Janakpur

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Janakpur, 75,000 inhabitants, is a city in the Dhanusha District, southern Terai, Nepal, approximately 200 km south-east of Kathmandu, 22 km from the Indian border.

The city is centre of the ancient Maithili culture with its own language and script. Janakpur also is the birthplace of Sita Devi, a Hindu goddess (also called Janaki), the heroin of the Ramayana epos and it is the site of her wedding with Rama, a Hindu god. King Janak is supposed to have found baby Sita in a furrow of a field; he took the child home and raised it. When she was a young lady the king announced that she should be wed by whoever is able to string the devine bow of Shiva. That was no other than Rama, a prince from Ayodhya. Thus, Janakpur is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus. The centre of Janakpur is dominated by the impressive Janaki Mandir to the north and west of the bazaar. This temple was built in 1911 and is in many aspects reminiscent of islamic architecture. Another landmark of Janakpur are the numerous sacred ponds for ritual baths (sagar) all over the city. The 2 most important ones are close to the centre: Dhanush Sagar and Ganga Sagar.

The Maithili language is still widely spoken in the area as well as in the neighbouring Indian state of Bihar. Maithili women are renown for their traditional art, most of all their paintings on pottery, walls and court yards. Typically, Maithili dwellings are made of clay and straw with an inner court yard.