Sitamarhi: A grand Sita temple, modelled on the Ram temple in Ayodhya, is set to rise in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, with Union home minister Amit Shah and chief minister Nitish Kumar due to lay its foundation stone on Friday afternoon.
The temple will be built at Punaura Dham, revered as the birthplace of the Hindu goddess Sita. For the bhoomi pujan , soil from 21 pilgrimage sites and water from 31 rivers have been brought to Sitamarhi. The rituals will be performed under the supervision of acharyas from Kashi and Mithila, with saints and religious leaders from across India attending.
Silver urns from Jaipur and silver worship items from Delhi have been arranged for the ceremony. Special laddus prepared in Tirupati Balaji in Andhra Pradesh – using water from 11 holy rivers, including the Ganga, sourced via Patna’s Mahavir Temple – will be distributed as prasad after the rituals.
The proposed complex will span about 67 acres, featuring the main temple, a yagya mandap, museum, auditorium, cafeteria, playground, dharamshala, Sita Vatika, bhajan sandhya venue, and other tourist facilities. The Bihar government has allocated Rs 883 crore for the project, which is expected to be completed in three years.
Saints from Ayodhya, Janakpur in Nepal, Kashi (Varanasi) and southern India have already gathered at Punaura Dham for the event. Only saints will be permitted inside the main venue, where a specially arranged pandal has been set up for them.
