Janakpur, Nepal
| Janakpur जनकपुर |
|
|---|---|
| City | |
|
|
| Nickname(s): Mithila Nagari | |
| Motto: City of religious and cultural significance | |
Janakpur
|
|
| Coordinates: 26°43′43″N 85°55′30″ECoordinates: 26°43′43″N 85°55′30″E | |
| Country | Nepal |
| Zone | Janakpur Zone |
| Federal State | Province No. 2 |
| District | Dhanusa District |
| Government | |
| • Type | Provincial Executive Provincial Assembly |
| • Governor | Chief Minister |
| Area | |
| • Total | 100.20 km2 (38.69 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 74 m (243 ft) |
| Population (2015) | |
| • Total | 169,287 |
| • Density | 1,700/km2 (4,400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | NST (UTC+5:45) |
| Postal code | 45600 |
| Area code(s) | 041 |
| Website | http://janakpurmun.gov.np |
Janakpur (Nepali pronunciation: [dʒəŋɑkpʊr] Nepali: जनकपुर) is the capital of Dhanusa District in Nepal.[1] The city is a centre for religious and cultural tourism.[2]
The city is also known as Janakpurdham, which was founded in
the early 18th century. According to oral tradition, an earlier city
existed in the area, also known as Janakpurdham, which was the capital
of the Videha dynasty that ruled Ancient Mithila.[3]
The city is located about 123 km (76 mi) south-east of Kathmandu.[4] As of 2015, the city had a population of 169,287.[5]
The Nepal Railways operates between Janakpur and India.
History
Ratna Sagar, Janakpur
Accounts of ascetics, pandits and bards indicate that Janakpurdham was founded in the early 18th century. The earliest description of Janakpurdham as a pilgrimage site dates to 1805. Earlier archaeological evidence of the presence of an ancient city has not been found. According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, King Janak of Videha's palace was located in ancient Janakpur, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. He is said to have found a baby girl in a furrow, named her Sita and raised her as his daughter. When she was older, he offered her in marriage to anyone who was able to lift the bow of Shiva, left near Janakpur a thousand years earlier. Many royal suitors tried, but only Rama, prince of Ayodhya, could lift the bow. According to an old song, this bow was found northeast of Janakpur.[3]
Until the 1950s, Janakpur was a cluster of rural hamlets inhabited by
farmers, artisans, priests and clerks who worked for the monasteries
that controlled the land. After independence in India, Janakpur expanded to a commercial centre and became the capital of the Dhanusa District in the 1960s.[1]
As Rama and Sita are major figures in Hinduism, Janakpur is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus all over the world.
According to the first millennium text Shatapatha Brahmana, the Maithil king Māthava Videgha crossed the Sadānirā (Gandaki River), led by his priest Gotama Rahugana, and founded the Kingdom of Videha with Janakpur as capital city. As Gotama Rahugana composed many hymns of the Rigveda, these events must date to the Regvedic period.[citation needed]
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 history of Mithila during the first millennium.[citation needed]
Geography and climate
Janakpur is located in the Terai, where the climate is tropical: the months of April to June are hot, dry and windy; rainy season lasts from July to September, followed by a cool dry season from October to January and a short spring from February to March.[1]
The major rivers surrounding Janakpur are Dudhmati, Jalad, Rato, Balan and Kamala.
| [hide]Climate data for Janakpur Airport (1981-2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 22.2 (72) |
26.0 (78.8) |
31.2 (88.2) |
34.8 (94.6) |
34.6 (94.3) |
34.1 (93.4) |
32.5 (90.5) |
32.7 (90.9) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
29.3 (84.7) |
25.1 (77.2) |
30.5 (86.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) |
18.6 (65.5) |
23.4 (74.1) |
27.7 (81.9) |
29.3 (84.7) |
30.0 (86) |
29.3 (84.7) |
29.6 (85.3) |
28.8 (83.8) |
26.8 (80.2) |
22.5 (72.5) |
18.0 (64.4) |
25.0 (77) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.4) |
11.3 (52.3) |
15.5 (59.9) |
20.6 (69.1) |
24.0 (75.2) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.1 (79) |
26.4 (79.5) |
25.3 (77.5) |
22.0 (71.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
10.9 (51.6) |
19.4 (66.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 11.7 (0.461) |
11.4 (0.449) |
11.5 (0.453) |
52.2 (2.055) |
128.3 (5.051) |
238.7 (9.398) |
487.6 (19.197) |
339.4 (13.362) |
197.5 (7.776) |
63.9 (2.516) |
1.9 (0.075) |
8.4 (0.331) |
1,552.5 (61.122) |
| Source: [6] | |||||||||||||
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,
colleges and internet service providers. There are medical and
engineering colleges which are affiliated to the Tribhuvan University. The economy is mostly based on tourism, agriculture and local industries.
The paintings on pottery, walls and courtyards made by Maithili women are known as Madhubani art.
Janakpur attracts migrants from the surrounding area, moving to the
city for medical care, education and jobs. The largest employer was the
Janakpur Cigarette Factory Limited and Janakpur Railway until 2013, now
both are closed due to political corruption.
Transport
A train at Janakpur railway station.
Janakpur Airport Terminal
Nepal Railways 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, cycle rickshaws, electric rickshaws, tempos and buses are available.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Buddha Air | Kathmandu [7] |
| Gorkha Airlines | Kathmandu [8] |
| Sita Air | Kathmandu [9] |
| Yeti Airlines | Kathmandu [10] |
Demographics
As
of June 2011, Janakpur municipality had 19,195 households and a
population of 98,446 people with a density of 4,000 people per sqkm.[11]
In 2015, it was declared a sub-metropolitan city incorporating 11
surrounding villages; the population is now 169,287 people, making it
the sixth largest city in Nepal.[citation needed]
Maithili language is widely spoken in the area as the first language. Nepali, Hindi, Marwari and English are well understood. Languages like Bhojpuri and Awadhi are understood but less frequently used.
Culture
Temples
Deities of Sri Sita Devi (far right) and Sri Rama (center) (with Sri Lakshmana (far left) and Sri Hanuman (below seated))
Ram Janaki Biwaha Mandap
Chhath in Janakpur
Janaki Mandir
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 Kunwari of Tikamgarh. It is also called "Nau Lakha Mandir" after the cost of construction, said to be nine lakh rupees.[12]
In 1657, the great saint and poet Sannyasi Shurkishordas discovered a
golden statue of the Goddess Sita at the place where she was born,
which ultimately became the location of the current Janaki Mandir, the Temple of Sita.
Queen Brisabhanu Kunwari of Tikamgarh had the Janaki Mandir built in
1911. The temple is architecturally unique in Nepal. Its inner sanctum
contains a flower-bedecked statue of Sita that was apparently
miraculously found in the Saryu River near Ayodhya. Statues of Rama and
his half-brothers Lakshman, Bharat and Satrughna stand by Sita. In the
early evenings the temple is lit with colourful lights and filled with
hundreds of pilgrims expressing devotion for Sita and Rama. Adjacent to
the Janaki Mandir is the Rama Sita Vivaha Mandir, a building that marks
the place where Rama and Sita were married.
The oldest temple in Janakpur is Sri Ram Temple, built by the Gurkhali soldier Amar Singh Thapa.[12] 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 is situated next to the Janaki Mandir. Ram Tower is located to
the south of Ram Temple. It was inaugurated by former Prime Minister
Sushil Koirala.
Festivals
Major religious celebrations include the Hindu festivals Dipawali, and Vijayadashami,[12] followed by Chhath Puja, which is celebrated six days after Dipawali and Makar Sankranti. Vijayadashami and Chhath Pooja are celebrated in a carnival-like atmosphere.
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 8 km (5.0 mi) route. Two other festivals honor Rama and
Sita: Rama Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama, in March-April, draws thousands of pilgrims.[13] 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.
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 Ramsworup
Ramsagar 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,[14] which is also affiliated to Tribhuwan University.
Schools
- Bhola Singh Lions Mithila English School
- Child Oxford English Boarding School, Mahadevsthan, Kapileshwar
- Daffodil Public School
- Educative Rosemary Convent School, bishara Chowk
- Modern English Secondary Boarding school, Wokil Tole, Janakpur
- Monastic Higher Secondary English Boarding School
- Mother Teresa Public High School, Kishori Nagar
- New English Higher Secondary School
- Nobel Boarding School
- OM RCS, An English Medium Secondary School, sita Chowk
- Saint Xavier's High School
- Shree Yagyawalkya Sanskrit Secondary School, Gyankoop
- Siddhartha Shishu Sadan
- South Point Higher Secondary School
- Shishu Pragya Sadan Higher secondary English Boarding School
Colleges
- Model multiple college, Janakpur-04, Ramchowk
- Dhanusha Science Campus, Janakpur
- Janaki Medical College
- Janaki college of management
- Mithila Institute of Technology, Janakpur-04
- National Academy
- New Millenium Campus
- Public Youth Campus, Janakpur -04 Kadamchowk
- Rajarshi Janak Campus, Janakpur-4
- Rajarshi Janak Campus, Murali Chowk
- Ramshwaroop Ramsagar Multiple (RRM) Campus
- Subhadra Matukdhari Campus
- Universal Academy
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