The land where Janak found Goddess Sita- Bihar’s Sitamarhi

Ramayana is a mythology whose every small detail might have been known by everyone. But do you know the place where the foundations of Ramayana sprouted? The land where Goddess Sita was found as an infant by King Janak of Mithila, is the land that is considered the starting point of Ramayana. But most of us barely know that Sitamarhi is the place of Sita’s discovery. Read on, to know the intricacies of the divine land of Sitamarhi.

The divine city of Sitamarhi, Source: Pinterest

A man in a simple dhoti, with long ashen hair and a face set in holy purity and belief, is plowing a barren field. The plow is large and bulky, the man old and austere. His steps are timid but he must go on. As the king of Mithila, he must at least take some great responsibility as the father of people who rely on him.

Even though he is childless, he must do what a father should to the people of his state. He is not childless in that sense then. So he plows on, his dhoti soiled, wounds dot his ankle and his hands which pull the mighty plow are scrapped oozing blood, yet he still goes on. King Janak would have plowed till dawn if not for the stumbling sensation he felt as if he had hit a soft, melting rock.

Scared to death that he hit a resting animal accidentally, King Janak stops and peels the plow back from his heart to reveal an infant, swaddled in golden cloth, smiling up to him in a divine satisfaction. King Janak knew in that instant that Indra had blessed him indeed, by blessing him with a child, soon Mithila would be rained down with auspicious certainties. His days of worry were over. King Janak cradled his daughter in his arms and holding back tears of relief and joy, thanked, the bhumi, theland for bestowing this blessing upon him. The happiness of a kicking child in his arms, the newfound fertility of a barren land.

Legends have weaved many anecdotes about Goddess Sita’s birth and historians with the sword of their logic have slashed such ‘mythic tales’ with equal zeal and ardor. But both schools of thought cannot deny the possibility of a truth which lurks beneath such stories.

King Janaka of Mithila found Sita while plowing a field, Source: Google Image

The story of Sita’s divine birth, along with her brave and martyr death is known to be the most astonishing and gruesome tale to be found in the bulky book of Indian mythology. This story explores some facets of truth about Sita’s birth, by going back to the land on which she was found by King Janak as he was plowing a barren piece of land to appease the God of Rain, Indra. That piece of land, as historians claim was a part of the Nepal province at that time. Time-shifted and so did lands, today modern-day ‘Sitamarhi’ is considered the divine land where Sita was found all those years ago in the Treta Yuga.

The name Sitamarhi is made out of two words- Sita and Madai. It is said that when Sita was found, she was kept in a Madai, which means a hut. So the place started to be called ‘Sitamadai’, the place where Sita was kept until she was found by King Janak. With time, the word turned out to be ‘Sitamarhi’. The small yet prestigious town of Sitamarhi is now a part of modern-day Bihar. It's two 30km away from Nepal and stands firmly near the Indo-Nepal border.

The historical and mythological significance of Sitamarhi made the officials realize to emphasize its unique identity administration wise and so Sitamarhi was carved out of the Muzaffarpur District in 1972 and made a part of the Trihut Division of Mithila region, its district headquarters is at Dumra, 5km away from Sita Temple. Since then Sitamarhi flourishes in its identity as the divine town where Goddess Sita was found, the most significant, loyal, pious, and chaste woman in Hindu mythology.

It is said that King Janak erected a water tank at the place where Sita was found and after her marriage, life-like statues of Lord Rama and Sita were established. Unfortunately, no archaeological evidence has been found which can validate such tales but the modern-day Sitamarhi does have a place called ‘Urjiva Kund’, a religious site marking the exact location of Sita’s discovery

Goddess Sita, the chaste, Source: Pinterest

Those who are aware must know that the modern, local politics have destroyed Bihar’s identity, the state enjoyed the golden pages of history as the Mahajanpadha of ancient India and Sitamarhi also become prey to such consequences, leading the divine city to not gain the tourist as well as cultural attention it deserves.

But with time, Bihar tourism is gaining popularity and Sitamarhi will be recognized as the sacred land which gave birth to Goddess Sita. This little town nonetheless thrives in the comfort of its truth and significance, every year a marriage ceremony is organized to mark the divine union between Goddess Sita and Lord Rama. It’s no less than a festival for the people of Sitamarhi. Do visit someday this holy land, to pay respect to that great woman of sacrifice and divine ideologies, a Goddess born on earthy soil, blessing the land and its people.