Histri Of Janakpur
Janakpur also known as Janakpurdham is the administrative headquarters of Dhanusa district of the Janakpur Zone and as of 2015[update] had a population of 169,287.The city is located about 123 kilometres (76 mi) south-east of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. Janakpur has a substantial tourism industry due to its significance in the Hindu religion and is home to the only operational railway in Nepal, the Nepal Railways.
The Janakpur Zone (Janakpur anchal), historically called Mithilanchal, is the place where ancient Maithili culture originated. It has the birthplace of the chatth festival and the Maithili language and script.
The First milinium B.C text shatapatha bahrama tells that the Nepalese Maithil king Māthava Videgha, led by his priest Gotama Rahugana, first crossed the Sadānirā (Gandki) river and founded the South Asian kingdom of Videha, whose capital city was Janakpur. As Gotama Rahugana composed many hymns in the Rigveda, these events must date to the Regvedic period.
The most important historical reference to Janakpur is in the Hindu epic Ramayan, where Rama's wife Sita Devi (also called Janaki in Nepal) is said to have been the Nepali princess of Videha.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 on a visit to Sirha 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, 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, Gautam Buddha, the founder of Budhism, and Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th and final Tirthankaraof the Jain religion, are said to have lived in Janakpur. The region was an important centre for Nepalese history of Mithila during the first milinium.
One can see all the six seasons in Janakpur. Basant ritu (Spring - February/March), Grisma ritu (Summer - April/May/June), Barsha ritu (Rainy - July/August), Sharad ritu (Autumn - September/October), Hemanta ritu (Autumn-winter - November/December), Shishir ritu (Winter - December/January).
The best time to visit Janakpur is from September to March as the weather is pleasant and several festivals fall during this period.
Janakpur attracts migrants from the surrounding area, who move to the city for medical care, education and jobs. The largest employer was the Janakpur Cigarette Factory Limited and Janakpur Railway till 2013, now both are closed due to political corruption.
Janakpur has a Domestic airport (IATA: JKR, ICAO: VNJP) with most flights connecting Kathmandu. Frequent bus services operate between Janakpur and other cities of Nepal. Within the city, travelers may hire cycle rickshas/ E-rickas, Tempo / Taxi or take city buses and autos. Local people also use
Major religious celebrations include the major Hindu festivals such as Dipawali, and Dashain. followed by spectacular chhath (sun worship) six days after Dipawali. Both the festivals Dipawali and Chahtha are heavily celebrated with a carnival-like atmosphere. The locals take pride in the way these festivals are celebrated.
On the full moon day of February/March before the festival of Holi, a one-day Parikrama (circummabulatin) of the city is celebrated. Many people offer prostrated obeisances along the entire eight km route. Two other festivals honor Rama and Sita: Ram Navmi, the birthday of Lord Rama, in March–April, draws thousands of pilgrims. And the Vivah panchmi 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(after Kartik Purnima),where Rama broke the bow of Shiva.
Pilgrims stay in one of the city's five good hotels or small guest houses. There are also five fully equipped dharamshalas (cheap lodgings for pilgrims).
They show new and old movies in Maithili, Bhojpuri, Nepali and Hindi. Hollywood movies are not that much popular among the locals.
Apart from this, several stage shows, concerts and plays are occasionally organized by the local clubs and organizations. Prominent among these is Mithila Natyakala Parishad(MINAP), which is a not-for-profit organization, claiming to be dedicated towards promoting Mithila culture.
Aqua Mom is Nepali drinking water factory, that operates its business from Janakpur.
2. Shri Janki Poles Industries / Shri Janki Hume Pipe Industries
Janki poles / Hume pipe is a Nepali product. It operates its business from Janakpur. It is a legal organization approved by the Government of Nepal. Its main office is located at Mills Area, Janakpur.
History
Main articles: Mithila and Kings of Mithila
The First milinium B.C text shatapatha bahrama tells that the Nepalese Maithil king Māthava Videgha, led by his priest Gotama Rahugana, first crossed the Sadānirā (Gandki) river and founded the South Asian kingdom of Videha, whose capital city was Janakpur. As Gotama Rahugana composed many hymns in the Rigveda, these events must date to the Regvedic period.
The most important historical reference to Janakpur is in the Hindu epic Ramayan, where 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 on a visit to Sirha 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, 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, Gautam Buddha, the founder of Budhism, and Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th and final Tirthankaraof the Jain religion, are said to have lived in Janakpur. The region was an important centre for Nepalese history of Mithila during the first milinium.
Geography and climate
Janakpur is located in the Terai, alluvial, forested and marshy terrain at the base of the Himalya mountain range. The major rivers surrounding Janakpur are Dudhmati, Jalad, Rato, Balan and Kamala. Janakpur is famous for its temples and the numerous ponds which carry significant religious importance.
One can see all the six seasons in Janakpur. Basant ritu (Spring - February/March), Grisma ritu (Summer - April/May/June), Barsha ritu (Rainy - July/August), Sharad ritu (Autumn - September/October), Hemanta ritu (Autumn-winter - November/December), Shishir ritu (Winter - December/January).
The best time to visit Janakpur is from September to March as the weather is pleasant and several festivals fall during this period.
| 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 Precipation 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: Department Of Hydrology and Meteorology | |||||||||||||
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 and colleges and Internet service providers. There are medical and engineering colleges which are affiliated to the T.U. (Tribhuvan University). The economy is mostly based on Tourism, agriculture and local industries.Janakpur attracts migrants from the surrounding area, who move to the city for medical care, education and jobs. The largest employer was the Janakpur Cigarette Factory Limited and Janakpur Railway till 2013, now both are closed due to political corruption.
Transport
The naroo guage. Janakpur Railway is the only operational railway in Nepal. It connects Janakpur to the Indian border at Sirha 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 Kathmandu. Frequent bus services operate between Janakpur and other cities of Nepal. Within the city, travelers may hire cycle rickshas/ E-rickas, Tempo / Taxi or take city buses and autos. Local people also use
As per the 2011 census, Janakpur was home to around 97,776 people. Nevertheless, after it was declared a sub-metropolitan city incorporating 11 surrounding villages, this has soared to 169,287 people, making it the sixth largest city in Nepal. Maithili Language is widely spoken in the area as the first language. Nepali, Hindi and English, etc. are well-understood. Other similar languages like Bhojpuri and Awadhi are also understood but relatively less frequently used.Demographics
Culture
Temples and festivals
The centre of Janakpur is dominated by the impressive Janki 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 calendra) by Queen Brisabhanu Kunwari of Tikamgarh It is also called "Nau Lakha Mandir" after the cost of construction, said to be nine (nau) lakh. In 1657, the great saint and poet Sannyasi Shurkishordas discovered a golden statue of the Goddess Sita at the exact place where she was born, which ultimately became the location of the current Janaki Mandir, the Temple of Sita. Shurkishordas is considered to be the founder of modern Janakpur. Queen Brisabhanu Kunwari of Tikamgarh built the Janaki Mandir 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. Early evenings are the best times to visit, for then the temple is lit with colorful lights and filled with hundreds of pilgrims expressing devotion for Sita and Rama. The temple is particularly popular with women, who wear their best clothes when visiting the shrine. Adjacent to the Janaki Mandir is the Rama Sita Bibaha Mandir, a building that marks the place where Rama and Sita were married. Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit Janakpur to pay homage to Sita at the time of Vivah Panchami, the marriage day of Sita and Ram (the fifth day of the Shukla Paksha or waxing phase of moon in November/December) and on Ram Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama (the ninth day of the Hindu month of Chaitra, which begins with the new moon in March/April). The oldest temple in Janakpur is Sri Ram temple, built by the Gurkhali soldier Amar singh Thapa. Pilgrims also visit the more than 200 sacrad 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 where Lord Rama and Sita are said to have been married. It is situated next to the Janki Mandir. Ram Tower is located to the south of Ram Temple. It was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Mr Sushil Koirala.Major religious celebrations include the major Hindu festivals such as Dipawali, and Dashain. followed by spectacular chhath (sun worship) six days after Dipawali. Both the festivals Dipawali and Chahtha are heavily celebrated with a carnival-like atmosphere. The locals take pride in the way these festivals are celebrated.
On the full moon day of February/March before the festival of Holi, a one-day Parikrama (circummabulatin) of the city is celebrated. Many people offer prostrated obeisances along the entire eight km route. Two other festivals honor Rama and Sita: Ram Navmi, the birthday of Lord Rama, in March–April, draws thousands of pilgrims. And the Vivah panchmi 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(after Kartik Purnima),where Rama broke the bow of Shiva.
Pilgrims stay in one of the city's five good hotels or small guest houses. There are also five fully equipped dharamshalas (cheap lodgings for pilgrims).
Art
Maithili women are known for their traditional art, especially their paintings on pottery, walls and courtyards. These Mithila Paintings are famous internationally. Mithila paintings are also known as Madhubani art. Some art industries are situated in the centre of the Janakpurdham. Among them some are Mithila women handicraft and Mithila Hastha Kala Udhyogs, situated near Murli chowk and Santi nagar.Entertainment
Janakpur has five movie theaters: 1. Aasha Cinema Hall 2. Girija Hall 3. Shri Hanuman Talkies 4. Neelam Theater 5. Ram Janaki Picture PalaceThey show new and old movies in Maithili, Bhojpuri, Nepali and Hindi. Hollywood movies are not that much popular among the locals.
Apart from this, several stage shows, concerts and plays are occasionally organized by the local clubs and organizations. Prominent among these is Mithila Natyakala Parishad(MINAP), which is a not-for-profit organization, claiming to be dedicated towards promoting Mithila culture.
Industries/Factory
1. Aqua Mom (Drinking Water Manufacturer & Suppliers)Aqua Mom is Nepali drinking water factory, that operates its business from Janakpur.
2. Shri Janki Poles Industries / Shri Janki Hume Pipe Industries
Janki poles / Hume pipe is a Nepali product. It operates its business from Janakpur. It is a legal organization approved by the Government of Nepal. Its main office is located at Mills Area, Janakpur.
Hospitals and Nursing Homes
Government
- Janakpur Zonal Hospital
- District Public Health Office, Dhanusha
- Janaki Medical College, Ramdaiya
- Dhanusha Hospital Pvt Ltd
- City Hospital and Research Centre
- Paradise Hospital
- Janaki Eye Hospital
- Mithila Hospital
- Janakpur Nursing Home
- Janaki Medical College Teaching Hospital
- Janaki Health Care and Research Center
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.Rambaran Yadav. There are many private and government schools and colleges located in Janakpur. The oldest government school for higher studies is Ra.Ra. Bahumukhi Campus(RR Multiple Campus), which is affiliated to Trivuban Univarsity. It offers undergraduate and post-graduate courses in several disciplines. Janakpur also boasts of having a medical college, Janaki Medical college which is also affiliated to Tribhuban Univarsity.Schools
- Janaki Higher Secondary Boarding School
- Shishu Pragya Shadan Saket Nagar, Janakpur - 9
- Angels Secondary English Boarding School Saket Nagar - 9
- Nava Jyoty Secondry School, Saket Nagar -9
- Shree Ram Secondary School, Ranipatti
- RCS Boarding School, Mills Area, Janakpur - 2
- Daffodils Public School, Vidyapati chowk, Janakpurdham 4
- Dhanusha Public Higher Secondary School (near Railway Station)
- Mother Teresa Public School, Janakpurdham
- Zenith National Academy,Bhanu Chowk, Janakpur Dham
- Moon Light Secondary English Boarding School, Bishara Chowk, Janakpurdham
- Einstein Public Secondary School, Janakpurdham-9
- Godawari English School, Janakpurdham
- Happy Land English Boarding School, Rajaul, Janakpurdham
- Janakpur Academy, Janakpur Dham-9
- Monastic Higher Secondary English Boarding School
- New English Higher Secondary School
- Shri Janaki Madhyamik Bidhyalaya, Janakpurdham
- Shri Sakal Bhawan Kanya Madhayamik Bidhyalaya, Janakpurdham-11
- Shree Sankat Mochan Higher Secondary School, Janakpur-04
- Shri Saraswati Madhyamik Bidhyalaya, Janakpurdham-9 Nepal
- Shidharth Shishu sadan, Bhanu chowk, Janakpurdham
- S.t Xavier's high school, janakpurdham-4, Bishwakarma chowk(Nepal)
- New Vision Residential Secondary Boarding School, Janakpurdham
- Children Holy Place Secondary Boarding High School,Balmikinagar, Janakpurdham−8
- Model Public School, Rajoul, Janakpurdham-14
- Arniko Secondary English Boarding School, Janakpurdham-14
- Tridev Shakti Higher Secondary School Mahottari Bazar
- Modern English Secondary Boarding School, Wokil Tole, Janakpur
Colleges
- Model Multiple College
- Mithila Institute of Technology
- Dhanusha Science Campus
- National Academy
- Universal Academy
- Janakpur Campus
- Rajarshi Janak Multiple College
- Vigyan Adhyayan Kendra
- Ramsharoop Ramsager Multiple (RRM) college
- New S.M. Campus
- Public Youth Campus
- New English Campus
- Monastic Campus
- Shree Ram Institute of Management & Technology, Namunabasti, Janakpurdham
- Central Engineering College, Ramanand Chowk, Janakpurdham
Comments
Post a Comment