Janakpur also known as Janakpurdham, is one of the historical and religious cities of Nepal. Janakpur is the administrative headquarters of Dhanusa District of the Janakpur Zone and in 2011 had a population of 97,997. The city is located about 123 km south-east of Kathmandu, 20 km from the Indian border at 26° 43' 43" N, 085° 55' 30" E. Janakpur has a substantial tourism industry due to its significance in the Hindu religion[3] and is home to the only operational railway in Nepal, the Janakpur Railway.
The Janakpur zone (Janakpuranchal) historically called Mithilanchal, is the place where ancient Maithili culture originated. It has also given birth to Chhath festival, Maithili language and script in this ancient city of Nepal.
The first millennium BC text Shatapatha Brahmana tells that the Nepalese Maithil king Māthava Videgha, led by his priestGotama Rahugana, first crossed the Sadānirā (Gandaki) river and founded the South Asian kingdom of Videha, whose capital city was Janakpur of Nepal. As Gotama Rahugana composed many hymns in the Rgveda, these events must date to the Rgvedic period.
The most important historical reference to Janakpur is in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Lord Rama's wife Sita Devi (also called Janaki in Nepal) is said to have been the Nepali princess of Videha.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 in 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, Lord 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 Vardamana Mahavira, the 24th and final Tirthankara of the Jain religion, are said to have lived inJanakpur. The region was an important centre for Nepalese history of Mithila during the first millennium.
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