Janakpur – The 15-day Mithila Madhyamiki Parikrama, regarded as the “Maha Kumbh” of the Mithila region, concluded on Tuesday with thousands of devotees performing the sacred Antargriha Parikrama in and around Janakpur.
The religious procession, which had arrived in Janakpur a day earlier, began the final Antargriha Parikrama at midnight. As part of this inner circumambulation, devotees undertake a five-kos (approximately 15-kilometer) barefoot walk around the sacred periphery of Janakpur. There is a popular belief that those unable to participate in the entire 15-day pilgrimage earn equivalent religious merit by completing this final inner circuit.
The Mithila Madhyamiki Parikrama draws massive participation each year, with hundreds of thousands of devotees from Nepal and India joining the spiritual journey. Pilgrims travel on foot across a total distance of 133 kilometers — 107 kilometers in Nepal and 26 kilometers in India — stopping at 15 designated resting points, including 13 in Nepal and two in India.
The pilgrimage formally commenced on Falgun 8 from the Mithila Bihari Temple at Thera Kachuri in Mithila Bihari Municipality of Dhanusha district, after the ceremonial departure of the deity’s palanquin.
Symbolizing the deep religious, social, and cultural ties between Nepal and India, the Parikrama remains a significant spiritual tradition in the Mithila region. Although Holi is being celebrated in parts of the Terai today, Mithilanchal traditionally observes the festival a day before the full moon. Accordingly, Holi will be celebrated in Janakpur tomorrow.
