Janakpur is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus all over the world. For Hindus, Janakpur is very important: the place where Goddess Sita was born, and married to Lord Rama—the most beloved Hindu couple. Explore Janakpur on our Janakpur Cultural Tour.
Janakpur Cultural tour highlights the very old civilization and culture from Terai dating back to Rigvedic period, arguably around 9th to 10th century BCE. This makes Janakpur one of the oldest and most famous cities of Nepal.
The centre of Janakpur is dominated by the impressive Janaki Mandir to the north and west of the bazaar. This temple, one of the biggest in Nepal, was built in 1898 by Queen Brisabhanu Kunwari and is also famously called “Nau Lakha Mandir” after the cost of construction which is said to have been nine lakh rupees.
Taking a stroll through the ancient Mithila city to experience the Terai culture of southern Nepal will lead you to the Ram Janaki Temple in the center of the city that draws allusions to the famous Hindu epic Ramayana.
Apart from the historic temples with its connection to ancient mythology, Janakpur is also known for its more than 200 scared ponds scattered throughout the city. Any pilgrimage is incomplete without a ritual bath in none of these ponds. The famous ones among them are Ganga Sagar, Dhanush Sagar and Ratna Sagar.
Since the whole region is considered the center of Maithili culture, Maithili art and culture is predominant in this area. Janakpur’s atmosphere is charged with an intense devotional zeal. New shrines are forever being inaugurated and idols installed, while loudspeakers broadcast religious discourses and the mesmerizing drone of bhajan.
The Janakpur calendar is marked by several highlights in the festival calendar, like Parikrama where as many as 100,000 people join the annual one-day circumambulation of the city on the day of the February/March full moon, and Chhath where women bathe in Janakpur’s ponds and line them with elaborate offerings to the sun god in October/November.
But if you have made up your mind that Janakpur is only about temples, religion and pilgrimage then think again. Janakpur is home to the ancient Milthila culture, Mithila art and Indian styled sweets.
The very minimal, stylistic feminine shapes with bright colours make Mithila art one of the most recognized art styles around the world. These and the various indian styled sweets make Janakpur the epitome of cultural diversity in Nepal. Infact, around the Ram Janaki temple, you will be surprised to find the large muslim population living in harmony along with the majority Hindu population.
Janakpur is approximately 390 km and 10-hour drive from Kathmandu or daily flights are also available that take you bring you from the capital in about 40-minutes. There is also the only operational railway line of Nepal in Janakpur. But this railway line is only directly connected to India. This also makes it one of the top reasons for tourists to come to Janakpur.
Legends, folk songs and dance by the locals dressed in traditional attire, keep the bygone eras of kingdoms, palaces and legends alive for you to see on our distinctively mythical tour.
