Dhanushadham

In the Ramayana, King Janaka promised Sita's hand to whoever could lift and string the great bow of Shiva. Prince after prince failed; Rama lifted it with ease — and broke it in two. Mithila tradition says the pieces flew far: one fragment came to rest at the place now called Dhanushadham.

The shrine

The temple complex, set among trees and ponds in the countryside north-east of Janakpur, holds a stone that devotees revere as a fossilised piece of the bow. Pilgrims touch and circle it, and the site is closely linked to Janakpur's Ramayana festivals.

Rural Mithila

The journey is part of the reward: village roads pass mud-walled houses painted for weddings and festivals, fish ponds, and fields of rice and lentils. Go in the morning and return to Janakpur for the evening aarti at the Janaki Mandir.