Amit Shah lays foundation stone for Janaki Mata temple: Why BJP is banking on Goddess Sita in its Bihar poll pitch

Union Minister Amit Shah was accompanied by Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar.

Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday laid the foundation stone for the re-development of the Mata Janaki temple at Punaura Dham.

He was accompanied by Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar. The home minister had announced this project at a “Shashwat Mithila Mahotsav 2025” event in Ahmedabad in March this year.

The project, which seeks to emulate the scale and grandeur of Ayodhya’s Ram temple, was first sanctioned in September 2023 with the aim of boosting religious tourism. At the time, the JD(U) and the RJD were part of the ruling Mahagathbandhan in the state.

However, the CM’s party switched back to the NDA in January 2024. The development of this temple has coincided with an aggressive push to infrastructure and religious tourism projects ahead of the assembly polls scheduled to be held later this year.

Significance of event ahead of polls

The Congress on Thursday alleged that Shah laying the foundation stone of the temple was aimed at "political gains" in the upcoming Assembly polls.

The timing probably underscores the BJP’s attempt to emotionally engage the Maithil community, including Brahmins, Kayasthas, Vaishyas, and the upper-middle classes. The BJP reportedly aims at influencing at least 20-25 Assembly seats in the Mithilanchal region, comprising several districts in north Bihar, by addressing the redevelopment issue. The region has a mixed population of Yadav, Muslim, Kushwaha, Dalit and EBC voters.

Shah may address local party workers during the visit, as part of what insiders are calling “Mission 2025”.

After the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, the BJP fared poorly in the subsequent elections. In the 1995 Assembly elections, it got get only 41 of the 324 (undivided Bihar) seats. The BJP has also not been able to dominate electorally when it has contested alone. In the 2015 elections, despite the Modi wave, the BJP managed to win only 91 of the 243 seats.

However, this is also not the first time that a political party or coalition has tried to focus on Goddess Sita.

During his 2023 Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said at a public meeting, “Yeh (RSS) ‘Jai Siya Ram’ kabhi nahi kehte. Inhone Sita ji ko naare se nikaal diya… Yeh hamare itihaas ke khilaaf kaam kiya inhone (The RSS workers never say ‘Jai Siya Ram’. They have removed Sita from the salutation. This is something that is against our history). I am telling you (Congress workers), every time you come across an RSS worker, ask them to say ‘Jai Siya Ram’. Kyunki, jitne jaroori Ram the, utni jaroori hi Sita ji thi (because Sita is as significant as Ram).”

Mythological significance of Punaura Dham

About 150 km from Bihar’s capital Patna, Puna­ura Dham is the fabled birthplace of Sita. According to Ramayana, it was in Punaura where King Janak of Videha—surrounded by Sadanira (Gandaki river), Kaushiki (Kosi River), Ganga and the Himalayas—was ploughing land, when he fou­nd the infant Sita under the soil. Locals say the pond is where Sita was found.

Details of project

In a social media post in June, the CM shared the proposed temple design saying that a trust has been formed to expedite the construction work.

The state cabinet sanctioned over Rs 882 crore for the proposed 156-foot-tall main temple structure. It is five feet less than the 161-feet Ram temple in Ayodhya. According to reports, the temple will have wide walkways and ample green cover to be spread over 67 acres.

The project will reportedly include Sita and Luv-Kush vatikas (gardens), exhibition centre, cafeteria, children's play area, parking, and other religious and cultural structures.

Architect Chandrakant Sompura, famous for the design of Ram temple in Ayodhya, has also designed the Sita temple.

The project is being developed as part of the Ramayana circuit, a broader initiative linking Ayodhya, Sitamarhi, and Janakpur in Nepal.