The left shoulder of Sati in the sacred kingdom of Mithila — Uma, the Radiant, in the land where Sita was born and raised.
Mithila Peetha marks where the left shoulder of Sati fell. The Goddess is Uma (the Radiant/Brilliant) — Parvati in her most luminous, auspicious form — and the Bhairav is Mahodar (the Great-Bellied — a form of Shiva or Ganesha). The Mithila region — spanning north Bihar and the Nepal Tarai — is the ancient kingdom of Raja Janaka, father of Sita. This Peetha therefore sits in the very landscape of Sita's birth and the Ramayana's opening chapters.
The Mithila region is famous for Madhubani (Mithila) painting — a sophisticated women's folk art tradition painted on walls and floors, whose imagery draws directly on the goddess traditions of the Shakti Peethas and the Ramayana mythology. The Janaki Mandir at Janakpur, Nepal (55 km from Sitamarhi) — the temple at Sita's birthplace — is the natural companion pilgrimage. The Uma Peetha in the land of Sita creates a beautiful confluence of Shakta and Vaishnava feminine sacred traditions.
By road from Patna: 175 km (4 hours). By rail: Sitamarhi Station on the Samastipur-Raxaul line. Janakpur (Nepal, 55 km) can be combined.
October to March. Vivah Panchami (November–December) — the anniversary of Sita and Rama's marriage — draws large pilgrimage crowds to the Janakpur region.
The Janaki Mandir in Janakpur, Nepal (55 km) — a magnificent temple to Goddess Sita — makes this Peetha the gateway to a combined Bihar-Nepal sacred circuit.
The Left Shoulder of Goddess Sati fell at Mithila, consecrating this land as a Shakti Peetha. The Shakti here is Uma and the guardian Bhairav is Mahodar.
One of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas — explore its unique significance in the divine circuit.
Explore →One of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas — explore its unique significance in the divine circuit.
Explore →One of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas — explore its unique significance in the divine circuit.
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