Janaki Mandir, known as the Nau Lakha Mandir, is the one of the most important Hindu Pilgrimage destination situated at Janakpur which is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Sita. The cost for the construction of the temple was nine lakhs or nine hundred thousand; hence it was named as Nau Lakha Mandir. According to Ramayan, Kujg Janak, ruler of Videha ( Janakpur), During the Ramayana period, married her daughter Sita to the prince of Ayodhya Ram. Janaki or Sita, during her Swyambar (engagement), has chosen Lord Rama as her husband. Their marriage ceremony had occurred in the nearby temple which is called Vivaha Mandap.
The exact date of its construction is not known but it is said that the temple was constructed before the 16th century which is found in the literature. Queen Vrisha Bhanu of Tikamgarh, India build the temple in 1911 AD in today’s form. It is constructed areas of 4,860 SQ feet in a mixed style of Mughal and Hindu architecture. The temple is 50 meters in height. It is a three-storied structure made entirely of stone and marble. All its 60 rooms are decorated with the flag of Nepal, coloured glass, engravings and Mithila paintings, with beautiful lattice windows and turrets.
In 1657, a golden statue of the Goddess Sita was found at the very spot, and Sita is said to have lived there. The legend said that it was built on the holy site where Sannyasi Shurkishordas was the founder of modern Janakpur and the great saint the poet who preached about the site Upasana (also called Sita Upanishad) Philosophy. Legends have claimed it that King Janak (seeradhwaj) performed the worship of Shiva-Dhanush on its site.