Karnats of Mithila

The Karnats of Mithila or Karnata dynasty (Karṇāṭa) was a dynasty established in 1097 CE by Nanyadeva. The dynasty had its main stronghold in the citadel of Simraungadh which was situated on the Bihar-Nepal border with excavations showing that parts of the fort were situated in what is now Indian territory while the rest falls within what is now Nepalese territory. The city of Darbhanga also became the second capital during the reign of Gangadeva. The kingdom controlled the areas we today know as Tirhut or Mithila in the Bihar state of India and Nepal. This region is bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the Himalayas in the North. Under the Karnats, Mithila enjoyed almost full sovereignty from 1097 until 1324.

According to French orientalist and indologist Sylvain Lévi, Nanyadeva established his supremacy over Simraungadh probably with the help of the Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI. After the reign of Vikramaditya VI in 1076 CE, he led a successful military campaign against the Pala dynasty and the Sena dynasty. During the reign of Harisimhadeva, the Karnats also carried out raids into Nepal with the Karnat army under the leadership of the general and minister, Caṇḍeśvara Ṭhakkura.