Janakpurdham

Janakpurdham

Janakpurdham

Janakpur also known as Janakpurdham is the administrative and capital city of the Mithila region of Nepal and is one of the historical and religious cities of Nepal being the birthplace of Hindu goddesses Sita. Janakpur is also the administrative headquarters of Dhanusa District of the Janakpur Zone and as of 2011 had a population of 97,776. The city is located about 123 kilometres south-east of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. Janakpur has a substantial tourism industry due to its significance in the Hindu religion and is home to the only operational railway in Nepal, the Nepal Railways.

The Janakpur zone (Janakpur anchal), historically called Mithilanchal, is the place where ancient Maithili culture originated. It has the birthplace of the Chhath festival and the Maithili language and script. The first millennium BC text Shatapatha Brahmana tells that the Nepalese Maithil king Mathava Videgha, led by his priest Gotama Rahugana, first crossed the Sadanira (Gandaki) river and founded the South Asian kingdom of Videha, whose capital city was Janakpur. As Gotama Rahugana composed many hymns in the Rigveda, these events must date to the Regvedic period.

The most important historical reference to Janakpur is in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Rama's wife Sita Devi (also called Janaki in Nepal) is said to have been the Nepali princess of Videha. Her father, King Janak of Videha, found baby Sita in a furrow of a field on a visit to Siraha 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, Rama, prince of Ayodhya, alone could even lift the bow. As Rama and Sita are major figures in Hinduism, Janakpur is an important Nepalese pilgrimage site for Hindus all over the world.

In addition, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th and final Tirthankara of the Jain religion, are said to have lived in Janakpur. The region was an important centre for Nepalese history of Mithila during the first millennium.

Geography and climate

Janakpur is located in the Terai, alluvial, forested and marshy terrain at the base of the Himalaya mountain range. The major rivers surrounding Janakpur are Dudhmati, Jalad, Rato, Balan and Kamala. Janakpur is famous for its temples and the numerous ponds which carry significant religious importance.

One can see all the six seasons in Janakpur. Basant ritu (Spring - February/March), Grisma ritu (Summer - April/May/June), Barsha ritu (Rainy - July/August), Sharad ritu (Autumn - September/October), Hemanta ritu (Autumn-winter - November/December), Shishir ritu (Winter - December/January). The best time to visit Janakpur is from September to March as the weather is pleasant and several festivals fall during this period.

Economy

Janakpur is one of the fast developing cities of Nepal and is the fifth sub-metropolitan city of Nepal. The city has good health care facilities and a number of parks as well as good private schools and colleges and Internet service providers. There are medical and engineering colleges which are affiliated to the T.U.[clarification needed What does this stand for?] The economy is mostly based on agriculture and local industries.

Janakpur attracts migrants from the surrounding area, who move to the city for medical care, education and jobs. The largest employer was the Janakpur Cigarette Factory Limited and Janakpur Railway till 2013, now both are closed due to political corruption.

Transport

The narrow-gauge Janakpur Railway is the only operational railway in Nepal. It connects Janakpur to the Indian border at Siraha on the Nepal side with a customs checkpoint for goods and Jaynagar, Bihar.

Janakpur has a domestic airport (IATA: JKR, ICAO: VNJP) with most flights connecting to Kathmandu. Frequent bus services operate between Janakpur and other cities of Nepal. Within the city, travelers may hire cycle rickshaws or take city buses and autos. Local people also use bicycles.Politics of Nepal was also started from Janakpur.

Airlines                  Destinations

Buddha Air             Kathmandu 

Gorkha Airlines Kathmandu 

Sita Air                   Kathmandu

Yeti Airlines           Kathmandu

Culture

Temples and festivals

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 (1955 in the Nepali calendar) by Queen Brisabhanu Kunwar of Tikamgarh.[8] It is also called "Nau Lakha Mandir" after the cost of construction, said to be nine (nau) lakh. The oldest temple in Janakpur is Ram Mandir, built by the Gurkhali soldier Amar Singh Thapa. Pilgrims also visit the more than 200 sacred ponds in the city for ritual baths. The two most important, Dhanush Sagar and Ganga Sagar, are located close to the city centre. The Vivah Mandap temple where Lord Rama and Sita are said to have been married. It is situated next to the Janki Mandir.

Chhath in Janakpur

Major religious celebrations include the major Hindu festivals such as Dipawali, and Vijayadashami. followed by spectacular Chhath (sun worship) six days after Dipawali. Both the festivals Dipawali and Chhath are heavily celebrated with a carnival-like atmosphere. The locals take pride in the way these festivals are celebrated.

On the full moon day of February/March before the festival of Holi, a one-day Parikrama (circumambulation) of the city is celebrated. Many people offer prostrated obeisances along the entire eight km route. Two other festivals honor Rama and Sita: Rama Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama, in March–April, draws thousands of pilgrims.  And the Vivah Panchami or Vivah festival re-enacts the wedding of Rama and Sita at the famous Vivah Mandap temple on the fifth day of the waxing moon in November or early December(after Kartik Purnima),where Rama broke the bow of Shiva.

Pilgrims stay in one of the city's five good hotels or small guest houses. There are also five fully equipped dharmashalas (cheap lodgings for pilgrims).

Janakpur Railway Station Platform

Art

Maithili women are known for their traditional art, especially their paintings on pottery, walls and courtyards. These Mithila Paintings are famous internationally.

Entertainment

Janakpur has five movie theaters: 1. Aasha Cinema Hall 2. Girija Hall 3. Hanuman Theater 4. Neelam Theater 5. Ram Janaki Picture Palace

They show new and old movies in Maithili, Bhojpuri, Nepali and Hindi. Hollywood movies are not that much popular among the locals.

Apart from this, several stage shows, concerts and plays are occasionally organized by the local clubs and organizations. Prominent among these is Mithila Natyakala Parishad(MINAP), which is a not-for-profit organization, claiming to be dedicated towards promoting Mithila culture.

Hospitals and Nursing Homes

Government:

Janakpur Zonal Hospital

District Public Health Office, Dhanusha

Private Hospitals:

• Janaki Medical College, Ramdaiya
• Dhanusha Hospital Pvt Ltd
• City Hospital and Research Centre
• Paradise Hospital
• Janaki Eye Hospital
• Mithila Hospital
• Janakpur Nursing Home
• Janaki Medical College Teaching Hospital
• Janaki Health Care and Research Center

Hotels

Janakpur has several hotels and restaurants which offer food and accommodation. These are:

• Hotel Manaki
• Hotel Welcome
• Hotel Rama
• Hotel Sita Palace
• Hotel Adarsh
• Hotel Siyasaran
• Hotel Janki Batika party palace

There are also several cheaper lodges and Dharamsala (cheap accommodations) for pilgrims. PagalaBaba Dharmashala is one of the famous dharmasala located in Janakpur.

Education

Janakpur has good educational facilities and several elites of the country were schooled here, including the first president of the Federal Republic of Nepal, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav. There are many private and government schools and colleges located in Janakpur. The oldest government school for higher studies is Ra.Ra. Bahumukhi Campus(RR Multiple Campus), which is affiliated to Tribhuwan University. It offers undergraduate and post-graduate courses in several disciplines. Janakpur also boasts of having a medical college, Janaki Medical College,  which is also affiliated to Tribhuwan University.

Schools

• RCS Boarding School, Mills Area, Janakpur - 2
• Daffodils Public School, Vidyapati chowk, Janakpurdham 4
• Dhanusha Public Higher Secondary School (near Railway Station)
• Janaki Higher Secondary Boarding School
• Mother Teresa Public School, Janakpurdham
• Zenith Nationl Academy,Bhanu Chowk, Janakpur Dham
• Moon Light Secondary English Boarding School, Kadam Chowk, Janakpurdham
• Einstein Public Secondary School, Janakpurdham-9
• Godawari English School, Janakpurdham
• Happy Land English Boarding School, Rajaul, Janakpurdham
• Janakpur Academy, Janakpur Dham-9
• Monastic Higher Secondary English Boarding School
• New English Boarding School
• Shri Janaki Madhyamik Bidhyalaya, Janakpurdham
• Shri Sakal Bhawan Kanya Madhayamik Bidhyalaya, Janakpurdham-11
• Shree Sankat Mochan Higher Secondary School, Janakpur-04
• Shri Saraswati Madhyamik Bidhyalaya, Janakpurdham-9 Nepal
• Siddhartha Shisu Sadan, Bhanu chowk, Janakpurdham
• New Vision Residential Secondary Boarding School, Janakpurdham
• Children Holy Place Secondary Boarding High School,Balmikinagar,Janakpurdham-8
• Model Public School, Rajoul, Janakpurdham-14

Colleges

• Dhanusha Science Campus
• Model Multiple College
• National Academy
• Universal Academy
• Janakpur Campus
• Rajarshi Janak Campus
• Mithila Institute of Technology
• Vigyan Adhyayan Kendra
• R.R. Multiple Campus
• New S.M. Campus
• Public Youth Campus
• New English Campus
• Monastic Campus
• Shree Ram Institute of Management & Technology, Namunabasti, Janakpurdham
• Central Engineering College, Ramanand Chowk, Janakpurdham

Media

The local media of Janakpur primarily consists of several community radio stations,some TV channels and a few print newspapers.

Radio stations

• Janakpurdham has 7 Community radio Stations
• Radio Janakpur 97.0 MHz
• Mithila Sanchar Samuha 106.6 MHz
• Radio Today 91 MHz
• Janaki FM 106 MHz
• Radio Mithila 100.8 MHz
• Janakpur FM 101.80 MHz
• Mithilanchal Music FM 99.4 MHz

Newspapers

• Janakpur Today
• Janakpur Express
• Mithila.com
• Television stations
• Appan TV