SITAMARHI


SITAMARHI
A FORGOTTEN TERRITORY OR AN EXAMPLE OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION
Sitamarhi, the birthplace of Sita, presents a picture of neglect to visitors. Tucked away in underdeveloped , Sitamarhi district, The Janaki Mandir and its surroundings show our insensitivity to cultural heritage.
Jawaharlal Nehru said-“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.” But we have closed our minds towards certain cultural places. As a result, these places remain unknown and undeveloped.

One such place is Sitamarhi. Has anyone ever heard the name of a place called Sitamarhi? I am sure very few will nod in yes! Everyone must be knowing a place called Ayodhya! Yes, you are right; Ayodhya is the birthplace of Hindu Lord Rama.

Now, let me tell you that Sitamarhi is the birthplace of Hindu goddess Sita who according to Hindu mythology is Lord Rama’s wife. Sitamarhi is a sacred place in Hindu mythology. Its history goes back to Treta Yug. Sita; the wife of Lord Rama sprang to life out of an earthen pot, when Raja Janak was ploughing the field somewhere near Sitamarhi to impress upon Lord Indra for rain. It is said that Raja Janak excavated a tank at the place where Sita emerged and after her marriage, set up the stone figures of Rama, Sita and Lakshman to mark the site. This tank is known as Janaki-kund and is south of the Janaki Mandir.


In course of time, the land lapsed into a jungle until about 500 years ago, when a Hindu ascetic, named Birbal Das came to know the site by divine inspiration where Sita was born. He came down from Ayodhya and cleared the jungle. He found the images set up by Raja Janak, built temple over there and commenced the worship of Janaki or Sita. The Janaki Mandir is apparently modern and is about 100 years old only. The district of Sitamarhi was carved out of Muzaffarpur district on 11th December 1972. It is situated in the northern part of Bihar.


The Janaki Mandir in Sitamarhi, that has such a graceful history, is a completely neglected place. It lacks cleanliness and has nothing to attract visitors. If we’ll neglect this cultural heritage, it will vanish completely and our coming generations will never forgive us for this. We now prefer to go to air-conditioned places of worship to find peace but the real peace and happiness still lies in our age old customs and culture. What makes India stand out in this world is its rich culture. I think we should try to do something to save and develop our rich cultural heritage. I am trying to throw light on this forgotten territory.


We hear a lot about Ayodhya but nothing about Sitamarhi, in media. Isn’t this a kind of discrimination? Are Gods more important than Goddesses? We are talking about equality, but if equality doesn’t exist in our beliefs how can it be implemented? If we discriminate between the birthplace of a God and a Goddess what can we expect about human beings? I don’t want to target any religion or hurt anyone’s beliefs. I just want to put up an important issue before you..! It is both surprising and sad that people fight for Ayodhya but there are no takers for Sitamarhi!


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