Steeped in legend, mystique and religious calm, Janakpur is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus. According to the epic Ramayana, Sita, Lord Ram’s wife was ‘found’ here, not in the reeds like Moses but beneath the ground. Named after her father, the King Janak, Janakpur still commands the respect that it must have commanded as the capital of the ancient state of Mithila. There is little here by way of testimony to a glorious past; the temples are barely more than a century old, but the most important, the Janaki (daughter of Janak i.e. Sita) temple, has a 17^th century silver idol that is said to have been found at the same spot as the goddess herself had been.

The Janaki Mandir, the Ram Janaki Vivaha temple (reputedly the site of the divine wedding), sacred ponds or tanks like the Ganga Sagar and the Dhanush Sagar are some of the important religious sites in Janakpur.

Getting There: Janakpur can be reached quite easily by road, car or bus. The town is almost at the border with India, 165 km from the border town of Birganj. The road trip to Kathmandu would take about 8 hours, but domestic flights do connect the capital to Janakpur as well.

Within the town, rickshaws are very efficient with the centre of town being closed to motorised traffic. Naturally, Janakpur is a largely unpolluted place. There are a couple of mid-rung motels which would pass for accommodation… enough to rest your head on a pillow.

When in Janakpur, do pick up something from the local Women’s Development Centre. They continue to pass on the legacy of Madhubani art from mother to daughter. Traditional motifs of elephants, peacocks, bamboo groves, turtles, fish and scenes from daily life are painted bright and bold on walls of mud huts, fabric and paper.