IITF: Bihar Pavilion showcases proposed Sita temple through artistic display

New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) Adjacent to a temple-themed gateway of the Bihar Pavilion at the international trade fair here, a giant mural depicting the proposed 'Punaura Dham Janki Mandir' in Sitamarhi district welcomes visitors.

Inside the sprawling pavilion, the decor bears a dominating theme of the world-famous Mithila paintings, while the state's popular culinary and tourist offerings draw people, young and old.

The Bihar Tourism stall showcases some of the historic and famous sites such as the Mahabodhi temple complex, a UNESCO world heritage site in Gaya, the Umga Sun temple in Aurangabad, waterfalls in Rohtas and Kaimur districts in south Bihar, the Patna Sahib gurdwara in the state capital, and the Pawapuri Jal Mandir in Nalanda district.

The wall panels at the stall near the gateway also display the design of the proposed Sita temple in Sitamarhi district with the caption -- 'Maa Janki Janmasthali Punaura Dham'.

"The old temple dedicated to Sita Mata is situated in Sitamarhi, believed to be her birthplace. And now a grand temple dedicated to her will come up there as announced earlier, so we have shown its design at our stall," Neelam Kumari, a staff of Bihar Tourism, said.

A large-size design of the temple along with the image of a woman offering 'arghhya' on Chhath mounted adjacent to it, also adorns the outer wall of the Bihar Pavilion, as strains of a Chhath song by later folk singer Sharda Sinha plays in the background, and an inner wall of the pavilion also carrying an image of the temple model.

Inside the pavilion, a large colourful cut-out bearing the design of the planned temple along with a caption has been placed near the other stalls, with many visitors stopping by to get clicked with it, some expressing reverence with folded hands.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah in August laid the foundation for the construction of the grand Mata Janaki temple at Punaura Dham.

The temple, to be spread over 67 acres of land, is being developed on the lines of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

The showcasing of the proposed temple in Bihar at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) underway at the Pragati Maidan comes at time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hoist a saffron flag atop the 161-foot-high main spire of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on November 25.

Bihar is one of the partner states in the 2025 edition of the IITF.

The cities of Ayodhya and Sitamarhi, located in neighbouring states, are considered holy places by devout Hindus by virtue of their religious significance, and their believed association with Lord Ram and his consort Sita.

The Ram temple, whose groundbreaking ceremony was held in the presence of Prime Minister Modi on August 5, 2020, was built after a landmark Supreme Court verdict paved the way for its construction, settling a fractious issue that went back more than a century.

A dominant subject in right-wing politics, the Pran Pratishtha ceremony held at the site on January 22, 2024, when the Ram temple was still under construction, was seen by many as a poll plank ahead of the Lok Sabha elections held that year.

And, in the run-up to the 2025 Bihar elections, the ruling NDA further pushed the temple rhetoric through speeches by party leaders in election rallies, and laying of the foundation for the 'Mata Janaki Temple' months before the November polls.

In October, the NDA released its manifesto for the Bihar polls, and promised that it would develop the 'Punaura Dham Janki Mandir' site as a world-class spiritual city.

The annual trade fair, which will run till November 27, had begun on November 14, the day the results for the high-stakes Bihar elections were announced.

The NDA stormed to power with a thumping majority in Bihar, with Nitish Kumar taking charge as the chief minister for a record 10th time.

At the Bihar Pavilion, one section also showcases the Bihar Museum built by the Nitish government, and inaugurated by him in 2015.

A model of its prized possession, Didarganj Yakshi, which was earlier kept at the old Patna Museum, has been displayed in the lobby area.

A large number of stalls in the pavilion display sarees, suits and other garments bearing hand-made design, embroidery or prints themed on Mithila paintings, portraying motifs like the wedding of Lord Ram and Sita, or she being carried in a palanquin after the marriage ceremony.

A large mural on the other side of the temple-themed gateway at depicts the Jal Mandir at Pawapuri, a sacred Jain temple dedicated to Lord Mahavir.

Another gateway of the Bihar Pavilion depicts the Mahabodhi temple in Gaya, while two adjacent murals near another gateway depict the Vishwa Shanti Stupa of Rajgir in Nalanda and the Patna Metro.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had inaugurated a small section of the Patna Metro on October 6, hours ahead of the announcement of the Assembly elections in the state.

The operational section, a 3.45-km elevated corridor, spans three stations -- Pataliputra Bus Terminal, Zero Mile and Bhoothnath, which opened as part of the “priority corridor”. PTI KND ARI