Oiniwar dynasty

The rulers of the Oiniwar dynasty governed Mithila between 1325 and 1526 In 1325, following the collapse of the Karnat dynasty in 1324, Nath Thakur became the first Oiniwar ruler. The dynasty that followed him comprised a further twenty rulers. Demise The last of the Oiniwar rulers was Laxminath Singh Deva. Following Laxminath Singh Deva's death there was a period of lawlessness in the region of Mithila lasting around 30 years where various Rajput clans were trying and battling for power. but after this finally emerged the Maithil Brahmin dynasty of the Raj Darbhanga who took the control of Mithila. ==Capitals==

Unlike the Karnats who preceded them, who kept the large citadel of Simraungadh as their capital, the Oiniwars mainly operated out of various villages in Mithila. When the latter died in 1416, his queen, Lakshima, governed the kingdom for 12 years from Banauli Vidyapati Dih and then was succeeded by his brother, Padmasimha, who moved the capital once more to Padma, named after its founder, this was near to Rajnagar and a long way from the previous seat. Padmasimha, who ruled for three years, was succeeded by his wife, Vishwasa Devi, and she, too, founded a new capital which is today the village of Vishual. ==Military==

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 direct control of the military. 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 Maithil Brahmin the vanguard consisted of mercenaries from Kurukshetra, Matsya, Surasena and Panchala. In a battle with a Muslim Sultan during the reign of King Sivasimha, many different warriors were mentioned including Commander Suraja, Śri Śakho Sanehi Jha, Pundamalla Miśra who was an expert in archery and Rajadeva (Raut) who was considered to be a matchless warrior. ==Society==

at the Kandaha Sun Temple in Saharsa district, (c. 1435 A.D.) 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. Their era has been called the epitome of the Maithili language. The contributions of the poet and scholar Vidyapati, who flourished during the reign of Shiva Simha Singh, are particularly notable. This was a significant change from the Karnat era, whose rulers were not native to the area and which had been culturally stagnant. These deeds were written on palm leaves and are in the Maithili language. A number of these deeds date back to the reign of Bhairavasimha and his name is indicated in the writing. One deed has also been found dating to the rule of Bhairavasimha's son, Ramabhadra. Several intermediaries were generally used in the selling of slaves who helped to fix the price and witnesses were used to confirm the sale. Conditions were attached to the deed including that the slave was not allowed to flee and the owner had authorisation to bring the slave back even if they were to flee under the royal throne (rajasimhasanatalagatapi). The deeds for sale in Mithila would also indicate the tasks expected of the slave. Many of the deeds that have been recovered also indicate that individuals would have offered themselves up to be enslaved for a price. ==Historiography==

who was a poet in the Oiniwar court The chief source of information regarding the Oiniwars is the writings of the poet, Vidyapati who served in the courts of seven kings and two queens belonging to the dynasty. The Kīrtilatā for example was a prose poem by Vidyapati which was commissioned by the Oiniwar king, Kirtisimha. Other sources of information regarding the Oiniwars include inscriptions and mentions in local texts. Coinage So far, coins of two rulers belonging to the Oiniwar dynasty have been discovered; Sivasimha and Bhairavasimha. Several gold coin specimens were recovered from the reign of Sivasimha in 1913. These gold coins bore the legend, Sri Sivasya and due to their limited number, it was likely that the coins were meant for limited circulation rather than for general use. Bhairavasimha also issued silver coins in his name which were recovered from the village of Bairmo in Darbhanga district. These coins were examined by the historian and numismatist, Dineshchandra Sircar who deciphered the text as: mahārajā-śrī-Darppanārāyan-ātmaja-Tirabhukti-rāja-śri-Bhairavasimhasya. This translates to; "Bhairavasimha, Lord of Tirabhukti and son of Lord Darppanārāyana". These coins were likely issued in the fifteenth year of his reign roughly corresponding to 1489-1490. ==Rulers==

A geneaology of the Oiniwars can be reconstructed as follows: ==See also==