Visit Janakpur and Explore Mithila

Janakpur is the birth place of Sita, the consort of lord Ram. Ram was a great noble & democratic King at the period of Treta Yuga (Ramayana), is situated 375 km. south of Kathmandu in the Tarai plans. It is also a historical capital of Mithila Pradesh. The King of Mithila Pradesh was King Janak, a father of Sita. Sight seeing places are – Janaki Mandir, Ram Mandir, Dulha Dulhi Mandir, Vivaaha Mandap, Hanuman Temple, Sankata Mochan, Matihani Temple, Jaleshwore Temple, Dhanusha Dham, The holy Ponds & Maithili art Gallery.

How to Access: Janakpur is approximately 390 kilometers and 10 hour drive from Kathmandu. Buses to district headquarters Janakpur city leave from Central Bus Station, Gongabu, in Kathmandu. One can also take a 40-minute flight to Janakpur city from Kathmandu. Dhanushadham which is 18 kilometers is an hour drive from Janakpur. Public transportation is available to Dhanushadham from the city area.

Food and Accomodation: Luxury hotels to budget accommodation and food facilities are available in Janakpur city. Dharmashalas are also available for pilgrims at Dhanushadham site. Food is delicious with Indian culinary touch. Varieties of sweets and vegetarian specialties are available for devot Hindus. Other tourist facilities are also available in Janakpur city.

When to Visit: The best months to visit Dhanushadham is between October-March. The weather is hot, humid during summers and pleasant during winters, with maximum rain between June-August.

Festival celebrated with much pomp and joy are: Ram Navami during Dashain in October, Vivah Panchami that celebrates Ram-Sita union in November, the famous Terai festival of Chhath Parba also in November, Maghe Sankranti in January, and Holi in February or March when thousands of devotees carry out Parikrama of Janakpur and nearby sacred sites.

Predominant Culture: Diverse cultural groups live in the district of Dhanusha. Yadavs, Teli, Brahmins, Kayastha, Tharu, Musahar, Rajput, and Chhetri, are the main inhabitants of these villages. Most are farmers by occupation. The whole region is also considered center of the Maithali culture, therefore Maithali art and culture is predominant in this area.

Places to Visit:

Janaki Mandir: Janaki Mandir also known as Naulakha Mandir is dedicated to Sita who is also known by the name Janaki. A rare blend of Mughal and Rajput architecture, the temple is the first and only example of its kind in Nepal. The temple has a beautiful garden and an adorned Vivah Mandap or wedding courtyard dedicated to Ram and Sita. The temple is in Janakpur city, the headquarters of Dhanusha district.

Rama Mandhir: Visit the Rama Mandhir, a pagoda-style temple built in 1882, which is located south-east of the Janaki Mandhir. On the Rama Nawami or also written as Ram Navami festival (the celebration of Lord Ram's Birthday), this temple gets thousands of visitors. Ram Nawami is also called as Chaitay Dashain, and it falls on Chaitra 13 2063 (Nepali Calendar) or April 27 2007 (English Calendar)

Dhanusha Mandir: Dhanusha Mandir in Dhanushadham is a historical temple constructed in 1939 A.D. Dhanushadham falls on the resting place of Parikrama route that has special significance to Hindus. It is situated 18 kilometers north east of Janakpurdham and only 10 kilometers from Dharapani on East-West Highway.

Dhanusha forest: Dhanusha forest is in a close approximate to Dhanusa Dham temple. The forest covers an area of about 36 square kilometer. Big trees, bushes and a big pond with an area of about (7 – 8 Bighas) hectares exist inside the forest. Though the pond is in dilapidated condition, however, after some minor reparation and cleaning, sports and other pleasure activities for tourists could be initiated smoothly. To make the forest more attractive, a beautiful garden and a park for the tourists can be developed inside the forest. Similarly, natural habitats could be reinstated to make the forest livelier. This could also be the ideal place for picnic lovers.

Parashuram Kunda: previously known as Janak Sarobar holds historical as well as cultural significance. It is believed to be the pond where Rishi Parashuram bathed to quell his anger after his confrontation with Ram over breaking of the sacred bow. The lake is also picturesque, with lotus flowers growing on it and lush trees on its southern banks. The lake in Mithileshwor Nikas VDC is 4 kilometers west from Dhanushadham. It falls on the way to Dhanushadham from Janakpurdham.

Prigrimage Sites: There are several other pilgrimage sites in and around Dhaunsha area. Among the many temples are Ram mandir, Ganesh Mandir, Shiva mandir, Hanuman Mandir, Ram Krishna Mandir, Panchamukhi Hanuman Mandir, Baba Makhandada Kuti, Subba Kuti, and others. Jaleshwor Mahadev in Jaleswor is another popular temple in the nearby area. The temple of Jaleswor Mahadev was built by the King Girban Bir Bikram Shah Dev in 1867 B.S.

Some other popular pilgrimage sites are: Maithani, where there are 12 temples and 8 ponds dedicated to different deities; Madai, where the temple of Muneswor Mahadev is situated; Kanchan Ban, where popular temples in the area are situated; Parbata, where a temple of Hanuman is situated; Karuna, where the famous temple of Ram Janaki is a major attraction.

For more details about Mithila and Janakpur, please visit:

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Janakpur

Mithila, the birth place of Hindu goddess, Sita and the great medieval poet Vidyapati, was part of the ancient kingdom of Videha during the later Vedic age. Tirabhikti was another name from Mithila, which was first to make contact with oriental cultures, and consequently strengthened its own.

Mithila, the birth place of Hindu goddess, Sita and the great medieval poet Vidyapati, was part of the ancient kingdom of Videha during the later Vedic age. Tirabhikti was another name from Mithila, which was first to make contact with oriental cultures, and consequently strengthened its own.

Historically, the name Mithila has been more frequently used for a somewhat fluid cultural region than for a definite political or geographical unit. The Land of Mithila comprised the present districts Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Vaishali, Muzzaffarpur, Champaran, Mongyr, Saharsa, and Purnea of North Bihar, India and Terai under Nepal lying between the districts of Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Saptari, Rautahat, Sunsari and Morang. Its total area was 25,000 sq miles.

Mithila was the center of spiritual as well as intellectual discourses and discussions. In the history of human thought, it has carved out for itself a place of unique distinction .The origin of Mithila is shrouded in mystery. There are varieties of stories regarding this aspect. According to Ramayana (great Hindu epic) an early king of Videha dynasty was Mithi by name. Thus it is clear that the name Mithila was conferred to the capital of Videha was conferred to the capital of Videha from that very Mithi. This very king Mathav of Mithila was called as Mahadev by the Buddhista.

The Buddhist literature does know Jayanta but speaks of Mithila only accordance to Dipavams, Mahavamse, Majjim Nikaya King Makahdava is regarded as the founder of a royal line at Mithila, who left the worldly life when he saw grey hair on his head. According to Digh-Nikaya Mahagovinda-Suttanta, Mithila was founded by Mahagovinda, the steward of king Renu. This in the Buddhist tradition, the founder of the royal line Videha was Mahadeva, who was represented as the king of Mithila. The Kalpasutra, Jain literature, gives a list of forty-two rainy seasons spent by Mahavira Jain, since he renounced the life of householder. As per the commentary of Kalpasutra, Mithila was the capital of the prosperous kingdom of Videhas. It is identified with Janakpur, a small town in southeast of Nepal.

Mithila has witnessed the rise and fall of great monarchies and republics. Long before the advent of the Buddha, and also during his life time, the eight clans including the Videhas and the Lichhavis in habiting this land formed the confederation of the Vrijis and established the famous republic, probably the oldest one in the history of the world. The Maurya dynasty and subsequently Gupta dynasty ruled this territory. The exit of Guptas was promptly followed by Karnata dynasty under the leadership of Nayadev in 1097. The foundation of this new dynasty- Karnata or Simaron dynasty- ushered in a new era, an era of kingdom- making. Under Nanyadev and his descendants, Mithila gradually recovered her old glory and became a unique center of philosophy, law and literature.

In the early nineteenth century, Prithivi Narayan Shah of Gorkha Kingdom, unite the several kingdoms of hills and plains and became the founder of modern Nepal. Since then Mithila Kingdom merged in two countries Nepal and India.

At present, the town of Janakpur, in the northern Nepali section of Mithila, is believed to be Janak's old capital. Now, Janakpur is a Hindu pilgrimage site with legendary history. The Ramayana records a dynastic marriage between Prince Rama of Ayodhya and Sita, the daughter of Raja Janak of Mithila. And Sita is a maithi girl.Each year Janakpur celebrates Ram’s birthday and his marriage anniversary. People come to Janakpur from all over the world to see the Janaki Mandir, a Mogul- style temple dedicated to Sita. Janakpur was once the capital of a kingdom called Maithili whose territory extended into present day Bihar and it remains today the center of Maithili culture in Nepal.

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