The city of Janakpur, 135 kilometers (84 miles) southeast of Kathmandu is doubly famous as the birthplace of the Hindu goddess Sita, as well as being the site where she was married to Lord Rama.
According to the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, the original city of Janakpur was named after King Janak of the Mithila kingdom. Janak found the baby Sita in a furrow of a field and raised her as his daughter. When Sita (also called Janaki) was about sixteen, the king announced that she could be married by whoever was able to string the divine bow of Shiva. Though many royal suitors tried, only Lord Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, was successful. And not only did he string the bow, he also snapped it in two. Thus, Lord Rama won the hand of Sita.
