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Sitamarhi

Coordinates: 26°36′N 85°29′E / 26.6°N 85.48°E / 26.6; 85.48
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the temple, see Sita Samahit Sthal.

Sitamarhi
City
Clockwise from top: Goddess Sita, Janaki Sthan Mandir, Bagahi Math
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
Country India
State Bihar
RegionMithila
DistrictSitamarhi
Elevation
56 m (184 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total
106,093
Languages
 • OfficialHindi
 • Additional officialUrdu[2]
 • Regional languages Maithili
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 in Tirhut Division.[4] The city was named in honour of the goddess Sita, who was born in Sitamarhi in Hinduism.[5]

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

Geography

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Sitamarhi has an average elevation of 56 metres (184 ft).[9]

Pupri, Bairgania, Sursand and Bhitthamore are all towns on the Indo-Nepal border not far from Sitamarhi.

Culture

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Sitamarhi dates back to the time of the Ramayana epic, which describes it as the place where King Janaka found the goddess Sita.[10]

A temple dedicated to Sita is located at Punaura Dham Sitamarhi.[11] A rock-cut sanctuary from the Mauryan period is also found near Sitamarhi.[12]

Several cultural events occur annually in Sitamarhi: Dumra hosts festivities for Rama Navami each spring; a ceremony commemorating the marriage of Ram and Sita happens every year in Janaki Sthan;[13] and the winter festival of Sama Chakeva celebrates brother-sister relationships.[14][15]

Demographics

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As of the 2011 Census, Sitamarhi District has a total population of around 106,093. There are around 56,693 males and 49,400 females. 69,507 people are literate, including 39,537 males and 29,070 females. The average literacy rate is 52.04% in total, 60.64% for males, and 42.41% for females. The sex ratio is 899, and 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

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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[definition needed][18] and other district officers.

The district has been divided into three subdivisions: Sadar, Pupri, and Belsand. Each is headed by sub-divisional officers either from the IAS (Indian Administrative Service) or BAS (Bihar Administrative Service). Sub-divisional officers are under the direct authority of the District Magistrate. Subdivisions are divided into 17 development blocks where BDOs (Block Development Officers) are charged with carrying out development and welfare projects.[19] Sitamarhi district has 845 revenue villages. The district's judicial system is headed by the District and Sessions Judge, who is in turn assisted by other Judges and Munsiff magistrates posted at district and sub-division levels.[20]

Pilgrimage sites

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Transportation

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National Highway 77 connects Sitamarhi to Mehsi, Muzaffarpur and Patna, and other roads connect the city to adjoining districts. National Highway 227 runs towards Sheohar in the west and the border town Bhitthamore in the east. State highways link Sitamarhi 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 Junction to cities including New Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Lucknow, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kanpur, and Mumbai.[22][23]

The nearest airport to Sitamarhi is the Darbhanga Airport, 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[definition needed]) operate between Sitamarhi and Patna.[25]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "Census of SITAMARHI". Biharonline.gov.in. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. 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. ^ "Tirhut Division". Tirhut-muzaffarpur.bih.nic.in. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Bihar Tourism official". Bihar Tourism. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  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. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. 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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