A short way from the town of Sitamarhi, Punaura Dham marks the spot where, by tradition, Sita appeared from a furrow as King Janaka ploughed the earth during a yajna — giving her the name Janaki, “daughter of Janaka”. A Janaki temple and the sacred Janaki Kund draw pilgrims through the year, and the site is woven into the same Ramayana geography as Janakpur across the border.
The Bihar government has announced a major redevelopment of Punaura Dham, with a grand temple and pilgrim corridor intended to place it firmly on the Ramayana pilgrimage map. For Maithils on both sides of the border, Sitamarhi and Janakpur together form the twin poles of Sita’s story.