Named after the legendary King Janak, Janakpur was the
capital of the ancient Indian Kingdom Mithila, the native country of goddess
Sita, the wife of the Hindu god Rama and the heroine of the great Hindu epic
Ramayana. Today Janakpur stands as the most cleanest and interesting place
among all the towns of Terai.
Janakpur has become a great piligrimage site for Hindus
today. The most sacred sites are the Janaki Mandir, dedicated to goddess Sita,
the Ram Sita bibaha(marriage) mandir, built over the spot where Ram and Sita
were said to be married, Ram Mandir, dedicated to god Ram and the holy pond
Dhanush Sagar. Hundreds of Indian devotees come here every year to pay their
respect to the goddess at this temple.
Besides the religious importance, Janakpur is also the
center for the revival of the ancient Mithila art and craft. As a tradition,
Mithila women have always been decorating the walls of their houses with
paintings depicting figures from Hindu mythology in abstract forms, sometimes
resembling a mandala.
Getting Around
Janakpur is manageable on foot and the lack of car makes it
an absolute pleasure to walk Cycle rickshaws are plentiful and cheap; good for
visiting the semi-rural suburbs of Janakpur, with their village feel and many
water tanks.
Getting There
By "express" bus, Janakpur is 12 hours from Kathmanduand seven hours from Kakarbhitta. An easier way is to fly directly from Kathmanduwhich just takes around thirty to forty minutes. Flights from Kathmanduare three times weekly; the airport is two kilometer south of town.
Accomodation and food
There isn't much in the way of tourist hotels. Hotel Welcome
is the best, with rooms from Rs.45 to Rs.500 for an airconditioned suite. Food
is deliciously Indian influenced, with lot of sweets and vegetarian
specialities for devout Hindus, though the lack of menus may reduce you to sign
language or a point and eat system. Look around the bazaar or across from the
Janaki Mandir for tea stalls, sweet shops and restaurants.
