Oiniwar Dynasty

The rulers of the Oiniwar dynasty governed their lands between 1325 and 1556. They were Srotiya Maithil Brahmins whose first significant figure was Jayapati Thakur. His grandson, Nath Thakur, served the local kings of the Karnat dynasty and was rewarded with a grant of the village of Oini in recognition of his scholarship. As was then customary, he took the name of the granted place as his own and the dynasty that followed from him became known as the Oiniwar.[1] There is an alternative theory that the family were generally considered to be significant scholars and that this reputation and the influence that flowed from it resulted in them being awarded the village of Sodapura, which later caused them also to be known as the Srotiyas.[2]

In 1325, following the collapse of the Karnat dynasty in 1324,[1] Nath Thakur became the first Maithil ruler. The dynasty that followed from him comprised a further 20 rulers.[3]

The dynastic capitals were frequently relocated. At some unknown time, it was moved from Oini in present-day Muzaffarpur district to the village of Sugauna in modern-day Madhubani district, thus giving rise to the rulers also being known as the Sugauna Dynasty. It was moved again, to Devakuli, during the reign of Deva Singh, and then to Gajarathpura (also known as Shiva Singhpura) during the early years of the reign of his son, Shiva Singh.[4] When the latter died in 1416, his queen, Lakshima, governed for 12 years and then was succeeded by his brother, Padma Singh, who moved the capital once more. Named Padma, after its founder, this was near to Rajnagar and a long way from the previous seat. Padma Singh, who ruled for three years, was succeeded by his wife, Vivasa Devi, and she, too, founded a new capital which is today the village of Vishual.[3]

The military of the Oiniwar dynasty was considered to be the main pillar of the King's power. The army was under the command of a senapati or the commander-in-chief who had a direct control of the military.[5] The military had a four-fold structure with infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots. The poet, Vidyapati who worked in the court of the Oiniwars, noted that the core of the army consisted of Rajputas and the vanguard consisted of mercenaries from Kurukshetra, Matsya, Surasena and Panchala.[5]

In a battle with a Muslim Sultan, possibly Ibrahim Shah during the reign of King Sivasimha, many different warriors were mentioned including Commander Suraja, Śri Śakho Sanehi Jha, Pundamalla who was an expert in archery and Rajadeva (Raut) who was considered to be a matchless warrior.[5]

The frequent moving of capitals and also the founding of new villages resulted in a range of new infrastructure financed by the dynasty, taking such forms as roads, temples, ponds and forts. In addition, the rulers were significant patrons of Maithili culture.[6] Their era has been called the epitome of the Maithili language, with the contributions of the poet Vidyapati, who flourished during the reign of Shiva Singh, being particularly notable.[7][6][8] This was a significant change from the Karnat era, whose rulers were not native to the area and which had been culturally stagnant.[1]

Sugauna became the core of linguistic and philosophical development of the Hindu religion.[8]

The last of the Oiniwar rulers was Laxminath Singh Deva who died fighting against the Nusrat Shah.[2] Following Laxminath Singh Deva's death there was a period of lawlessness in the region lasting around 40 years where various Rajput clans were battling for power.[9] After this emerged the another brahmin Khandawla dynasty of the Raj Darbhanga.[10]

According to historian Makhan Jha, the rulers of the Oiniwar dynasty are as follows:[2]

• Nath Thakur
• Atirupa Thakur
• Vishwarupa Thakur
• Govinda Thakur
• Lakshman Thakur
• Kameshwar Thakur
• Bhogishwar Thakur, ruled for over 33 years
• Ganeshwar Simha, reigned from 1355; killed by his cousins in 1371 after a long-running internecine dispute
• Kirti Simha
• Bhava Simha Deva
• Deva Simha
• Shiv Simha, died in 1416
• Lakshima, wife of Shiva Simha, ruled until her death in 1428
• Padma Simha, died in 1431
• Viswavasa Devi, wife of Padma Simha, died in 1443
• Hara Simha Deva, younger brother of Deva Simha
• Nara Simha Deva, died in 1460
• Dhir Simha Deva
• Bhairva Simha Deva, died in 1515, brother of Dhir Simha Deva
• Rambhadra Deva
• Laxminath Simha Deva, died in 1526

Jha also refers to the predecessors of Nath Thakur as "kings" but this contradicts his own explanation of when the family became rulers. Those predecessors are Jayapati Thakur and Hingu Thakur.[2]

• History of Mithila Region

Notes

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