Janaki Mandir Sitamarhi

Getting there

• By train

  An Amrit Bharat Express was set to give a direct rail link between Sitamarhi and New Delhi, via several important places in Bihar. Union Minister Amit Shah was to flag it off by video conference from Sitamarhi.

• By road

  Auto-rickshaws and buses run from Sitamarhi town to Punaura village, where the temple stands about 5 km away.

Rules to know

• Visitors remove their footwear before entering and offer prayers respectfully.

Why devotees come here

Punaura Dham, about 5 km west of Sitamarhi town in Bihar, is revered as the birthplace of Sita, consort of Rama. It is one of the few temples in the subcontinent where Sita is worshipped on her own.

Punaura village, about 5 km west of Sitamarhi town, is revered as the birthplace of Sita, consort of Rama. Legend says King Janaka was ploughing a field here when an earthen pot came out of the ground, with the infant Sita inside. Another legend says the Vedic sage Pundrik set up a Surya temple here in devotion to Suryanarayana.

Sita is worshipped here on her own, not alongside Rama. Janakpur Dham in Nepal is also linked to Sita's birth, but it is a separate place. The Bihar tourism office lists the address as Punaura, Sitamarhi, Bihar, PIN 843302. In 2025 the Bihar government announced a plan to redevelop Punaura Dham. The new Janki temple is planned on the lines of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and a grand temple more than 159 feet tall is proposed. These are plans, not finished work.

Festivals

• Every yearRam Navami and Sita Navami

  Thousands of devotees come on these days and on other religious occasions.

Tips for your visit

• The complex sees more visitors during religious festivals.
• Janaki Kund, a lake, lies behind the Sita temple in Punaura Dham.

Questions people ask