is Maithili .
Some of the dynastic families of the Mithila region, such as the Oiniwar Dynasty and Khandwal Dynasty (Raj Darbhanga),[5] were Maithil Brahmins and were noted for their patronage of Maithil culture.[6]
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Maithil Brahmins became politically significant in Bihar. Binodanand Jha and Lalit Narayan Mishra emerged as prominent political leaders of the community. Under the Chief Ministry of Jagannath Mishra many Maithil Brahmins assumed important political positions in Bihar.[7]
According to the Vedic Samhita, Maithil Brahmins are divided into the Vajasaneyi (Yajurvedic) and the Chandogya(Samavedic) and each group is strictly exogamous. They are also further classified by four main categories, the Srotriyas (Soit), the Yogyas (Bhalmanush), the Painjas and the Jaiwars. They are all expected to be morganatic (anuloma) however these days this is no longer enforced strictly. They are also divided into various Mools or Clan's name. And every mool is further divided into upamool or sub clans.[8]
Brajastha Maithil Brahmins are those Brahmins who settled in the then capital of India Agra from Tirhut (Mithila) from the reign of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq to Akbar and later settled in three districts of Central Braj after being oppressed by the misrule of Aurangzeb. Maithil Brahmins found in Braj have been migrating to Braj since that time. Which, after research by eminent scholars of Mithila, came to be known as Brajastha Maithil Brahmins. These Brahmins mainly live in Agra, Aligarh, Mathura and Hathras of Central Braj. After migrating from here, they are living in places like Delhi, Ajmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Baroda, Dahoud, Lucknow, Kanpur etc. Mughal ruler Aurangzeb tortured the entire India including Mithila during his rule. Suffering from his atrocities, many Brahmins of Mithila migrated from Mithila and settled in other states. The movement of Maithils living in Braj region with the Maithils living in Mithila also stopped. This continued from 1658 AD till the revolution of 1857. After 1857 AD, Indian social reformers dreamed of an independent India. The Brahmin community of Mithila also started dreaming of independent India. 'Swami Brahmanand Saraswati raised the voice of caste upliftment at this very time. He contacted the Mithila residents settled all over India for the upliftment of the caste, the result of which was that the relations which had broken between the Mithila residents and the migrant Maithil Brahmins during the time of Aurangzeb were resumed. It was due to his efforts that it became possible for the Maithil Brahmins of Aligarh to go to Mithila and the people of Mithila to come to Aligarh. At the same time, Swami ji returned from Mithila and organized Maithil Siddhant Sabha in Aligarh. Correspondence between the workers of Siddhant Sabha and Mithila resident Runa Jha started between 1882 and 1886.[citation needed]
They are mainly practitioners of Shaktism in various forms, however there are also Vaishnavites and Shaivites.[9] [10]
Panjis or Panji Prabandh are extensive genealogical records maintained among Maithil Brahmins similar to the Hindu genealogy registers at Haridwar.[11]