Maithon is a census town in Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is situated on the banks of river Barakar.The name has been derived from Maithan or Mai-Ka-Than(Hindi) or Ma-Er-Than(Bengali), the "than" being an apa-bhransha or a local pronunciation of Sanskrit/Bengali "Sthan" for "place". The place of Mai or Ma or mother, refers to Goddes Durga or Ma Kalyaneswari of the famous Kalyaneswari temple nearby.