Ramayana is not just another tale, it is an influential allegory-an indispensable part of Hindu religious canon. The land of Bihar is a place which replete with stories from the epic Ramayana, written by sage Valmiki Muni. There are many places which are connected to different occasions of Goddess Sita and Lord Rama’s life. According to believes Mithila state was once facing adverse drought conditions. To impress Lord Indra for rain, King Janak started plowing a field. A time had come when the plowing reached Panaura and the plough hit a vessel. The vessel broke and Goddess Sita sprung to life. Thereaftet, this place is known as Sitamarhi. The King Janaka of Videha and his wife Sunaina adopted Sita. Thereafter, the place is known as Sita Kund. Bihar witnesses sites mentioned in the Ramayana right from birth of Sita Goddess to demon killing by God Ram and rescuing a lady like Devi Ahalya from a curse.
Janki Temple(Punaura):
This temple is about 5 Km south west of Sitamarhi. This temple is claimed to be the bitrth place of Sita and is considered to e sacred place where people go for a pilgrimage.
Janki temple(Sitamarhi):
This more than 100 years old Hindu temple, situated near Sitamarhi, is related to Goddess Sita’s life. The temple is believed to be the birth place of Goddess Sita.
Panth Pakar (Sitamarhi):
An age old banyan tree still stands here about 8km north east of Sitamarhi. It is said that when Sita left Jankapur in a palanquin for Ayodhya after the marriage with Shri Ram, she was given rest for a while under this very banyan tree.
Haleshwar Sthan (Sitamarhi):
This is an ancient temple of Lord Shi a about 3 km north west of Sitamarhi. According to myths the King of Videha on the occasion of Putrayesthi Yagna, founded this temple.
Ahilya sthan (Darbhanga):
The village is situated about 25 km north west of Darbhanga and about 4 km from Kamtaul Railway Station. It is known for the temple of Ahilya, which is associated with the well-known legend of the sage Gautam and his wife Ahilya as told in the epics and Puranas. Inside the Shrine is a flat stone said to contain the foot prints of Sita, wife of Ram, as the main object of worship.
Valmiki nagar ( West Champaran):
This is village on the Indo Nepal border 42 km north east of Bagaha to which it is connected by a metal road. There is a Valmiki Ashram which is said to be the place where Maharshi Valmiki Lived. On the occasion of Makar Sankranti every year a fair is held on the bank of River Gandak. Besides an old Shiva temple constructed by the Bettiah Raj, there are also ancient temples of Nara Devi and Gauri Shankar at Valmiki Nagar.
Singheshwar sthan (Madhepura):
Singheshwar Sthan has been the abode of Lord Shiva from the ancient times. Though there are various stories about establishment of the Singheshwar temple, the one that is widely and popularly accepted, relates to Rishi Shiringi. In the ancient time Singheshwar was situated on the bank of the river Kosi and was surrounded by dense and lush green forest. It was ideally situated for Tapasya’ (Meditation ) and it is here that Vibhandak Rishi along with his son Rishi Shringi devoted all his time in deep meditation.
Phullahar (Madhubani):
Situated about 5 km west of the block headquarters at Umgaon, the village houses temples of Goddess Girija. It is said that Sita, the daughter of king Janak, used to come here every day to worship the Goddess. Lord Rama saw here for the first time at this place.
Pretshila Hills(Gaya):
About 8 km north-west of Gaya, the 873 feet high Pretshila Hills is situated. The literal meaning is ‘Hill of Ghosts’. On the top of the hill is small temple, appropriately dedicated to Yam (The God of death).
Kako (Jehnabad):
Situated 10 km east of Jehanabad Railway station, it is believed that Lord Ramachandra’s stepmother, Rani Kaikeyi of Ayodhya lived here for some time and the village took its name after her. The village also has a tomb of Hazarat Bibi, Kamal Sahiba, a great Muslim lady saint. It is said that this lady was the aunt of Haryat Makdum Saheb of Bihar Sharif possessed divine powers.
Raainchura (Vaishali):
The place is situated in Vaishali block, where a fair is held every year on Ram Nawami day. The local tradition has it that lord Ram Chandra had a stopover here for a bath on his way to Janakpur. There are some marks on stone, which are said to be his footprints.
Ahirauli(Buxur):
Situated about 5 km north east of Buxur, this village has a temple of Devi Ahilya. According to the legend, Rishi Gautam cursed his wife and she turned into a stone. When Lord Ram’s feet touched the stone, Ahilya became alive out of it.
Rain Rekha Ghat(Buxur):
According to the legends, lord Ram Chandra and his younger brother Lakshman with their teacher Rishi Vishwamintra had crossed the Ganga here on their way to Jankapur where Lord Ram took part in the Sita swayamavar (the public ceremony of Sita’s Marriage).
Tar (Bhojpur):
Situated about 10 km north west of Piro, the village derives its name from Tarka, a she demon killed by lord Rama. There is an old tank in the village that is said to be the wrestling ground of Tarka.
Giddheshwar(Jamui):
According to local legends, on Ravan’s Way back to Lanka after abducting Sita, the epic fight between the vulture Jatayu and Ravan took place here on the hill that is situated about 13 km south of Jamui. There is a temple of Lord Shiva, which draws big crowds on the occasion of Shivratri and Maghi Purnirna.
Sita Kund(Munger):
Situated in a village about 6 km east of the Munger town there is a hot spring known as the Sita Kund. The story goes that Lord Rama, after rescuing his wife Sita from the demon king Ravan, suspected her chastity and Sita, to prove her chastity, agreed to enter a blazing fire. She came out of the fire unscathed, and dissipated the heat she had absorbed from the fired in the pool in which she bathed. The hot spring is now enclosed in a masonry reservoir and is visited by large number of pilgrims, especially at the full moon of Magh.
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