Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lay the foundation stone for the Maa Sita Temple at Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi, Bihar, on Friday—a ceremony hailed by leaders as a “historic” occasion for the state and the nation.
Announcing the event on X, Shah said, “Tomorrow is an extremely auspicious and joyous day for the entire country, and especially for Mithilanchal, when the foundation stone for the comprehensive development plan of the sacred ‘Punaura Dham Temple’ and its premises will be laid at the birthplace of Mother Sita in Sitamarhi, Bihar.” He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Sitamarhi–Delhi Amrit Bharat Train to enhance connectivity for devotees, which will also be inaugurated on the same day.
Union Ministers Giriraj Singh and Chirag Paswan, along with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will join Shah in the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony. Singh recalled Shah’s earlier commitment to building a temple for Sita Mata after the Ram temple was completed in Ayodhya, calling this step “historic.”
Paswan described the temple project as the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream for Bihar, saying it would boost religious tourism and economic growth in the state. Drawing parallels with Uttar Pradesh’s experience after the inauguration of the Shri Ram Temple, he said, “The whole region became self-reliant. I believe it is a historic step to increase revenue generation in Bihar.”
Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal called the event a moment long-awaited by the people of Mithila. “People from every household are gathering to witness this historic moment,” he said, thanking Shah and Nitish Kumar for making it possible.
The foundation stone-laying comes as Bihar heads toward Assembly elections later this year. In the 243-member Assembly, the ruling NDA—comprising the BJP, JD(U), and LJP—holds 131 seats, while the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, led by the RJD, has 111 seats.
