| Shiva Simha Singh | |
|---|---|
| Maharaja of Mithila | |
 | |
| Maharaja ofMithila | |
| Reign | 1412–1416 |
| Predecessor | Devasimha |
| Successor | Lakhima Devi |
| Born | Sivasimha |
| Consort | Lakhima Devi |
| Wives |
|
| House | Oiniwar Dynasty |
| Father | Devasimha |
| Mother | Hasini Devi |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Shiva Simha Singh, also known asSivasimha, was a king of theOiniwar dynasty inMithila.[1] He was also referred to asRūpanārāyana. He declared himself independent and stopped paying taxes toIbrahim Shah ofJaunpur Sultanate, who invaded Mithila but was defeated.[citation needed]
Mithila, Bengal and Arakanese accounts say that King Sivasimha helped another Brahmin ruler and his friend,Raja Ganesha ofBengal, defeating theJaunpur Sultanate inBengal-Jaunpur conflict. Ganesha had previously freed Bengal from Muslim occupation.[2]
Sivasimha was born in aMithila Brahmin family of KingDevasimha and Hasini Devi.[3][4] His grandfather wasBhavasimha, the king of the Oiniwar Dynasty before Devasimha.[5] Sivasimha was married to six wives, of whomLakhimadevi was the most notable and scholarly wife. She ruled Mithila in his absence fromBanauliraj for 12 years from 1416 to 1428. She sacrificed herself into fire in aSati ritual after 12 years waiting for Sivasimha. Padmavati was the eldest wife of the Sivasimha, who also ruled Mithila for three years.[citation needed]
Sivasimha ruledMithila between 1412 and 1416. He took active part in the kingdom's administration since he was 15, when his father, KingDevasimha, was alive.[6] He transferred his capital from Devakuli to Gajarathapur (also known as Shiv Singhpur) nearDarbhanga .[4][7]
The people ofMithila remember him for digging several large tanks in several villages of the kingdom. Among these tanks, the tanks in villages Rajokhari, and Barh are associated with various proverbs. He issued gold coins, two specimens of which were found at Pipra village ofChamparan district in 1913. On those coins were the inscriptions "Shri" on the obverse and "Shiva" on the reverse, which indicates that the coins were minted during the reign of Sivasimha. He was called asPanchagaudeshwara by the poet Vidyapati.[8] He grantedBisfi village in the presentMadhubani district to his friendVidyapati for his poems Kirtilata and Kirtipataka.[9] He is also said to have erected a Mausoleum known as Mamoon Bhanja at Jaruha, nearHajipur.
In his copper plate grant toVidyapati, he claimed to have won the kings ofGauda and Gajjanpur. He was also involved in theBengal–Jaunpur confrontation.[10]
He led an expedition against Gauda to extend his rule over that land. Sivasimha thought of conquering this newly converted Muslim ruler. He defeatedJalaluddin Muhammad Shah, the Sultan of Bengal, and annexed major portions of the sultanate while making his region free.[11]