Madhubani
Where Kalidasa is said to have been given his gift, and Saurath Sabha, the old marriage assembly of Mithila.
North Bihar
Places around Madhubani
- Uchchaith Bhagwati Temple: This is the temple of the Kalidasa legend - the goddess is said to have appeared to the dull student...
- Kapileshwar Nath Temple: In the month of Shravan people come from across Bihar for jalabhishek of the Shivling here
- Rajnagar Kali Mandir: It is the surviving living shrine of the ruined Rajnagar palace complex and the main Kali temple of the...
- Saurath Sabha Gachhi: Thousands of Maithil Brahmins gather for arranged-marriage matching, and pilgrims worship at the...
More to see and do
Madhubani painting
Mithila's wall and floor painting, taken onto paper in the 1960s and GI-registered in 2007; the villages still paint.
Line and colour paintings of gods, nature and weddings, practised in Jitwarpur, Ranti and other villages around Madhubani.
Sikki grass work
Golden marsh grass coiled into boxes and figures that Mithila brides still carry to their new homes; GI-registered.
A women's craft of the wet country of Madhubani: baskets, lidded boxes, masks and deity figures in dyed sikki grass.
Mithila makhana
The fox nut Bihar grows for almost all of India, one of Mithila's three emblems with paan and fish; GI-registered in 2022.
Seeds gathered by hand from the bottom of ponds, then roasted and popped. Eaten roasted, or as makhana kheer.
Saurath Sabha
A marriage assembly of Maithil families held in an orchard for about 700 years, where genealogists check seven generations before a match is agreed.
For about eleven days in the months of Jyeshtha and Ashadha, families meet under the trees at Saurath and the panjikars consult their registers.
Sama Chakeva
Mithila's festival of brothers and sisters, with clay birds, songs at night and the winter birds arriving.
After Chhath, sisters shape and paint clay figures of Sama and Chakeva, sing together each night, and on Kartik Purnima the figures are given to the river.
Dahi chura on Makar Sankranti
The Makar Sankranti breakfast across Bihar: flattened rice, curd and jaggery, with tilkut after.
Chura, dahi and gur eaten together on the morning of Sankranti, with tilkut.
Yatras through Madhubani
- Shakti Yatra: Devi shrines on hills and in villages, including the oldest working temple in India
- Ramayan Yatra: Sita's Mithila, and the road Ram took through it
Experiences
- Learn Madhubani painting: A wall painting done by women in Mithila for centuries, now a hundred-crore trade
Tirtham can arrange here
A guide who knows the places, a car with a driver we have met, and a stay nearby. Tell us your dates and we call to confirm.
Plan my Yatra. Rather talk to someone? Call or WhatsApp +91 87893 56605, or contact us.