The Maithili language and literature developed greatly in Mithila during the rule of which dynasty (11th-14th centuries)?

Maithili language and literature developed greatly in Mithila (north Bihar) during the rule of the Karnata dynasty, from the late 11th to the early 14th centuries.

About the Karnata dynasty of Mithila:

• It was founded by Nanyadeva in 1097 CE.
• Its capital was at Simraongadh (in present-day Nepal, near the Bihar border).
• The rulers originally came from Karnataka (hence the name), possibly as part of the armies of the Chalukyas of Kalyani that invaded eastern India.
• They were patrons of learning, music and literature.
• The last king, Harisimhadeva, was forced to flee to Nepal in 1324-25 CE, after an invasion by the Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.

Maithili literature under the Karnatas:

• The famous early Maithili prose work "Varna Ratnakara" was written by Jyotirishwar Thakur, a poet at the court of Harisimhadeva, in the early 14th century.
• It is one of the earliest prose works in any north Indian language.
• It describes the life, customs, music and arts of the time, and is like an encyclopaedia.
• The Karnata period also saw the development of the "Panji" system of genealogical records among Maithil Brahmanas, said to have been started by Harisimhadeva.

Later developments:

• After the Karnatas, the Oiniwar dynasty ruled Mithila in the 14th-16th centuries.
• The great poet Vidyapati (about 1352-1448 CE), the most famous poet of Maithili, wrote love poems about Radha and Krishna, and lived at the court of the Oiniwar rulers.

About the Maithili language:

• It is an Indo-Aryan language, spoken in north Bihar and the Terai region of Nepal.
• It is written in the Devanagari script, and traditionally in the "Tirhuta" (Mithilakshar) script.
• It was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India by the 92nd Amendment Act, 2003.
• It is the second most spoken language in Nepal.
• Mithila is also famous for "Madhubani" (Mithila) painting.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Oiniwar dynasty ruled later, in the time of Vidyapati.
• ✗Good to know
• ✗The Palas ruled Bengal and Bihar earlier.
• ✗The Senas ruled Bengal.