Janaki Janmasthali Mandir

Janaki Janmasthali Mandir
Janaki Dham
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictSitamarhi district
DeitySita
FestivalJanaki Navami
Governing bodyTrust, Shree Janaki Janmabhoomi Punauradham Mandir Nyas Samiti
Location
LocationPunauradham, Sitamarhi, Mithila
StateBihar
CountryIndia
Geographic coordinates26°35′12″N 85°27′57″E / 26.5865945°N 85.4658158°E / 26.5865945; 85.4658158

Maa Janaki Janmbhoomi Mandir or Punaura Dham is a proposed temple of the Hindu goddess Sita in Mithila at a site at the Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi district, Bihar, India. In Hinduism the site is considered the place where Sita was found closed in a box from a farm field while the King Janaka was ploughing the farm field.[1] Ramayana Research Council has also proposed the construction of the Tallest Statue of Mata Sita at Raghopur Bakhri village in the Sitamarhi district, which is near the proposed site at Punauradham.[2][3] There is a plan to build Janaki Dham in Sitamarhi on the lines of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. A campus known as Janaki Dham would be built on 57 acres of land near Punauradham.[4] The foundation stone of the Janaki Janmasthali Mandir was laid by Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar on 13 December 2023 at Punauradham.[5][6] In 2025 the union home minister Amit Shah said that after the construction of Ram Mandir he is focusing on the construction of the proposed Mata Sita Mandir.[7]

History

Punaura is in the Mithila region, also called the Tirhut or Tirabhukti, with history dating back to the Vedic period (1500-500 BCE) when it was one of the 16 Mahajanapadas of India, covers surrounding areas of Bihar and Nepal.[8]

According to Valmiki' Ramayana, once there was a severe famine in Mithila and the priest there advised the King of Videha, Janaka, to plow the field. When King Janak was ploughing, an earthen pot came out of the ground, in which Mother Sita was in an infant state. The Punaura Dham is believed to be the spot where that earthen pot came out, hence revered as the birthplace of Sita.[9][10] Since she came out of a furrow when King Janaka was ploughing the land, he adopted her as his daughter and named her Sita, which means “furrow” in Sanskrit and he also gave her the name Janaki, meaning daughter of Janaka.[8]

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Description

In 2025, Government of Bihar announced Rs 882.87 crore plan to redevelop the Punaura Dham, including the construction of a grand Sita Mata temple and pilgrim corridor on the pattern of Ram Janmabhoomi (lit. 'Birthplace of Rama'). In 2024, 50 acre land around the temple was acquired for this purpose at the cost of Rs 120.58 crore.[11] From this budget, Rs 137 crore will be spent on the redeveloping the old Punaura Dham Janki Temple and remaining Rs 728 crore for the development of pilgrimage corridor and religious tourism facilities around the temple which will also entail upgrade of Sita-Vatika, Luv-Kush Vatika, new parikrama (circumambulation) path, kiosks, cafeteria and children's play areas.[12] "Design Associates Inc", a design consultant which designed Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi temple, has been appointed the design consultant for the Punaura Dham upgrade project.[13]

The grand Janaki Janmasthali Mandir will be constructed at Sitakund of Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi. The construction of this temple will be done by the Mahavir Mandir Trust of Patna. The temple has been designed by architect Piyush Sompura. The permission of construction of the proposed temple has been received from the Bihar State Religious Trust Board. Excellent Makrana stone will be used in the construction of the proposed divine temple.[14][15] On 13 December 2023, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of Bihar laid the foundation stone for the construction of the grand temple of Mother Sita at Punauradham in Sitamarhi. Many facilities like huge gate, Parikrama Path, Sita Vatika, Luv Kush Vatika, pavilion and parking will also be constructed in the Punauradham.[16][17] The Government of Bihar has decided to acquire 50 acres of land around the existing temple for construction of a new grand temple at Sitamarhi. According to the Principal Secretary Siddharth, the site would be developed like Tirupati. Similarly according to Kameshwar Chaupal, the present temple was built around 100 years ago which is not in very good condition now. The new grand temple will be built in the line of Ayodhya.[18] On 30 November 2024, the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her visit in Mithila region announced that we had taken a resolution to build a grand temple of Goddess Janaki at her birthplace like the temple of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.[19] Similarly on 9 March 2025, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah while addressing a cultural program Shaswata Mithila Mahotsav in Gandhinagar said that a grand temple of Maa Janaki would be built in Mithila soon which would send a message of ideal life to the women power of the entire world.[20][7]

108 idols

It is planned that around a circular lower part 108 idols of Janaki will be displayed and soil from 51 Shakti Peethas (pilgrimage shrines) will be used in the temple's construction, which was to start in 2024.[21]

Construction

There is a 14 acre site on which the statue is planned. Shreebhagwati Sita Tirtha Kshetra Samiti is a committee of the Ramayan Research Council to oversee construction.[21][22]

On 22 June 2025, the chief minister Nitish Kumar of the Bihar Government released the final design of the proposed grand temple on his social media platforms.[23] The Bihar Government has constituted a trust having nine members dedicated to the construction of the grand temple. The trust is named as Shree Janaki Janmabhoomi Punauradham Mandir Nyas Samiti. The Bihar Government cabinet has already approved a budget of Rs 120 crore for the development of the campus of the temple.[24][23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sitamarhi". Bihar Tourism. Archived from the original on 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  2. ^ "सीता माता की सबसे ऊंची 251 फीट की प्रतिमा निर्माण को मिली 24.39 एकड़ भूमि की रजिस्ट्री का रास्ता साफ". Dainik Bhaskar.
  3. ^ "Tallest Statue of Mata Sita in Sitamarhi". www.drishtiias.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  4. ^ "अयोध्या में राम मंदिर की तरह अब बिहार के सीतामढ़ी में बनेगा भव्य जानकी धाम, पीएम मोदी कर सकते हैं शिलान्यास". Prabhat Khabar (in Hindi). 2023-12-27. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  5. ^ "महावीर मंदिर न्यास की योजना : सीतामढ़ी के पुनौराधाम में फरवरी से बनेगा जानकी जन्मस्थान मंदिर". Dainik Bhaskar.
  6. ^ "'..मेरे पास मां सीता है', जानकी मंदिर की नींव रखकर नीतीश कुमार ने राजनीति के दूसरे अध्याय की शुरुआत की". ETV Bharat News (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  7. ^ a b "Grand temple of Sita Mata to be built, will give world message of woman power: Amit Shah". The Economic Times. 2025-03-09. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  8. ^ a b Bihar's Punaura Dham, drishtiias.com, accessed 2 Jul 2025.
  9. ^ Sitamarhi. "Sitamarhi". Bihar Tourism.
  10. ^ Desk, Prabhat Khabar Digital (2024-01-07). "पुनौरा धाम से पाहुन राम को भेजा जा रहा है 7101 दउरा सनेश भार, 5 ट्रक और 101 छोटे वाहनों पर निकलेगी यात्रा". Prabhat Khabar (in Hindi). Retrieved 2024-01-14. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ सीतामढ़ी जिले के पुनौरा धाम में मां जानकी जन्मस्थली पर मंदिर निर्माण का शिलान्यास अग्सत 2025 में होगा। नीतीश कैबिनेट की बैठक में इस योजना के लिए मंगलवार को 882 करोड़ रुपये की मंजूरी दी गई है।, livehindustan.com, 1 Jul 2025.
  12. ^ Bihar govt approves Rs 882 crore for 'Punaura Dham Janki Mandir' revamp ahead of Assembly elections, indiatvnews.com, 1 Jul 2025.
  13. ^ Bihar Cabinet okays Rs 882.87cr for developing Sita's birthplace, rediff.com, 1 Jun 2025.
  14. ^ "पुनौराधाम में महावीर मंदिर न्यास बनाएगा जानकी जन्म स्थान मंदिर, प्रख्यात वास्तुविद् पीयूष सोमपुरा ने तैयार किया डिजाइन". news4nation.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  15. ^ "पटना में माता जानकी के जन्म स्थान पर होगा मंदिर का निर्माण दो वर्षों में बनकर तैयार होगा मंदिर". ETV Bharat News (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  16. ^ "बिहार में क्या बीजेपी राम और जेडीयू सीता के नाम पर लड़ेंगे चुनाव?". BBC News हिंदी (in Hindi). 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  17. ^ "'..मेरे पास मां सीता है', जानकी मंदिर की नींव रखकर नीतीश कुमार ने राजनीति के दूसरे अध्याय की शुरुआत की". ETV Bharat News (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  18. ^ "Ram temple fillip: Bihar acquires 50 acres in Sitamarhi for Sita temple". The Indian Express. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  19. ^ Bharat, E. T. V. (2024-11-30). "'हर गांव में लखपति दीदी होनी चाहिए' निर्मला सीतारमण ने मिथिला की महिलाओं की खूब की तारीफ". ETV Bharat News (in Hindi). Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  20. ^ "Mata Sita Temple: 'माता सीता का भव्य मंदिर जल्द ही मिथिला में बनेगा', गुजरात के गांधीनगर में अमित शाह ने दिया भरोसा". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  21. ^ a b "Sitamarhi News: बिहार में भारत के सबसे ऊंचे मंदिर को बनाने की तैयारी, अयोध्या राम मंदिर के आर्किटेक्ट ने किया दौरा". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  22. ^ "रामायण रिसर्च काउंसिल: बिहार में 55 एकड़ भूमि चिह्नित; सीतामढ़ी में माता सीता के भव्य मंदिर निर्माण की योजना". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  23. ^ a b "Maa Janaki Mandir in Sitamarhi, believed to be Sita's birthplace, gets final nod; Ayodhya Ram Mandir architects to design it". The Economic Times. 2025-06-24. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  24. ^ "Bihar govt constitutes trust for Maa Janaki Temple in Sitamarhi". Akashwani Samachar.
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