--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Janakpur, Nepal | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Janakpur, ranked: the Janaki Mandir, the Vivah Mandap, the Ganga Sagar aarti, Mithila art in Kuwa and Dhanushadham." url: https://wimup.com/city/janakpur type: City guide updated: 2026-10-21 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Janakpur Janakpur, Nepal · Asia · By Wimup Editorial, 12 min read Janakpur is the capital of Madhesh Province, on the plains a short drive from the Indian border, and Hindus revere it as the birthplace of Sita. Its core is a white marble temple and dozens of sacred ponds. Come for the aarti, the wedding festival in December and the Mithila painting of the villages around it. ## Quick answer Janakpur is a pilgrimage city on the Nepali plains, and two days covers it. Spend the first on the Janaki Mandir, the Vivah Mandap beside it and the Ram Mandir on Dhanush Sagar, ending with the evening aarti at Ganga Sagar. Give the second to Mithila art: the women's centre in Kuwa and the painted wall of the provincial headquarters. Come for Vivah Panchami in December if you can, and add a morning at Dhanushadham. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Oct · Nov · Dec · Mar - **Ideal length:** 2 days - **Budget per day:** $25–60 - **Language:** Maithili, with Nepali as the official language - **Getting around:** On foot around the temples and ponds; e-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws for the rest; jeeps and buses to Dhanushadham and Jaleshwar - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://ntb.gov.np/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Janakpur ### 1. Walk through the marble Janaki Mandir Temple · Janaki Mandir, Janakpurdham, Dhanusha, Nepal The white temple to Sita, completed in 1910 by Queen Vrisha Bhanu of Tikamgarh, is the reason the city exists as a pilgrim stop. It is built of stone and marble rather than Nepal's usual brick and timber. It cost nine lakh rupees, so locals call it the Naulakha Mandir. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Early morning or the evening aarti - **Tip:** Dress modestly, leave shoes at the stands by the gate, and expect crowds from India on weekends and festival days. Links: [Website](https://ntb.gov.np/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. See Ram and Sita wed at the Vivah Mandap Shrine · Ram Janaki Vivah Mandap, Janakpurdham, Dhanusha, Nepal Beside the Janaki Mandir, a pavilion with pagoda roofs marks the spot where tradition holds Ram and Sita were married. Glass walls let you see the wedding scene of statues inside. Locals call it the Marwa. - **Time:** 30 minutes - **Cost:** Small entry fee - **Best at:** Straight after the Janaki Mandir - **Tip:** Carry small notes. Reports of the fee vary, so check the price at the gate. ### 3. Stand at the Ganga Sagar evening aarti Sacred pond · Ganga Sagar, Janakpurdham, Dhanusha, Nepal Every evening devotees gather on the steps of Ganga Sagar for the aarti, with lamps, bells and chanting over the water. It is the best hour in the city. In Chhath the banks fill with families making offerings to the setting sun. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Dusk - **Tip:** Arrive before sunset to find space on the steps, and ask before photographing anyone at prayer. ### 4. Visit the Ram Mandir on Dhanush Sagar Temple and pond · Ram Mandir, Dhanush Sagar, Janakpurdham, Dhanusha, Nepal The city's oldest major temple, a Nepali pagoda rebuilt in 1782 by the Gorkhali general Amar Singh Thapa. It faces Dhanush Sagar, the largest ceremonial pond, where devotees bathe each morning. The Rajdevi shrine sits in the same compound. - **Time:** 45 minutes - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning, for the bathers on the ghats - **Tip:** It is a short walk from the Janaki Mandir; pair the two in one morning. Links: [Website](https://janakpurmun.gov.np/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 5. Time your trip for Vivah Panchami Festival · Janaki Mandir and Vivah Mandap, Janakpurdham, Nepal Ram and Sita's wedding is re-enacted for about a week each November or December, the biggest event of Janakpur's year. It opens with a procession of their idols around the city, and the wedding day itself draws the largest crowds. - **Time:** 2 to 3 days - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** The final days, for the wedding - **Tip:** Rooms fill with pilgrims from India. Book well ahead and confirm the year's dates first. Links: [Website](https://ntb.gov.np/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 6. Watch Mithila art made in Kuwa Art centre · Janakpur Women's Development Centre, Kuwa, Janakpurdham, Nepal A women-run centre founded in 1989 on the edge of the city, where about 40 artists paint, print, embroider and make ceramics and papier-mâché in the Mithila style. You can watch them work and buy from the source. - **Time:** 1.5 hours - **Cost:** Free to visit - **Best at:** Weekday mornings - **Tip:** Call ahead. Published hours are not always kept, and the centre is a rickshaw ride from the temples. ### 7. Walk the painted wall of the provincial headquarters Public art · Madhesh Province headquarters, Janakpurdham, Dhanusha, Nepal The former Janakpur Cigarette Factory now houses the Madhesh government, and around 50 artists were commissioned in 2024 to cover its outer wall in Mithila painting. The plan was 160 panels over about a kilometre. - **Time:** 45 minutes - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon light - **Tip:** It is a government compound: photograph the outer wall from the street, not the gates. ### 8. Eat a Mithila thali Restaurant · Mithila Thali, near Ramananda Dwar, Janakpurdham, Nepal The chef Santosh Shah, a MasterChef winner, opened Mithila Thali here in 2023 to serve the local table: fish in mustard, kadhi badi and chokha. It has since grown into a chain. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Mid-range - **Best at:** Lunch - **Tip:** Meals at temple kitchens leave out onion and garlic; order fish here instead. ### 9. Ride Nepal's only passenger railway Railway · Janakpurdham railway station, Janakpurdham, Nepal The line opened in 1937 to haul timber to Jaynagar in India, and was rebuilt to broad gauge before reopening in 2022. Trains run south to the border and north towards Bijalpura, through rice fields and villages. - **Time:** Half a day - **Cost:** Low fares - **Best at:** A morning departure - **Tip:** Carry your passport and check the day's timetable at the station, since services change often. ### 10. Find the bow at Dhanushadham Day trip · Dhanusha Dham, Dhanushadham Municipality, Dhanusha, Nepal Local tradition says a piece of Shiva's bow, broken by Ram to win Sita, fell here, about 15 to 20 km north of the city. A petrified fragment lies under a shelter beside a pond and a temple, and a fair fills the site on Sundays in Magh. - **Time:** Half a day - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** A Sunday in January or February, for the fair - **Tip:** Hire a jeep or taxi for the round trip; local buses run but are slow. ## Best temples in Janakpur Three more shrines, after the Janaki and Ram temples. 1. **Rajdevi Mandir** (Shakti · Dhanush Sagar): King Janak's family goddess, a Shaktipeeth in the Ram Mandir compound. 2. **Rajarshi Janak Mandir** (King Janak · Janak Chowk): A temple to King Janak himself at Janak Chowk, near Dhanush Sagar. 3. **Bihar Kund temple** (Four brothers · Bihar Kund): A temple on the west bank of Bihar Kund with idols of Ram and his three brothers. ## Best sacred ponds in Janakpur Three of the dozens of holy ponds that give Janakpur its shape. 1. **Dhanush Sagar** (Morning · Ram Mandir): The largest ceremonial pond, said to hold the buried half of Shiva's bow. Bathers come at dawn. 2. **Ratna Sagar** (Temple pond · Janakpurdham): A pond and temple south of the centre, due for restoration in an ADB-backed programme. 3. **Bihar Kund** (Quiet · Janakpurdham): A quieter pond with the four-brothers temple on its west side. ## Best pilgrimages in Janakpur Three circuits that pilgrims walk around the city and the plains. 1. **Mithila Madhya Parikrama** (Feb or Mar · Mithila): A 15-day walk of about 120 km through Nepal and Bihar, carrying the palanquins of Ram and Sita. 2. **Antargriha Parikrama** (Falgun Purnima · Janakpurdham): The closing loop of more than 15 km around Janakpur itself. Holi follows the next day. 3. **Vivah Panchami Nagar Parikrama** (Nov or Dec · Janakpurdham): The procession of Ram and Sita's idols around the city that opens the wedding festival. ## Best places to see Mithila art in Janakpur Where the region's painting still lives, from studios to walls. 1. **Janakpur Women's Development Centre** (Studio · Kuwa): Painting, prints, ceramics and embroidery made by about 40 women. Buy direct. 2. **Kuwa village** (Village · Kuwa): A few mud houses here still carry painted walls, freshened for Tihar. 3. **Railway station mural** (Mural · Station): A Mithila mural painted in a workshop near Janakpurdham station. ## Best places to eat in Janakpur Three tables for fish, thali and sweets. Ask locals for the newest. 1. **Mithila Thali** (Thali · Ramananda Dwar): Santosh Shah's restaurant near Ramananda Dwar, built on the regional thali. 2. **Hotel Sita Sharan** (Hotel · Jaleshwar Road): A hotel restaurant on the Jaleshwar road serving Nepali and Indian dishes. 3. **Laxmi Misthan Bhandar** (Sweets · Janakpurdham): The sweet shop most guides name for fresh Mithila mithai. ## Around town in Janakpur The crossroads and bazaar lanes between the temples. 1. **Janaki Mandir bazaar** (Market · Janaki Mandir): Stalls of offerings by the temple gates, then bangles, cloth and street food. 2. **Ramananda Chowk** (Crossroads · Ramananda Chowk): The main crossroads, on the way to the Janaki Mandir and the Kurtha road. 3. **Janak Chowk** (Junction · Dhanush Sagar): The junction by Dhanush Sagar, the Ram Mandir and the Janak temple. ## Best day trips from Janakpur Shiva's bow, a water-filled shrine and a Gorkha fort. 1. **Dhanushadham** (15 to 20 km · Dhanusha): The bow fragment of the Ramayana, 15 to 20 km north. A fair fills it in Magh. 2. **Jaleshwar Mahadev** (15 km · Mahottari): A Shiva shrine whose sanctum lies 16 steps down and stays under water. About 15 km south. 3. **Sindhuli Gadhi** (90 km · Sindhuli): The hill fort where Gorkha forces beat a British column in 1767. About 3 hours by road. ## Festivals & annual events in Janakpur (2026) - **Vivah Panchami** (Nov or Dec): About a week re-enacting Ram and Sita's wedding. The city's biggest crowds. - **Mithila Madhya Parikrama** (Feb or Mar): Fifteen days of walking pilgrims through Nepal and Bihar, ending in Janakpur. - **Holi** (Feb or Mar): Played the day after the Antargriha parikrama closes. Wear clothes you can lose. - **Ram Navami** (Mar or Apr): Ram's birthday, with songs and processions at the Ram and Janaki temples. - **Janaki Navami** (Apr or May): Sita's birthday. A week of aarti and tableaux at the Janaki Mandir. - **Madhushravani** (Jul or Aug): Fifteen days of worship by newly married Maithil women in the month of Saun. - **Chhath** (Oct or Nov): Offerings to the sun at dusk and dawn on Ganga Sagar and the other ponds. - **Sama-Chakeva** (Nov): A sisters' festival for their brothers, with clay figures made at home. ## Must-try dishes in Janakpur, Nepal - **Maachh**: Freshwater fish in a pungent mustard gravy, the signature of Mithila. - **Dahi chura**: Beaten rice with the region's thick dahi and jaggery. - **Kadhi badi**: Yoghurt curry with lentil dumplings, served at festive meals. - **Aloo baingan chokha**: Mashed potato and aubergine with mustard oil and green chilli. - **Litti chokha**: Roasted wheat balls stuffed with spiced gram flour, with chokha. - **Tilkut**: Sesame and jaggery hammered flat with wooden mallets. - **Makhana kheer**: Milk pudding made with fox nuts, a Janakpur delicacy. - **Anarsa**: Rice and jaggery fritters made for rituals and weddings. ## Janakpur transport & airports - **Janakpur Airport** (JKR): Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines fly from Kathmandu several times a day, about 25 minutes in the air. The airport sits on the edge of the city. [Buddha Air](https://www.buddhaair.com/flights-to-janakpur?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Road from Kathmandu** (BP Highway): About 210 km via Sindhuli and Bardibas, roughly six hours by jeep. Buses on the longer route via Mugling take about nine. - **Janakpurdham station** (Rail): The cross-border line runs south to Jaynagar in India and north towards Bijalpura. Carry ID and check times at the station. - **Around town** (Rickshaws): The temples and ponds are close enough to walk. E-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws cover the rest; agree the fare first. ## Janakpur at a glance - **Country:** Nepal - **Region:** Capital of Madhesh Province and seat of Dhanusha district, on the plains at about 74 metres - **Population:** 195,438 in Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City at the 2021 census, across about 92 km² - **Founded:** Revered as the capital of King Janak's Mithila; the present city grew around the Janaki Mandir, completed in 1910 - **Nickname:** The city of ponds - **Language:** Maithili is the city's language; Nepali is official, and Hindi is widely understood - **Currency:** Nepalese rupee (NPR, Rs) - **Time zone:** Nepal Time, UTC+5:45, no daylight saving - **Calling code:** +977, with 41 as the Janakpur area code - **Airports:** Janakpur (JKR), domestic flights to Kathmandu; Tribhuvan International (KTM) for onward travel - **Power:** 230V, 50Hz, type C, D and M plugs - **Emergency:** 100 for police, 101 for fire, 102 for ambulance ## Interesting facts - The Janaki Mandir cost nine lakh rupees to build, so it is known locally as the Naulakha Mandir. - The Janakpur railway opened in 1937 to carry timber to Jaynagar, then in British India. - Tradition says Ram broke Shiva's bow here: one piece lies at Dhanushadham, another under Dhanush Sagar. - The Ram Mandir was rebuilt in 1782 by Amar Singh Thapa, a general of the Gorkha conquest. - Holi in Janakpur waits for the Antargriha parikrama to finish, and is played the day after. ## Janakpur travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Janakpur? Two covers it. Spend one on the Janaki Mandir, the Vivah Mandap and the Ram Mandir, ending with the Ganga Sagar aarti. Give the second to Mithila art in Kuwa and the painted headquarters wall, or to a half day at Dhanushadham. ### When is the best time to visit Janakpur? October to March, when the plains are dry and mild. Vivah Panchami falls in November or December and Holi in February or March. April and May are hot, with highs around 35°C, and the monsoon runs from June to September. ### How do you get to Janakpur from Kathmandu? Fly: Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines run several flights a day, about 25 minutes in the air. By road it is about 210 km via Sindhuli and Bardibas, roughly six hours by jeep. ### What should you wear to the temples in Janakpur? Cover shoulders and knees, and take off your shoes before entering. Ask before photographing people at prayer, above all on the ghats. ### Where can you buy Mithila art in Janakpur? At the Janakpur Women's Development Centre in Kuwa, where the artists sell paintings, prints, ceramics and textiles direct. Call ahead before you go, since published hours are not always kept. ## Nearby guides - [Kathmandu](https://wimup.com/city/kathmandu.md): Nepal · 10 picks - [Pokhara](https://wimup.com/city/pokhara.md): Nepal · 10 picks - [Thimphu](https://wimup.com/city/thimphu.md): Bhutan · 10 picks - [All of Asia →](https://wimup.com/asia): 94 cities Part of the [Nepal guide](https://wimup.com/country/nepal.md) · [Asia](https://wimup.com/asia.md) ## Sources - [Janakpur tourism board](https://ntb.gov.np/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Visit the Ram Mandir on Dhanush Sagar (official site)](https://janakpurmun.gov.np/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Janakpur Airport: Buddha Air](https://www.buddhaair.com/flights-to-janakpur?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.