Sita Samahit Sthal Sitamarhi Bhadohi – The final resting place of a Goddess
This is perhaps the only temple of a kind where photographers and photography is welcome. You can take as many gadgets as you want and click to your heart extent of this magnificently built and maintained temple dedicated to the Goddess Sita at Sitamarhi.
With perhaps the exception of Pawas Devasthan in Maharashtra, the temple of Sita Samahit Sthal is perhaps the most beautiful, well maintained, clean and once you reach there, you are at peace. It is believed that this temple is built on the final resting place of Sita where she went back into the folds of her mother Earth.
This double storey temple has the worshipping idol on the first floor while at the lower floor is the meditation hall with a stunning life size idol of Sita in her glory and beauty. Her flaming hair is let loose and her face, a hint of stoic expression with those eyes staring at the near distance.
This place is now famous and it sees tourists coming here from their visit to Sangam. It is a permanent fixture on the religious circuit fixture. But it was not like that before the construction of this temple which was completed only in 1990.
Location of Sita Samahit Sthal Sitamarhi
The location of the temple is a place called Sitamarhi. There are actually two places by the same name, the other one is more famous on Google Maps but that is in Bihar. This one in Bhadohi does not show up so easily on Google Search.
National Highway 19 which comes from Kanpur bypasses Prayagraj and goes onward to Varanasi. It merges with Allahabad road at Handia from which the highway goes to Baraut till it reaches a place called Jangiganj (Gopiganj). This place has a small flyover under which is the right turn to catch the Jangiganj Dhantulsi Road. This is the best road to drive to Sitamarhi. Google maps otherwise shows a number of roads taking a right tuen but they are all bad. This road is also used by the tourist buses which make regular trips to this temple. It will take around half an hour drive to leave the main road and reach Sitamarhi.
The fascinating story of this place
Sita is known by many names, Janaki, Maithili and Bhumija. The last name came to her because she was considered born from the earth and King Janak was her adopted father. She was discovered in a field at Sitamarhi in the Mithila. This place is located in Bihar close to the Nepal border. She is also revered as a great Goddess in the country of Nepal. When Sita grows into a young woman, King Janak organises a Swayamvara in which he keeps the test that anyone who can lift the bow of God Shiva and string it will be able to marry his daughter. But immediately after returning to Ayodhya and getting married they are forced into a 14 year exile which they spend in Chitrakoot. The final three years of exile, Lord Ram has to fight Ravana to defeat him and take Sita whom he had abducted.
Even after returning to Ayodhya for the second time, they could not live together again. There were rumours as to how the King can keep Sita as his wife despite her being held captive by another man, Ravan. Very reluctantly Ram had to choose between his wife and his duties as a king. Sita is forced into exile once again and she starts living her life in Valmiki’s ashram. She is pregnant while leaving and at the ashram she delivers two twins, Luv and Kush. Sita raised both her sons as a single mother.
Meanwhile Lord Ram grew in stature both as a king as well as a conqueror. He organised the great Ashwamedh Yagya out of which a white horse came alive. This horse was allowed to roam freely and in whichever kingdom he stepped, the king had to swear allegiance to King Ram.
Once the horse was roaming at the banks of river Ganga near Bhadohi where his sons, Luv and Kush captured it. Ram at that time did not know the identity of the captors so first he sent his greatest generals but they all were defeated by his twins. Finally when he sent Lord Hanuman, even he was tied around his body. Finally Lord Ram himself decided to go to battle. Seeing him, Sita comes out and requests him not to fight his own sons and also tells him that her time on earth is now over and she shall go back to mother earth from where she was born.
Cut to the present, Swami Jitendra Nath Tirth in 1992 makes his long journey along the river Ganga and stops at Valmiki Ashram. Rishikesh to Sitamarhi is around 900 kms. Over there he finds two small moulds of earth which the local people worship as Sita Samadhi. He sees in his dream a massive temple dedicated to Goddess Sita. Out of this idea is born the present temple which is known as Sita Samahit Sthal.
It is a temple of unbelievable beauty in the middle of a small lake. This double storey temple has the prayer area on the top with a meditation hall below it. Both the levels have two different idols of Sita in all her dazzling beauty.
The temple welcomes devotees all year round where people come from far and wide to pray to Goddess Sita. There is also a restaurant and hotel where people can stay. Food served here is pure veg without onions and garlic.
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