Punaura Dham Development Plan: Goddess Sita’s Birthplace

Context: Recently, a development plan for Goddess Sita’s birthplace at Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi was launched by the Bihar Government.

• Sitamarhi features in the Centre’s list of 15 tourism-cum-religious places on the Ramayana Circuit.

About Punaura Dham Development Plan

• Punaura Dham:  Located three miles south-west of Sitamarhi district in the Mithila region of Bihar,  it has a 100-year-old Janaki  temple along with Sitakund, Sita Vatika and Luv Kush Vatika.
• It  includes renovation of the temple, parikrama path (a path to circumambulate the temple) and developing the Luv Kush Vatika, Sita Vatika, and Sita Kund. 
• A meditation mandap will also come up, and a 3-D film screened to show Goddess Sita’s life journey.
• Budgetary Outlay: 72-crore (approx)

Ramayana Circuit

• It is  one of the fifteen thematic circuits identified for development under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.

• Destinations  under the Ramayana Circuit theme: 
  • Uttar Pradesh: Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringverpur & Chitrakoot.
  • Bihar:  Sitamarhi, Buxar & Darbhanga
  • Madhya Pradesh:  Chitrakoot
  • Odisha:  Mahendragiri 
  • Chattisgarh: Jagdalpur 
  • Maharashtra: Nashik & Nagpur
  • Telangana: Bhadrachalam 
  • Karnataka:  Hampi
  • Tamil Nadu:  Rameshwaram 

News Source: Indian express