Sitamarhi Sita Birthplace Janakpur Pilgrimage Corridor Bihar

Sitamarhi district in Bihar is revered in Hindu tradition as the birthplace of Sita — the consort of Lord Ram — at the Punaura Dham site where King Janaka is believed to have found the infant Sita while ploughing a field for a yajna. The site is the Indian terminus of the Ramayana pilgrimage corridor that connects Sitamarhi across the Nepal border to Janakpur (Janakpurdham) in Madhesh Province, where Sita's father Janaka's palace and the Janaki Mandir — a 1911 CE white Mughal-Rajput style temple — form the principal pilgrimage complex. The India-Nepal Ramayana circuit has been developed as a joint tourism initiative with bus connections between Sitamarhi, Janakpur, and Ayodhya established for pilgrims seeking to trace Sita's journey. Mithila women on both sides of the border perform the same Mithila painting tradition at Sita-linked ceremonies. Punaura Dham receives heavy pilgrimage during Vivah Panchami (the lunar anniversary of Ram and Sita's marriage) when tens of thousands of devotees gather from Bihar, UP, and Nepal.