In 1875, a subdivision for Sitamarhi was created within the Muzaffarpur district.[6] Sitamarhi was detached from the Muzaffarpur district and made a separate district on December 11, 1972.[7] It is situated in the northern part of Bihar. The district headquarters is located in Dumra, five kilometres (3 mi) south of Sita temple.[8]
Sitamarhi dates back to the time of Ramayana and is considered as the place where King Janaka found Sita.[10]
A temple dedicated to the goddess Sita, a subject of the epic Ramayana, is located at Punaura Dham Sitamarhi.[11] A rock-cut sanctuary from the great Mauryan period is found near Sitamarhi.[12]
Rama Navami is a spring festival in Dumra, widely celebrated with a large fair held to mark the occasion. Also in Janki Mandir popularly known as Janaki Sthan (temple with history from 1599) next to Urjiva Kund (where Sita was found in the heart of the earth) a marriage ceremony of Ram and Sita happens every year.[13]Sama Chakeva is a prominent winter festival dedicated to celebrating brother-sister relationships.[14] This is a major cultural event with marriage ceremonies and many cultural rituals that take much preparation.[15]
Demographics
Sitamarhi District has a total population of around 1,06,093. There are around 56,693 males and 49,400 females. The numbers of literate males are 39,537, and that of literate females is 29,970. In total 69,507 people are literate. The average literacy rate is 52.04% in total, 60.64% for males, and 42.41% for females. The sex ratio is 899. The child sex ratio is 872.[16]
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 officers, posted in the district.
The district has been divided into three subdivisions, namely Sadar, Pupri, and Belsand which are headed by sub-divisional officers either from I.A.S. (Indian Administrative Service) or B.A.S. (Bihar Administrative Service) cadre. S.D.Os (Sub-divisional officer) are under the direct authority of D.M. (District Magistrate). Subdivisions are divided into 17 development blocks where B.D.Os. ( Block Development Officer) are posted who undertake development and welfare projects.[19] Sitamarhi district has 845 revenue villages. The superintendent of police, Sitamarhi, is the head of the district police administration and is assisted by the deputy superintendent of police. In each subdivision of the district, the deputy superintendent of police is posted who keeps control of police administration. The district is headed by the District and Sessions Judge who is assisted by other Judges and Munsiff magistrates are posted at district and sub-division levels and administer and deliver the justice of different kinds.[20]
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 railway junction to places such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Lucknow, Guwahati (Kamakhya), Hyderabad, Kanpur and Mumbai.[22][23]
The nearest airport to Sitamarhi is the Darbhanga Airport which is 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) operate between Sitamarhi and Patna.[25]
Notable people
Ramcharitra Rai Yadav – Freedom Fighter, Indian Politician, Veteran Socialist Leader and Former member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. He was the First MLA from Sursand Constituency, Sitamarhi, Bihar during India's First General Election in 1951-1952, which took place after India gained independence.
^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."
