Janaki Temple Sitamarhi - The Grand Janaki Janmasthali Temple

Janaki Mandir is about 1.5 km from Sitamarhi Railway Station and Bus Stand. It is the birth place of Mata Sita. Thousands of devotees visit the temple during Navratri and Ram Navami festivals. It is a fairly large temple with a modern structure. The main deities of the temple are Sri Rama, Sita and Hanuman. Janaki-Kund is adjacent to the temple to the south. A nearby tank famous as Janaki Kund is the place where King Janaka used to take daughter Sita to bathe as was the belief of popular mythology. There is a large courtyard and provision for solar powered lights. The large entrance of the temple warmly welcomes visitors to this holy place. There is a spacious courtyard inside to accommodate a large gathering of devotees.

 

According to Valmiki Ramayana, once there was a severe famine in Mithila and the priest there advised King Janaka of Videha to plough the fields. When King Janaka was ploughing, an earthen pot emerged from the ground in which Mata Sita was in infant stage. Punaura Dham is believed to be the place from where that earthen pot emerged, hence it is considered as the birthplace of Sita. Since she emerged from a plough when King Janaka was ploughing the land, he adopted her as his daughter and named her Sita, which means “plough” in Sanskrit and he also gave her the name Janaki, which means daughter of Janaka.

 

Punaura is in the Mithila region, also known as Tirhut or Tirbhukti, which has a history dating back to the Vedic period when it was one of the 16 Mahajanapadas of India, covering Bihar and adjoining areas of Nepal. It is believed that the present temple was built around 100 years ago which is not in very good condition now. The grand Janaki Janmasthali Temple will be constructed at Sitakund of Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi. The Bihar government has decided to acquire 50 acres of land around the existing temple for the construction of a new grand temple in Sitamarhi. On 13 December 2023, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar laid the foundation stone for the construction of a grand temple of Mata Sita at Punauradham in Sitamarhi.

 

The new grand temple will be built on the lines of Ayodhya. On 30 November 2024, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during her visit to the Mithila region that we have resolved to build a grand temple of Goddess Janaki at her birthplace like the temple of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. On 9 March 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing a cultural program Shashwat Mithila Mahotsav in Gandhinagar, said that a grand temple of Mother Janaki will soon be built in Mithila which will give the message of ideal life to the women power of the whole world. He performed Bhoomi Pujan for the construction of the temple in a religious ritual on 08 August 2025.

 

This temple will be constructed by Mahavir Mandir Trust of Patna. The design of the temple has been prepared by architect Piyush Sompura. Permission for the construction of the proposed temple has been received from the Bihar State Religious Trust Board. Excellent Makrana stone will be used in the construction of the proposed divine temple. Many facilities like Huge Gate, Circumambulation Path, Yagya Pavilion, Museum, Auditorium, Cafeteria, Children’s Play Area, Dharamshala for Pilgrims, Sita Vatika, Luv Kush Vatika, Parking Zones and Other Amenities will also be constructed in Punaura Dham.

 

Punaura Dham is considered to be the birthplace of Mata Sita. It is 5 km away from Sitamarhi city and is located near the India-Nepal border. Janaki Mandir is about 1.5 km from Sitamarhi Railway Station and Bus Stand.The nearest airport is Patna Airport (Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Airport) is around 180 kilometers away which is very well connected to the whole country. Devotees not only from Bihar but also from many states come here to visit the temple.