Sitamarhi
City
Goddess Sita, Bagahi Math, Janaki Sthan Mandir
Sitamarhi is located in Bihar
Sitamarhi
Sitamarhi
Location in Bihar, India
Coordinates: 26°36′N 85°29′E / 26.6°N 85.48°E / 26.6; 85.48
CountryIndia
StateBihar
RegionMithila
DistrictSitamarhi
Elevation
56 m (184 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total106,093
Languages
 • OfficialHindi
 • Additional officialUrdu[2]
 • Regional LanguagesMaithili
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
843302, 843301, 843331,843323, 843325 (Sitamarhi)[3]
ISO 3166 codeIN-BR
Vehicle registrationBR-30
Lok Sabha constituencySitamarhi
Vidhan Sabha constituencySitamarhi
Websitesitamarhi.nic.in

Sitamarhi is an Indian city in the Mithila region of Bihar. It is the district headquarters of the Sitamarhi district and is a part of Tirhut Division. The city was named in honour of the birthplace of the goddess, Sita.[4] The Bihar government declared Sitamarhi a municipal council.[5]

In 1875, a subdivision for Sitamarhi was created within the Muzaffarpur district.[6] Sitamarhi was detached from the Muzaffarpur district and made a separate district on 11 December 1972.[7] It is situated in the northern part of Bihar. The district headquarters is located in Dumra, five kilometres (3 mi) south of Sita temple.[8]

Geography

Sitamarhi, located at 26°36′N 85°29′E / 26.6°N 85.48°E / 26.6; 85.48,[9] has an average elevation of 56 metres (184 ft).

Multiple small towns that are famous in Sitamarhi are Bairgania, Sursand and Bhitthamore which are located at Indo-Nepal border. Other famous places in Sitamarhi region are Bathnaha, Sonbarsa, Bajpatti, Pupri, Parihar, Runnisaidpur, Belsand (Vidhansabha constituency), Parsauni, and Dumra is near Sitamarhi which is known for all the government offices.

Culture

Sitamarhi dates back to the time of Ramayana and is considered as the place where King Janaka found Sita.[10]

A temple dedicated to the goddess Sita, a subject of the epic Ramayana, is located at Punaura Dham Sitamarhi.[11] A rock-cut sanctuary from the great Mauryan period is found near Sitamarhi.[12]

Rama Navami is a spring festival in Dumra, widely celebrated with a large fair held to mark the occasion. Also in Janki Mandir popularly known as Janaki Sthan (temple with history from 1599) next to Urjiva Kund (where Sita was found in the heart of the earth) a marriage ceremony of Ram and Sita happens every year.[13] Sama Chakeva is a prominent winter festival dedicated to celebrating brother-sister relationships.[14] This is a major cultural event with marriage ceremonies and many cultural rituals that take much preparation.[15]

Demographics

Sitamarhi District has a total population of around 1,06,093. There are around 56,693 males and 49,400 females. The numbers of literate males are 39,537, and that of literate females is 29,970. In total 69,507 people are literate. The average literacy rate is 52.04% in total, 60.64% for males, and 42.41% for females. The sex ratio is 899. The child sex ratio is 872.[16]

Religion in Sitamarhi (2011)[17]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 80.06%
Islam
 
 17.23%
Buddhism
 
 1.28%
Jainism
 
 0.45%
Christianity
 
 0.14%
Sikhism
 
 0.01%
Others
 
 0.22%

Administration

Sitamarhi is a part of the Tirhut Division. Currently, Sitamarhi consists of three sub-divisions and seventeen blocks. Its headquarters are located at Dumra, five kilometers south of Sitamarhi. The district magistrate is the top-most official of revenue and civil administration and is assisted by ADM[18] and other officers, posted in the district.

The district has been divided into three subdivisions, namely Sadar, Pupri, and Belsand which are headed by sub-divisional officers either from I.A.S.(Indian Administration service) or B.A.S.(Bihar Administration Service) cadre. S.D.Os.(Sub-divisional officer) are under the direct authority of D.M.(District Magistrate). Subdivisions are divided into 17 development blocks where B.D.Os.( Block Development Officer) are posted who undertake development and welfare projects.[19] Sitamarhi district has 845 revenue villages. The superintendent of police, Sitamarhi, is the head of the district police administration and is assisted by the deputy superintendent of police. In each subdivision of the district, the deputy superintendent of police is posted who keeps control of police administration. The judges and Munshif magistrates are posted at district and sub-division levels and administer and deliver the justice of different kinds.[20]

Tourism

Transportation

National Highway 77 connects it to Mehsi, Muzaffarpur district and Patna, and other roads connects to adjoining districts. National Highway 227 (India) connects it to Sheohar, Sursand, Bhitthamore border, Charaut and Jaynagar. State highways link it to Madhubani district in the East.[21]

Sitamarhi Junction railway station is a five-platform station on the Darbhanga–Raxaul–Narkatiaganj line, which was converted to broad gauge in February 2014. Another broad-gauge track connects Sitamarhi to Muzaffarpur. Direct train services are available from Sitamarhi railway junction to places such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Lucknow, Guwahati (Kamakhya), Hyderabad, Kanpur and Mumbai.[22][23]

The nearest airport to Sitamarhi is the Darbhanga Airport which is about 82 kilometres (51 mi) away.[24]

Sitamarhi is connected to cities in and around Bihar by state-owned transport services. Many private buses (both AC and non-AC) operate between Sitamarhi and Patna.[25]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Census of SITAMARHI". Biharonline.gov.in. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  2. ↑ "50th Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India (July 2012 to June 2013)" (PDF). Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Sitamarhi
  4. ↑ "Bihar Tourism official". Bihar Tourism. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Tirhut Division". Tirhut-muzaffarpur.bih.nic.in. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  6. ↑ Official Website of the District and Civil Court of Sitmahri Archived 25 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 26 May 2010
  7. ↑ District Health Action Plan, National Rural Health Mission, Government of Bihar, Retrieved 25 May 2010
  8. ↑ "जानकी मंदिर, सीतामढ़ी | Welcome to Sitamarhi District | India" (in Hindi). Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Sitamarhi, India". Fallingrain.com. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  10. ↑ "Punaura Dham". Drishti IAS. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  11. ↑ Chakrabarti, Dilip K (2001). Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Lower and the Middle Ganga. New Delhi: Orient Blacksawn. p. 207. ISBN 9788178240169. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  12. ↑ Sen, S N (1999). Ancient Indian History And Civilization. New Age International. p. 166. ISBN 9788122411980. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  13. ↑ Sitamarhi, Encyclopedia Britannica (2014), Quote: "A large Ramanavami fair, celebrating the birth of Lord Rama, is held in spring with a considerable trade in pottery, spices, brassware, and cotton cloth. A cattle fair held in Sitamarhi is the largest in Bihar state. The town is sacred as the birthplace of the goddess Sita (also called Janaki), the wife of Lord Ram."
  14. ↑ "Festivals of Bihar". Government of Bihar. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  15. ↑ [Mithila kaa Itihas (Hindi Book), Author: Dr. Ram Prakash Sharma, Publisher: Kameshwer Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Darbhanga, Page No.: 460]
  16. ↑ "Sitamarhi District Population Data – Census 2011". census2011.co.in.
  17. ↑ "Census 2011 India". census2011.co.in. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  18. ↑ Nootan Sharma (21 December 2022). "District Collector, Magistrate, Development Commissioner: what to call an IAS officer?". The Print. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Who's Who | Welcome to Sitamarhi District | India". Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  20. ↑ "Who's Who | Welcome to Sitamarhi District | India". Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "Rs 1,034 crore OK'd for national highways projects in Bihar". The Times of India. 12 September 2020. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  22. ↑ "Trains Darbhanga - Sitamarhi: times, prices and tickets starting from ₹ 47.32 | Virail". www.virail.in. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  23. ↑ Shandilya, Tushar. "14006/Lichchavi Express - Anand Vihar Terminal to Sitamarhi NR/Northern Zone - Railway Enquiry". indiarailinfo.com. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  24. ↑ "Trains Darbhanga - Sitamarhi: times, prices and tickets starting from ₹ 47.32 | Virail". www.virail.in. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  25. ↑ "BSRTC". bsrtc.co.in. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
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