Sitamarhi district

History

This place is considered as birthplace of Sita, the main character of the epic Ramayana and a temple dedicated to Sita lies near Sitamarhi town. A Rock cut sanctuary of Mouryan period is found near Sitamarhi.

In 1875, a Sitamarhi subdistrict was created within the Muzaffarpur district. Sitmarhi was detached from Muzaffarpur and became a separate district as of December 11, 1972. It is situated in the northern part of Bihar. The district headquarters is located in Dumra, five kilometers south of Sitamarhi.

Sitamarhi district became a full-pledged district when it was split from Muzaffarpur district in 1972. 1994 saw the split of Sheohar district from Sitamarhi.

The district is currently a part of the Red Corridor. There is a village in Sitamarhi District named Harpurwa. There is the tomb of Hajrat Daataa Shah Rahmatullah Alaihe in Harpurwa which is famous in Sitamarhi district.

Tradition and legend says that goddess Sita sprang into life while King Janaka was ploughing the field in order to please Lord Indra, the god of rains. The place got its lovely name Sitamarhi from this beautiful legend.

Today’s Sitamarhi is a much acclaimed pilgrim centre where tradition and mythology synchronizes beautifully. Its legendary association with the classic story of Ramayana gave it a predominant place in the itinerary of a pious Hindu. This devout centre presents the awesome beauty of a lovely locale that preserves its ethnicity and heritage in a proud manner. In Sitamarhi one can still feel the greatness and magnetism of a rich legacy. In fact Sitamarhi proffers the picture of an alluring devout centre, which beautifully blends the customs and traditions with the contemporary life.

Though the district of Sitamarhi depicts a picture of a religious destination, along with its lovely shrines and temples, the city also holds other allures that make one’s trip quite enjoyable. A bevy of other exiting and fascinating attractions like Kanti thermal power station, Darbhanga, Raxaul, Areraj, Motihari, are in store in Sitamarhi.

The city of Sitamarhi is a rare combination of alluring natural vistas, fashionable structures and enlivening sacred shrines. It portrays the vivid picture of an upcoming tourist location where the devout and the picnicker would love to come again and again.

Geography

Sitamarhi district occupies an area of 2,294 square kilometres (886 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to Australia's Groote Eylandt.

Sitamarhi is located at26.6°N 85.48°E.[7] It has an average elevation of 56 metres (183 feet). sitamarhi district is drained by rivers such as baghmati, aghwara, lakhandei (lakshman rekha), manusmara & few other minor streams. the northern portion of sitamarhi falls in foothills of himalaya. here elevation increases as one goes from south to north.The ground is not rocky and there are no mountains. Land is suitable for growing crops.There is no water scarcity as ground water is present.

Rivers: Bagmati, Lakhandei

Sub-divisions

Sitamarhi district comprises 3 Sub-divisions:

Economy

It is one of the 38 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Transport

National Highway 77 connects the area to the Muzaffarpur district and Patna to the South. Sitamarhi has road connections to adjoining districts, of which the major examples are National Highway 77 and National Highway 104. It is situated on the Darbhanga Narkatiaganj railway line and has the largest railway station of district. Another broad gauge track, running between Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi. Direct train services are available to places such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Hyderabad and Kanpur. State highways link it to the Madhubani (to the east) and Sheohar (to the west) districts. Railway lines connect Sitamarhi to Darbhanga in east, and to Muzaffarpur in south and to Raxaul in west. Sitamarhi has a railway junction. Sitamarhi railway station is on Raxaul-Darbhanga rail route. Sitamarhi is getting connected to all major railway stations in India and the rail network is growing rapidly with many new trains being added to further connect this holy place to every corner of India and make it easier for tourists to travel.

The nearest airport to Sitamarhi is the Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport which is about 120 km from Sitamarhi. This airport is well connected to other airports in the country like Delhi International airport. Taxi cabs are easily available from Airport to Sitamarhi.

Sitamarhi is well connected to all cities in and around Bihar by state owned transport services. Some private deluxe buses also operate between Patna and Sitamarhi.

R D Place cinema hall is located in the heart of Sitamarhi of Bihar and is one of the most prominent movie theatre in Bihar. It is one of the prestigious & spacious cinema hall in and around North Bihar serving the public for more than 10 years. The seating arrangements are superb having push back seats with fully air child in the cinema hall and the screen size is the largest in the area. It also has digital surround sound system.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Sitamarhi district has a population of 3,419,622, roughly equal to the nation of Panama or the US state of Connecticut. This gives it a ranking of 96th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 1,491 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,860/sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 27.47%. Sitamarhi has a sex ratio of 899 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 53.53%.

Notable people

Sheen Muzaffarpuri