Mandana Bharati Dham

Mandan Bharti Dham is a historically significant site and a residential location associated with the Indian Vedic philosopher Mandana Mishra. It is situated in Mahishi village, within the Saharsa district in the Mithila region of Bihar, India. This site holds great reverence as a Hindu pilgrimage destination. Notably, it was the location where a significant Shastrartha occurred between two eminent Indian scholars, Adi Guru Shankaracharya and Mandana Mishra, within the Sanatana tradition. In this Shastrartha, Ubhay Bharati, the wife of Mandana Mishra was chosen as the impartial judge to adjudicate the philosophical discourse. Moreover, this location served as an educational center for the study of the Mimansa Shastra in Mithila. The Mimansa Shastra is one of the six schools of Indian philosophy.

History

It is said that a university was once located here whose Chancellor was Mandan Mishra. In the 8th-9th century, Adi Guru Shankaracharya came to Mahishi to debate with Mandan Mishra on Advaita Vedanta. It is said that the debate continued for 42 days. Alan Thraser, the scholar of Harvard University did his PhD on Mandan Mishra's work Brahmasiddhi in 1972. It was later published by Motilal Banarasi Das Prakashan. In 2015, the state government of Bihar declared it as a protected religious site. The initiative for declaring the site as protected religious site was initiated by the state archeological department. The site was also inspected by the local chapter of the Archeological Survey of India.