Maithili Music is one of the most ancient types of music in the Indian subcontinent. It originated from Mithila, a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothills of the Himalayas in the north.[1][2] It comprises certain parts of Bihar and Jharkhand of India[3] and adjoining districts of the eastern Terai of Nepal.[4][5]No one knows exactly when Maithili Music came into existence, probably due to the length of its history, but its age indicates that it might have helped other music develop and flourish in India and Nepal.It is believed that many new types of music forms have been sprouted from Maithili music as it is believed to be the oldest form of music is South Asia. Maithili music are played during a variety of ritual occasions, and it is believed that some of the most melodic music among them.[6] The music was generally based on the daily life of a common man which made it relatable to the audience and hence accepted on mass. Although Maithili Music is usually played by classical instruments, it has been modernized and now uses various modern instruments. Some significant contributors to this music style are Maha Kavi Vidyapati Thakur, Udit Narayan Jha, Sharda Sinha.[7] and new sensation Maithili Thakur (India's rising star Runner up 2017)."Music Maithili" is also name of maithili online musice streaming plate forum Maithili.com.np . Maithili traditional music is largest folk music of world wide.[8]
It is the folksong of Bhilini, one of the many Maithili Music classics, that influenced Gautam, the Buddha, to draw the essence of his all-time great philosophy -Madhyama marg. As a result, Mithila has been established as a great cultural center and Vidya-kshetra. It’s cultural, mainly scholastician, history dates back to millenniums. Its pristine glory is recorded in the Vedas and the Satpath Brahmana.[8]
Maithili Music is said to be the song of the gods. Many of the songs are used as way to pray to the gods. Songs relating to agriculture and Devotional songs are the two main type songs which can see as prayers to the God above. The songs describe the outstanding traits of the gods and goddesses and sometimes the traits of their worshipers. These songs called gosaunik git or gosaun .[9] The Maithili region lies in part of North India and Nepal which is wet and lush green as it is covered with bamboo structures, paddy fields and ponds . It is said to look like the resting place of goddess Kali and Durga which are prominent in the worship rites of the masses.[10] There many songs which are based on the surrounding are as if describing the beauty and the grandeur of the goddesses resting place
Furthermore, In South Asia where marriages for women are a religious event Maithili song are played to a great extent. Women most often classify wedding songs according to the name of the rituals, however generally the auspicious day of marriage begins with the Suhag song and concludes with the samdaun. However, singing many songs during weddings might be a bit problematic now due to the fact that now days people waste less time and pay less money for their weddings. Furthermore, there are some Maithili music that describe the hardships faced by woman in the Maithili region. Maithili women, located in south-eastern Nepal, are pitted against one another in their pursuit of security and resources in the context of patrilineal formations. There are many folksongs that talk about the injustice of woman at the hands of men and their many of the folksongs that talk about women thinking of counter measures and alternate ways to survive in the world dominated by men. This is also the time when themes of feminism started to appear in folksongs .[11]