Madhesh Province

Madhesh Province (Nepali: मधेश प्रदेश) is a province in southeastern Terai region of Nepal bordering Koshi Pradesh to the east and the north, Bagmati Province to the north, and India’s Bihar state to the south and the west. It has an area of  covering about 6.5% of the country's total area. It has a population of 6,126,288 as per the 2021 Nepal census, making it Nepal's most densely populated province and smallest province by area.

The border between Chitwan National Park and Parsa National Park acts as provincial border in the west, and the Kosi River forms the provincial border in the east. The province includes eight districts from Parsa District in the west to Saptari District in the east. The majority of the province's population speaks Maithili, Bhojpuri and Bajjika.

It is a centre for religious and cultural tourism.
The first urban planned municipality of Nepal, Rajbiraj, is also the oldest municipality of the Terai belt of Nepal. The town is believed to have been named after the ancient Rajdevi Temple, which dates back to the 1700s. The metropolitan city of Birgunj is an economically important industrial centre and the only metropolitan city in the province.
Hari Shankar Mishra is the Head of Province while Saroj Yadav is the current Chief Minister.

Etymology
The word madhesh is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit madhya desh (मध्य देश), literally the middle country, which refers to "the central region, the country lying between the Himalaya and the Vindhya mountains". However, in the context of Nepal, Madhesh refers to the region in the Nepal Terai located south of the Siwalik Hills.
Madhesh has also been defined as the cultural and linguistic space existing as a basis for identity among the people of the Terai.

History
Madhesh Province was founded with the provisional name Province No. 2 in September 2015 in accordance with Schedule 4 of the Constitution of Nepal. It received its current name on 17 January 2022, when the provincial assembly declared Janakpur as its capital.

Demographics 
According to the 2021 Nepal census, the province has a population of 6,114,600: 3,065,751 males and 3,048,849 females. The province with 20.97% of the country's population has the second-highest population after Bagmati Province in the country, and is the densest province in the country with a density of 633 people per square kilometre.

Ethnic groups 
Maithils are the largest ethnolinguistic group. Yadav is the largest group among the Madhesi people in the province making up around 20% of the population. Muslims are the second largest group making up 11.59% of the population. Teli (5.10%), Koiri/Kushwaha (4.56%), Chamar (4.22%), Musahar (3.02%), Kurmi (2.83%), Dusadh (2.79%), Mallaah (2.26%), Maithil Brahmin (2.2%), and Karan Kayastha (1.5%) are other Madhesi pandit (8.0) groups in the province.

Bahun and Chhetri are the largest Khas Arya groups in the province making up 2.34% and 1.99% of the population, respectively. Tharu (5.27%) and Dhanuk (3.49%) is the largest non-Madhesi, non-Khas Arya group followed by Tamang (2.17%).

Languages 
Maithili language including its dialect Bajjika is spoken as the mother tongue by 60.04% of the population in the province. Bhojpuri language is spoken by 18.59% and of the population. Despite being the province's official language, Nepali is spoken as mother tongue by only 6.56% of the population. Urdu (5.88%), Tharu (3.77%) and Tamang (1.94%) are other languages spoken by a minority of the population.
The Language Commission of Nepal has recommended Maithili, Bhojpuri and Bajjika as official languages of the province. The commission has also recommended Urdu, Tharu and Tamang to be additional official languages, for specific regions and purposes in the province.

Religion 
Hinduism is the most followed religion in the province being followed by 84.75% of the population. Islam is the second largest religion with 11.55% of the population being Muslims and Buddhism is followed by 3.01% of the population.

Geography 
As per Central Bureau of Statistics, Madhesh Province covers about  of Nepal's total area of . With 6,114,600 inhabitants as of 2021, it is Nepal's second most populous province.
Madhesh Province is surrounded by the Chitwan District to the west, Makwanpur District and Sindhuli District and Udayapur District to the north, Sunsari District to the east, and India to the south.
It is located in the Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal. Koshi River on its eastern side is a natural border with Koshi Province. Madhesh Province has eight districts. Koshi River, Bagmati River, Kamla River, Lakhandei River and Bishnumati River are the main rivers of the province.

Cities

Climate

Government and administration

Executive 

The Governor acts as the head of the province while the Chief Minister is the head of the provincial government. The present Governor and Chief Minister are Hari Shankar Mishra and Saroj Yadav respectively.

Legislative 

The province has 107 provincial assembly constituencies and 32 constituencies.

Madhesh Province has a unicameral legislature, like all of the other provinces in Nepal. The term length of provincial assembly is five years. The Provincial Assembly of Madhesh Province is temporarily housed at the District Education Office in Janakpur.

Judiciary 
The Chief Judge of the Janakpur High Court is the head of the judiciary. The acting chief justice is Binod Sharma.

Administrative subdivisions

Madhesh Province is divided into eight districts, which are listed below. A district is administrated by the head of the District Coordination Committee and the District Administration Officer. The districts are further divided into municipalities or rural municipalities. The municipalities include one metropolitan city, three sub-metropolitan cities, and 73 municipalities. There are 59 rural municipalities in the province.

Local level government

Infrastructure

Transport 

Madhesh Province has no difficult terrains which seems to be good for infrastructure development however it is prone to flooding and submerging. It is the only province with a passenger serviceable railway line in Nepal.

Roadways 
The major connecting link for the province is the Mahendra Highway, which runs longitudinally across the province. All major cities of the province remain disconnected from this highway. Janakpurdham, Rajbiraj , Birgunj and Gaur lie 25,10, 24 and 42 kilometres south of the Mahendra Highway, respectively. The Tribhuvan Highway does not cross as much of the province as the Mahendra Highway, but it is most important link as it connects the province to Kathmandu and to the India. The starting point of Tribhuvan Highway i.e. Birgunj is the most important International Gateway and trade way for this province and entire country and hence known as "The Gateway of Nepal". In terms of revenue generation, Birgunj custom point is the largest. Birendra Highway which is connected to Mahendra highway from Headquarter of Rautahat district Gaur to the Chandranigahapur is  in length.

 Mahendra Highway (East West Highway) - Part
 Postal Highway - Part
 Tribhuvan Highway - Part
 BP Highway -  part

Railways 

A few other railway projects are under progress in the Madesh province All these projects are of Nepal Railways. Government of Nepal has proposed Janakpur as a Main Station for 1024 km east–west Metro Railway project and further be extended to India and China for connecting Nepal Railways with Indian Railways and China Railway for business and tourism promotion.

 Birgunj (Nepal) to Kathmandu (Nepal)
 Birgunj, Parwanipur (Nepal) to Raxaul (India)
 Birgunj (Nepal) to Kerung (China)
 Janakpur (Nepal) to Lhasa (China)
 Bardibas, Janakpur (Nepal) to Jainagar, Bihar (India)
 Janakpur (Nepal) to Kathmandu (Nepal)
 Janakpur (Nepal) to Biratnagar (Nepal)
 Janakpur (Nepal) to Birgunj (Nepal)

Domestic Airports:
Madhesh province has three domestic airports in use which are the busiest among the country.
 Rajbiraj Airport in Rajbiraj
 Janakpur Airport in Janakpur
 Simara Airport in Pipara Simara  (BARA) close to Birgunj and Kalaiya

International Airport:
 Nijgadh International Airport in Nijgadh is under construction.

Culture

Mithila Paag

The Paag is a headdress in the Mithila region of Nepal and India worn by Maithil people. It is a symbol of honour and respect and a significant part of Maithil culture. The Paag dates back to pre-historic times when it was made of plant leaves. It exists today in a modified form. The Paag is wore by the whole Maithil community. The colour of the Paag also carries a lot of significance. The red Paag is worn by the bridegroom and by those who are undergoing the sacred thread rituals. Paag of mustard colour is donned by those attending wedding ceremonies and the elders wear a white Paag.

Paintings

Madhubani art is practiced in the Mithila region. It was traditionally created by the women of different communities of the Mithila region. This painting as a form of wall art was practiced widely throughout the region; the more recent development of painting on paper and canvas originated among the villages around Madhubani, and it is these latter developments that may correctly be referred to as Madhubani art.

Artists create these paintings using a variety of mediums, including their own fingers, or twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks. The paint is created using natural dyes and pigments. The paintings are characterised by their eye-catching geometrical patterns.

Cuisine

Maithil cuisine is a part of Nepalese cuisine. It is a culinary style which originated in Mithila. Some traditional Maithil dishes are:
 Curd-flattened rice
 Vegetable of Taro
 Ghugni
 pickles made of fruits and vegetables which are generally mixed with ingredients like salt, spices, and vegetable oils and are set to mature in a moistureless medium.
 Tarua of Coccinia grandis
 Bada
 Badee
 Yogurt 
 Irhar
 Pidukia  ( also known as Gujia) which is basically dumplings.
 Foxnut payas
 Anarsa
 Bagiya

Dances

Jhijhiya

Jhijhiya is a cultural dance from the Mithila region.
Jhijhiya is mostly performed at time of Dusshera, in dedication to Durga Bhairavi, the goddess of victory. While performing jhijhiya, women put lanterns made of clay on their head and they balance it while they dance.

Domkach

Domkach is a folk dance performed in Mithila and Bhojpur regions of Madhesh Province.

Jat Jatin

Jat Jatin is based on folk songs of Mithila and Tharu community which they perform from Shrawan Purnima to Bhadra Purnima. It is based on the love story of hero jat and heroine Jatin and their lives.

Gauna dance

The Dance is based in Mithila Tradition and popular in Janakpur region of Nepal. This dance is performed in the religious occasions.

Politics
As a political center of the country, Madhesh Province is home to prominent leaders like Ram Baran Yadav, Bimalendra Nidhi and Pradeep Giri from the Nepali Congress, Mahantha Thakur from Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Nepal, Matrika Yadav from CPN (Maoist Centre) and Dharmanath Prasad Sah, Bansidhar Mishra, Ram Chandra Jha from the CPN (Unified Socialist) who have been ministers at various point of time and are still active at National level. In local level, Nepali congress remains the single largest party.

Notable people 

 Ruby Rana, First miss Nepal
 Ram Baran Yadav, First president of Nepal
 Bimalendra Nidhi, MP and Former deputy prime minister
 CK Raut, MP of Saptari and Head of Janamat party
 Madhav Kumar Nepal, Former Prime minister
 Upendra Yadav, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister
 VTEN, Rapper 
 Pradeep Giri, Former socialist politician
 Bina Jaiswal, Nepalese Politician, Rastriya Prajatantra party

See also
Provinces of Nepal
List of districts in Nepal
Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Awas Yojana 
Nepali Congress, Madhesh Province

References

Works cited

External links 
Madhesh Pradesh
 
2
Mithila
2015 establishments in Nepal
States and territories established in 2015