Janakpurdham, also known as Janakpurdham, is one of the historical and
religious city of Nepal. Janakpur is the administrative headquarter of
Dhanusa District of the Janakpur Zone and has a population of
approximately 80,000. Janakpur has a substantial tourist industry due to
its significance in the Hindu religion and is home to the only
operational railway in Nepal, the Janakpur Railway.Janakpur,
historically called Mithilanchal, is the centre of the ancient Maithil
culture, which has its own language and script.The first
millennium BC text Shatapatha Brahmana tells that the king Māthava
Videgha, led by his priest Gotama Rahugana, first crossed the Sadānirā
(Gandaka) river and founded the kingdom of Videha, whose capital city
was Mithila. As Gotama Rahugana composed many hymns in the Rgveda,
these events must date to the Rgvedic period.
The most
important historical reference to Mithila/Janakpur is in the Hindu epic
Ramayana, where Lord Rama's wife Sita Devi (also called Janaki) is
said to have been the princess of Videha. Her father, King Janak, found
baby Sita in a furrow of a field and raised her as his daughter. When
she grew up, the king announced that she should be wed by whoever was
able to string the divine bow of Shiva. Though many royal suitors
tried, Lord Rama, prince of Ayodhya, alone could even lift the bow. As
Rama and Sita are major figures in Hinduism, Janakpur is an important
pilgrimage site for Hindus
