Maithil community is one of the five divisions or Panch Gaur of Brahmin caste in northern India. It is said that the Maithil Brahmins have at one time practised magic. They reside in and around Mithila in the northern part of Bihar. Since the earliest times, Mithila or Bihar has been famous for the cultivation of Sanskrit literature, and Yajnavalkya is also said to be as a native of this country. The head of this sub-caste of Brahmins is known as the Maharaja. Family disputes are referred to him for a final decision. The Maithil Brahmins are believed to be the worshipers of Shakti. Maithil community constitutes a part of the ancient Vedic Brahmins.

The name `Mithila` goes back to Puranic times. It occurs in the Mahabharata and in Pali literature. According to the Puranic tradition the name has been derived from that of Mithi (son of Nimi) King of Ayodhya and grandson of Manu who founded a kingdom which was called Mithila after him. It is associated with Valmiki, Ashtavakra, Yajnavalkya, Udayana, Mahavira, Kanada, Jaimini and Kapila as well as the women philosophers, such as, Gargi, Maitreyi, Bharati and Katyayani. After the era of the Ramayana it is said that the three seats of culture in Vedic period - Kosala, Kasi and Videha - merged to form the Vajjian confederacy and the centre of political gravity shifted from Mithila to Vaisali.

The emperor of Magadh, Ajatashatru, annexed the states of the confederation the 5th century BC. After the Mauryas, a number of rulers captured Mithila. It was only 1500 years after the fall of the Vajjian confederacy that the glory of Mithila was restored in AD 1097 with the establishment of the kingdom of Karnatas by Nanyadeva, who came from the Deccan. After this the kingdom passed to the Tughlaqs and then ultimately to the Mughal Dynasty. It wasAkbar who handed over Mithila to Maharaja Mahesa Thakkura, the founder of the Darbhanga Raj. This was a dominant force and represented the highest class of Brahmins. It produced three illustrious maharajas in the last century: Lakshmishvar Singh, Rameshvar Singh and Kameshvar Singh. Rameshvar Singh was a great Tantrik and a Sanskrit scholar as was his son, Kameshvar Singh. All of them promoted learning, culture and Sanskrit and English education.

The region where Maithil Brahmin community belongs was greatly influenced by Buddhism too. Other philosophies that shaped this community are the Navyanyaya School of philosophy. This school was piloted by Gangesa Upadhya, an outstanding mimamsakar. He lived during the time of the Karnata king, Bhava Simha. As far as religion is concerned the Maithil community chiefly worships Lord Shiva, Shakti and Lord Vishnu. In honour of their lord they wear threefold mark on their forehead.