SITAMARHI

city, extreme northern Bihar state, northeastern India. It lies on the western bank of the Lakhandai River in the fertile Middle Ganges Plain. Sitamarhi is a station on the North Eastern Railway and is connected by roads with the Nepal frontier. It is a commercial centre trading in rice, timber, oilseeds, and hides. A large Ramanavami fair, celebrating the birth of Lord Rama, is held in spring with considerable trade in pottery, spices, brassware, and cotton cloth. A cattle fair held in Sitamarhi is the largest in Bihar state. The city is sacred in Hindu mythology because Sita (also called Janaki), the wife of Rama, was found nearby by her father, King Janaka. It has a pond and a temple dedicated to Janaki, as well as the Hanuman, Mahadeva, and Ganesa temples. Agriculture is the principal occupation of the surrounding area, and rice, wheat, bajra (pearl millet), pulse (legumes), corn (maize), sugarcane, and oilseeds are grown. Local industries produce cotton textiles, tanned leather, milled rice, hydrogenated vegetable oil, wood carvings, and metalware. Pop. (1991 prelim.) city, 44,910.