SITAMARHI, BIHAR – Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar jointly laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the Mata Sita temple at Punauradham, a site widely revered as the birthplace of Goddess Sita. The project, with an estimated cost of ₹883 crore, is aimed at transforming the site into a major pilgrimage and religious tourism hub.
The redevelopment plan, spanning a 67-acre campus, includes the construction of a main temple designed to be similar in scale and grandeur to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The project also encompasses the creation of a ‘parikrama path’ (circumambulation path), gardens named after Sita and her sons Luv and Kush, an exhibition hall, a Vedic school, a museum, and accommodation facilities for pilgrims.
The event, which saw the presence of numerous saints and seers from across India and Nepal, holds significant political and cultural weight.
The project is being developed as a key part of the central government’s Ramayana Circuit, a broader initiative under the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme to connect pilgrimage sites associated with the epic.
The Bihar government has allocated the funds for the project, with ₹137 crore earmarked for the renovation of the existing temple and a substantial ₹728 crore for tourism-related infrastructure. Officials stated that the project is expected to be completed within three years.
The foundation stone ceremony was also a platform for political statements, with both leaders addressing the public and highlighting the cultural and economic benefits of the project for the Mithila region.
