Mithila: The Heart of Jainism

Summary

Mithila (also known as Videha and Tirabhukti) comprised the districts of Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Champaran, Saharsa, Purnea, North Monghyr and North Bhagalpur and extended into the Terai under Nepal. The region occupied an influential position in ancient Aryavarta and contributed significantly to Indian civilization, especially the history of Jainism. Mithila is revered as the birthplace and formative homeland of Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara and founder of the Jain Church; he was born at Kundagrama in one of the three districts of Vaisali and belonged to the Jnatka clan. Mahavira’s parents, Siddhartha and Trisala, were connected with the ruling house of Videha, which gave him strong royal support. The article notes that the Licchavis and Videhans were ardent supporters of Mahavira and that several early rulers and chiefs—including Nami or Nemi, the legendary founder of the Janaka dynasty, and his successors—embraced Jainism. The Jaina Sutras depict Videha and Vaisali as centres of Jainism where rulers and citizens alike followed the faith. Mithila also nurtured other Tirthankaras. Vasupujya, the twelfth Tirthankara, attained nirvana at Campapura (Bhagalpur) and Naminatha, the twenty‑first, was born in Mithila. Mahavira himself is said to have spent twelve rainy seasons there. Texts such as the Uttaradhyayana Sutra, Acaranga Sutra and Uvasagadasao describe Videhan kings, queens and ordinary citizens adopting Jain monastic vows. The article recounts how the Licchavis and Jantrkas possessed Jain temples around Vaisali and that stupas and caitya trees dedicated to Jinas once dotted the landscape. The tradition of symbolic worship through ashta‑mangalas and yakshayatana remained strong. In Campa, an important centre of Jaina activity where Mahavira spent three rainy seasons, archaeological remains include both Digambara and Svetambara temples for Vasupujya and other Tirthankaras. Jaina sources and Buddhist texts record that rulers such as the Nanda, Maurya and Gupta kings patronized Jainism, contributing to its spread. Despite this flourishing past, the article explains that Jainism declined in Mithila during the medieval period. By the 13th and 14th centuries its influence had practically vanished, leaving few archaeological relics. Modern Vaisali and surrounding sites yield little physical evidence of ancient Jain temples, though occasional discoveries—like a black basalt image of Mahavira found at Vaisali and now enshrined nearby—attest to the region’s heritage. Mandar Hill, Karnagarh Hill and Jayamangalagarh still preserve scattered Jain relics and legends. The article concludes that Mithila’s early embrace of Jain principles helped shape the religion’s development and that the “torch of Jainism” lit there continued to burn across Bihar and other parts of India even after local decline.