Janakpur

Janakpur (Nepali: जनकपुर अञ्चल  Listen), is one of the fourteen zones of Nepal, reaching from the Indian border in the south to the Tibetan border in the north and Sagarmatha Zone in the east and Bagmati and Naryani Zones in the west.

The headquarters of Janakpur Zone and its main city is Janakpur. Close to the Indian border, it is a historic city of Hinduism. The city was believed to be the capital city of King Janak, the father in law of LordRama, the son of the then king of Ayodhya, Dasharatha. The city was then called 'Mithila Nagari'. The name of this zone is related to the historic King Janak and his capital Janakpur.

Other cities within Janakpur Zone are Kamalamai (in Inner Terai) andBhimeshwor and Bardibas, Dhalkebar, Jaleshwor, Malangwa,Gaushala Bazar and 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 kingMāthava Videgha, led by his priest Gotama 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The most important historical reference to Janakpur is in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Lord Rama's wife Sita Devi (also called Janaki in Nepal) is said to have been the Nepali princess of Videha.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 ofAyodhya, 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 theJain religion, are said to have lived in Janakpur. The region was an important centre for Nepalese history of Mithila during the first millennium. (Outer Terai).