Sitamarhi

Sitamarhi is a town and the district headquarters of Sitamarhi district, Bihar, India.

History
This is the place where Sita was born, the main character of the epic Ramayana. The town is situated along the border of Nepal. The district of Sitamarhi was carved out of Muzaffarpur district on 11th December 1972. It is situated in the northern part of Bihar. Its headquarter is located at Dumra, five kilometers south of Sitamarhi.

Sitamarhi is a sacred place in Hindu mythology. Its history goes back to Treta Yug. Sita, the wife of Rama sprang to life out of an earthern pot, when Raja Janak was ploughing the field Punaura near Sitamarhi to impress upon Lord Indra for rain. It is said that Raja Janak excavated a tank at the place where Sita emerged and after her marriage set up the stone figures of Rama, Sita and Laxman to mark the site. This tank is known as Janaki-kund and is south of the Janaki Mandir.

In course of time, the land lapsed into a jungle until about 500 years ago, when a Hindu ascetic, named Birbal Das came to know the site by divine inspiration. He came down from Ayodhya and cleared the jungle. He found the images set up by Raja Janak, built a temple over there and commenced the worship of Janaki or Sita. The Janaki Mandir is apparently modern and is about 100 years old only. The town however contains no relics of archaeological interest.

This district is often bereaved by natural calamities. One of the most devastating is excess flooding due to mis-management of the banks by both civilians and government officials.

Geography
Sitamarhi is located at 26°36′N 85°29′E26.6°N 85.48°E. It has an average elevation of 56 metres (183 feet).

Education
St Joseph’s Mission School is an English medium primary school that opened in May 1983. It is a famous school in the locality area.