The name 'Mlthila' goes back to Puranic times. It occurs in the Mahabharata and in Pall literature. According to the Puranic tradition the name has been derived from that of Mithi (son of Nimi) King of Ayodhya and grandson of Manu who founded a kingdom which was called Mithila after him. It is associated with Valmiki, Ashtavakra, Yajnavalkya, Udayana, Mahavira, Kanada, Jaimini and Kapila as well as the women philosophers, such as Gargi. Maitreyi, Bharati and Katyayani. After the era of the Ramayana it is said that the three seats of culture in the Vedic period Kosala, Kasi and Videha merged to form the Vajjians confederacy and the center of political gravity shifted from Mithila to Vaishali.....Read more