Oiniwar dynasty

The Oiniwar dynasty, or Aainwar dynasty also known as the Sugauna dynasty, was a Maithil ruling dynasty of territories that form part of the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. They governed the area between 1325 and 1526, being preceded by the Karnat dynasty. Following the demise of the dynasty, emerged the dynasty of the Raj Darbhanga. The rulers of the Oiniwar dynasty governed their lands between 1325 and 1526 however their rule from 1526 till 1526 have been not very well documented/fruitfuil. 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. 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 or Soit. In 1325, following the collapse of the Karnat dynasty in 1324, Nath Thakur became the first Maithil ruler. The dynasty that followed him comprised a further 20 rulers. The recent studies and appearance of Aurangzed dictat from 1685 AD suggest that this family continued to be treated as King of Mithila and the Khandwalas were subordinate to them. It was not until the early 18th century that the Khandwalas became prominent and were recognised as King by AliVardi Khan. 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.