Mithila
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In history and mythology
Dec 23, 2023: The Indian Express
From: Dec 23, 2023: The Indian Express
Acharya Kishore Kunal, ex-chairman of the Bihar State Board of Religious Trust, quotes the Valmiki Ramayana and other sources to trace Ram and Sita's Bihar links.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently launched a Rs 72-crore development plan for Goddess Sita’s birthplace at Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi. His party, JD(U), also slammed the Centre for “concentrating too much on the Ayodhya temple and Lord Rama, and doing little for Sita”. To understand this, it is imperative to understand Sita’s Bihar connections and her importance in the Bihari religious imagination.
What are the mentions of present-day Bihar in the Ramayana?
As a researcher and scholar, I will first go by the source book, the Valmiki Ramayana, on which are based many subsequent versions of the Ramayana, including Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas.
The Valmiki Ramayana has used four words to refer to Sita — Vaidehi, Janaki, Sita and Mithilapuri. Mithilapuri is an obvious reference to Mithila, while Vaidehi and Janaki are names derived from her father, King Janak, also called Videh. Sita herself narrates the story of her birth — she was found in a field being ploughed by Janak — to Anusuiya (wife of Rishi Atri) during Ram’s exile at Chitrakoot.
Ram and Laxman are also believed to have visited several sites in Bihar when travelling with Maharishi Vishwamitra. As per Valmiki’s account, after leaving Ayodhya, Chitrakoot was their first stop. Their second stop was near the confluence of Ganga and Saryu in the present-day Saran district. The third place they went to was Siddhashram near the Ganga in present-day Buxar.
They later travelled by bullock cart to the confluence of Ganga and Sone near Patali (Patna). The Sone-Ganga confluence course has shifted away from Patna over the years. Ram, Laxman and Vishwamitra crossed the Ganga and were welcomed by Vaishali’s king, Sumati. The three later walked down to Ahalya’s ashram, now known as Ahirouri in Mithilapuri (present Darbhanga).
Mithila also features during the wedding of Ram and Sita, before which Ram snaps Shiva’s dhanush (bow).
There is a mention of Ram’s baraat (wedding procession) reaching Mithilapuri from Ayodhya in four days and returning in three days. Valmiki mentions Ram visiting Mithilapuri only once, whereas some subsequent versions of the epic claim he went there after being crowned king too.
What is the geographical extent of Mithila?
In the Vishnu Puran, Mithila is described as a place to the north of Ganga and south of Himalayas. Abul Fazl in Ain-e-Akbari clearly mentions Mithila as one of the parganas (administrative divisions), earmarking its location and spread, which includes the present-day Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura and some adjoining areas of Bihar and Nepal.
Mithila has also been called Mahla, and finds mention in the revenue records of the erstwhile Sanyukt Prant (United Provinces) of Bihar, Bengal and Orissa.
Which is the birthplace of Sita in Sitamarhi, the Janaki temple or the Punaura Dham?
Until recently, it was believed that the Janaki Sthan in Sitamarhi, which has a pond and other religious structures, was the birthplace of Sita. But our research for close to 10 years showed that the Janaki temple was built by a sage around 200 years ago, after he claimed to have seen the place in his dream as Sita’s birthplace.
Our research, based on Valmiki Ramayan and some travellers’ accounts, ruled in favour of Punaura Dham, which also has a 100-year-old temple along with Sitakund, Sita Vatika and Luv Kush Vatika.
When the Centre sought a report from the Bihar government on Sita’s birthplace for the Ramayana Circuit, I, with the support of other researchers, submitted the name of Punaura Dham. This has been accepted by both the state and central governments now. The state’s decision to develop Punaura Dham came only after conclusive research.
Statistician and historian Sir William Wilson Hunter (1877), in A Statistical Account of Bengal, Volume 13, says that “Panaura (Punaura), three miles south-west of Sitamarhi, also puts in a claim to the honour of being Sita’s birthplace.”
What is the history of Janakpuri in Nepal?
Janakpuri is a relatively modern name for Mithilapuri, which is mentioned in Valmiki Ramayan. Our government, in coordination with the Nepal government, has made Janakpuri a part of the Ramayana Circuit.
Janakpur became a part of Nepal after the 1816 Indo-Nepal treaty. Even the leading historian on Nepal, Fancis Buchanan Hamilton, has not written anything about ‘Janakpuri’. What we have is a mention of Mithilapuri.
What are some historical references of the present-day Sitamarhi?
As per the account of leading archaeologist Alexander Cunnigham, “Sita-Marhi is situated a little more than 40 miles north-West of Darbhanga in a direct line, and 14 miles from the nearest point of the Nepal frontier.” It is “bounded on the east by a branch of the Sowrun Nala…. portions of the village are inundated by the numerous small streams which become confluent in parts, and flood the country. Of the antiquities at Sita-Marhi there is little to be said, and with the exception of some temples dedicated to Sita, the place is quite devoid of archaeological interest.”
What are the Bihar government’s plans for Punaura?
According to the information available with the board of religious trust, the Punaura Development plan includes renovation of the temple, preparing a roofed pradakshina path (path for circumambulation) around it, and developing the Luv Kush Vatika, Sita Vatika, and Sita Kund. A meditation mandap will also come up, and a 3-D film screened to show Sita’s life journey.
Besides, the Mahavir Temple Trust will construct a Sita temple inside the Sitakund on a budget of Rs 100 crore. We will embark on this temple project after the opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in January 2024.
