Janakpur

Janakpur upmahānagarpālikā जनकपुर उपमहानगरपालिका Janakpur
Coordinates	26 ° 43 '49 "  N , 85 ° 55' 32"  E Coordinates: 26 ° 43 '49 "  N , 85 ° 55' 32"  E
Basic data
Country	Nepal
province	Province No. 2
District	Dhanusha
height	85 m
surface	24.6 km²
Residents	97,776 (2011)
density	3973  Ew. / km²
Website	www.janakpur.com.np
City law 2nd order
Janaki Mandir

Janakpur ( Nepali जनकपुर ) or Janakpurdham ( Nepali जनकपुरधाम ) is a city with 2nd order city rights in southern Nepal , administrative capital of the Dhanusha district and an important pilgrimage city for Hindus, especially due to its role in the Hindu epic Ramayana .

At the 2011 census, the city of Janakpur had 97,776 inhabitants (51,838 male) in 19,183 households.

History and myth

Today's Janakpur is considered the ancient city of Mithila , the capital of the historic kingdom of Videha and the center of the ancient Maithili culture.

The city is mentioned in many Hindu scriptures , including the Shatapatha Brahmana , the Vishnu Purana , the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Mahabharata and the Shrimadbhagabat Mahapuran . These Vedic writings, epics and Puranas are the most important sources for the historical and cultural development of Janakpur.

The Shatapatha Brahmana describes how King Mathava Videgha, led by his priest Gotama Rahugana, crossed the Sadanira (Gandaka) River and founded the Kingdom of Videha. The city of Mithila became the capital of the Videha Empire, which encompassed large parts of the Terai and stretched from the Kali Gandaki River to the Sapt Koshi and into today's Indian Bihar . Since Gotama Rahugana many hymns in the Rig Veda composed, the establishment of the Maithili kingdom is believed in Vedic times.

One of the most important references to Mithila / Janakpur is the great epic Ramayana of the sage Valmiki. Afterwards, Sita , the incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi , was born here and married to Prince Rama . According to tradition, King Janak of Mithila once found her as a baby plowing in the furrow, brought up by her mother, the earth. The king raised Sita, the name means “furrow”, as a daughter, and soon she had grown into a beautiful, intelligent and sought-after girl. When their wedding was imminent, many suitors turned up and were put to the test by their father: he should marry his daughter who would be able to draw the bow of the god Shiva - an act that no mortal is capable of would. All failed. However, when it was Rama's turn, not only did he manage to draw the bow, he even broke it in two. Sita was deeply taken with the prince and married him. Janakpur has been an important place of pilgrimage since the 16th century after hermits are said to have discovered some figures of Rama and Sita and part of Shiva's mystical arch in the local jungle.

geography

Geographical location

Janakpur is located in the Terai (Nepalese part of the Gangetic Plain) in the south of Nepal about 20 km north of the Indian border and about 400 km south-east of Kathmandu . The city is located at about 70 m above sea level on flat terrain with no significant height differences. It is bounded to the west by the Dudhmati River and to the east by the Jaladh River. Janakpur is the administrative capital of the Dhanusha district.

climate

Janakpur is one of the hottest cities in Nepal. The climate is characterized by high humidity, subtropical summers with temperatures of up to over 40 ° C and mild winters with temperatures rarely below 10 ° C.

Janakpur
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     12   22nd 9     11   26th 11     12   31 16     52   35 21st     128   35 24     239   34 26th     488   33 26th     339   33 26th     198   32 25th     64   32 22nd     2   29 16     8th   25th 11 Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: (PDF; 191 kB)

Monthly average temperatures and rainfall for Janakpur Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 22.2 26.0 31.2 34.8 34.6 34.1 32.5 32.7 32.3 31.7 29.3 25.1 O 30.6 Min. Temperature (° C) 9.1 11.3 15.5 20.6 24.0 25.9 26.1 26.4 25.3 22.0 15.7 10.9 O 19.4 Precipitation ( mm ) 12 11 12 52 128 239 488 339 198 64 2 8th Σ 1,553 Source: (PDF; 191 kB)

population

The following table shows the development of the population of the city of Janakpur.

(*) - estimate

The population growth rate is 3.05% per year. According to the last census in 2011, the 51,838 men and 45,938 women live in 19,183 households. In 2001 there were 33,240 married men and women in monogamous marriages, 376 men and women in marriages with several wives. The illiteracy rate in Janakpur was 34%, with about every 4th man (24%) and about every 2nd woman (45%) unable to read or write. Of the school-age children (26,745), around 69% of the boys (9,474) and 59% of the girls (7,615) attended school.

The population is made up of around 80 different castes and ethnic groups, the largest among them in 2001 were Brahman-Hill (7868), Sudhi (6828), Yadav (6535), Teli (5836), Muslim (5538), Brahman- Terai (3584), Kayastha (3491) and Kurmi (3116). The religion of most of the inhabitants is Hinduism (92.6%), about 6.9% also belong to Islam, other religions (Buddhism 0.4%, Jainism 0.02%, Christianity 0.02%) are minorities . With approx. 84% (62,261) the mother tongue of most of the inhabitants is Maithili , with approx. 10% (7,978) it is Nepali , further of the twelve occurring languages ​​are Urdu (781), Rajsthani (574), Hindi (561) and Newar (493).

Culture and sights

temple

Janaki Mandir

Because of the more than 120 temples Janakpur is also called the city ​​of temples . The Janaki Temple and the Rama Temple are of outstanding importance.

The Janaki Temple in the heart of the city was opened in 1911 after twelve years of construction. Janaki is a name of Sita , the daughter of King Janaka and wife of Rama. Vrisha Bhanu, Queen of the city of Tikamagarh (in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh ), had donated 900,000 rupees because her wish to have a child had come true through a pilgrimage to Janakpur. Therefore the temple is also called “Naulakha Mandir” - “900,000 rupee temple”. The queen’s heraldic cartouche adorns the north gate. The Mughal architecture of the temple, as popular in 17th century India, is unique to Nepal.

The Rama Temple is the central location of the Ramnavami Festival. It was built in 1882 by King Rana Bahadur, making it the oldest in the city. Its construction is the best example of the pagoda style in Nepal. The building was renovated in 1927 under Maharajah Chandra Shamsher.

Festivals

The people of Janakpur are very religious and celebrate many festivals throughout the year. During Dasain, which lasts several days in October, the victory of good over evil is celebrated. On the tenth day, Rama killed the demon Ravana . Because of the special relationship between the city of Janakpur and Rama, the Dasain Festival in Janakpur is celebrated with great enthusiasm. This is not only expressed by the many pilgrims who visit the city during this time, but also in the large number of animals, mostly goats, sacrificed on the ninth day of the festival.

Chhath Parva Festival

The Chhath Parva festival in November is known for its unique association with Janakpur and is especially popular with women. It is dedicated to the worship of the sun god Surya , which is why it is also called Surya Shashti. This festival, one of the most sacred, lasts four days. Every year countless pilgrims come to worship the sun god in one of the city's many sacred ponds.

Sita Vivaha Panchami in December, which celebrates the wedding of Sita and Rama, the hero of Ramayana, takes place across Nepal and India. However, the focal point of the celebrations is in Janakpur, as tradition has it that the marriage took place here. This festival also attracts thousands of pilgrims from Nepal and India, as Sita and Rama are among the most revered Hindu deities.

Other important festivals are Navabarsha (mid-April), Nag Panchami (July / August), Janau Purnima and Rishi Tarpani (July / August), Krishna Ashthami (August), Teej (August / September), Chaurchan (September), Deepawali and Lakshmi Puja (November), Maghe Sankranti or Tila Sankranti (mid-January), Basanta Panchami (February), Maha Shivaratri (February), Holi or Fagu-wa (March) and Ramnawami (March).

Ponds and fountains

The city of Janakpur has always been known for its many sacred ponds and fountains. Today there are 68 holy ponds called Sar and seven holy wells called Kup. Pilgrims perform ritual ablutions especially in those ponds that have a special mythological meaning. According to tradition, Rama was washed by King Janak in Pad Prakshalan Sar. However, since these facilities are not well looked after by the city administration, both the structural condition and the pollution of the water are questionable.

art

The women in Mithila are internationally famous for their traditional art, Mithila painting . They decorate the outside walls of their mud houses on certain occasions, such as B. Weddings or certain religious holidays, with motifs and figures from mythology and their daily life, as well as with abstract symbols and patterns. Since the Janakpur Women's Development Center (JWDC) was founded in 1989 , these traditional paintings have also been made on paper and have become known as Janakpur Paintings . The artists of Janakpur are among the most famous contemporary artists in Nepal.

Economy and Infrastructure

traffic

Janakpur airport building

For supraregional traffic, Janakpur is connected by the Dhalkewar-Bhithamod Highway to the important east-west connection Mahendra Rajmarg in the north and India in the south. National bus connections lead to Kathmandu, Pokhara and others

Janakpur has a regional airport (IATA code: JKP; ICAO code: VNJP) located in the south of the city. There are several connections to Kathmandu every day (flight time approx. 25 minutes).

Janakpur Railway Station

Janakpur is the only city in Nepal that is connected to a railway line. The line, which went into service in 1935, has a length of 51 km, of which only 29 km are currently operated by Nepal Railways . The trains, which run daily, transport passengers and freight; they are used in particular by many commuters and pilgrims.

education

In Janakpur there are branches of the Tribhuvan University Kathmandu with the subjects medicine, engineering, humanities, economics and education.

Sewerage and waste disposal

The city administration of Janakpur maintains about 120 km of roads. In 2000 there was only 0.5 km of sewerage, which is continuously being expanded, but often as open sewerage on the roadside.

According to a study in 2003, every inhabitant of Janakpur produces around 0.15 kg of garbage per day, resulting in around 15.3 tons of garbage per day in the entire city. The street cleaning staff collects about 3 tons of garbage per day, there are no garbage bins, there is no separation between different types of waste, and medical waste is not separated either. There are no landfills, composting or recycling facilities available for the disposal of the collected garbage. Instead, the garbage is dumped outside the city along the highway.

Personalities

• Dr Ram Baran Yadav (born February 4, 1948), politician, 2008–2015 President of Nepal

References

literature

• Valmiki: Ramayana - The story of Prince Rama, the beautiful Sita and the great ape Hanuman , translation by Claudia Schmölders, Heinrich Hugendubel Verlag 2004, Munich, ISBN 3-89631-431-9
• Rainer Krack (2005): Nepal manual , Reise Know-How Verlag Peter Rump GmbH, Bielefeld, ISBN 3-89416-836-6
• Ram Dayal Rakesh (2005): Janakpur - The Sacred Jewel of Nepal , SAFARI NEPAL, Kathmandu, ISBN 99933-59-96-3
• JICC Janakpur Information and Culture Center (2005), City Map Janakpurdham ,
• Claire Burkert and artists (2008): The Master Artists of Janakpur JWDC - Janakpur Women's Development Center of Maithili Art, Janakpurdham, Nepal, ISBN 978-9937-2-0341-8
• Richard Burghart (1978): The Disappearance and Reappearance of Janakpur , Kailash - Journal of Himalayan Studies, Volume 6, Number 4, 1978
• Makhan Jha: The Sacred Complex in Janakpur. Indological, Sociological, Anthropological and Philosophical Study of Hindu Civilization . United Publishers, Allahabad, India 1971
• Ulrich Wiesner (1997): Nepal, DuMont Buchverlag, Cologne, ISBN 3-7701-3945-3

Web links

Commons : Janakpur  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• www.janakpur.com.np
• JICC Janakpur Information & Culture Center
• Janakpur city map downtown
• JWDC Janakpur Women's Development Center of Maithili Art
• Heraldic cartouche of the Indian ruler of Tikamgahr, Rani Vrishabhana Kumari

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Rakesh (2005): Janakpur - The Sacred Jewel of Nepal, pp. 60-64
2. ↑ http://cbs.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/VDC_Municipality.pdf ( Memento from July 31, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) National Population and Housing Census 2011
3. ↑ ^{a b} Rakesh (2005): Janakpur - The Sacred Jewel of Nepal p. 1
4. ↑ Valmiki: Ramayana , Translation Claudia Schmölders (2004), pp. 38–41
5. ^ R. Burghart (1978): The Disappearance and Reappearance of Janakpur , Kailash - Journal of Himalayan Studies, Volume 6, Number 4, 1978
6. ↑ ^{a b} Rakesh (2005): Janakpur - The Sacred Jewel of Nepal, pp. 39-41
7. ↑ Wikipedia (2008): List of cities in Nepal html
8. ↑ Himalayan Digital Library: Nepal Census Data 2001 html
9. ^ Rainer Krack: Nepal Handbook. Reise-Know-How, 2005, pp. 393-406.
10. ↑ ^{a b} Ram Dayal Rakesh: Janakpur - The Sacred Jewel of Nepal. Safari Nepal, Baneshwor 2005, pp. 55-60.
11. ↑ ^{a b} Rakesh (2005): Janakpur - The Sacred Jewel of Nepal, pp. 76-81
12. ↑ Janakpur Online (2008): Festivals of Janakpur html ( Memento of the original from November 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
13. ↑ C. Burkert et al. (2008): The Master Artists of Janakpur
14. ↑ World Aero Data: Janakpur Airport html
15. ↑ Rakesh (2005): Janakpur - The Sacred Jewel of Nepal pp. 67, 68
16. ↑ Tribhuvan University Kathmandu (2008): Affiliated Campuses / Colleges PDF ( Memento of the original dated December 30, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
17. ↑ Ministry of Local Development (2000): Janakpur Municipality at a Glance doc ( Memento of the original from October 6, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
18. ↑ Ministry of Local Development (2004): Solid Waste Management in Janakpur Municipality PDF  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.