The sugar-cane fields and Maithili villages around Janakpur form a lush and magical mosaic. Many of the villages are built in the traditional Mithila style, with mud walls decorated with colourful paintings and raised wall engravings of people and animals.
The easiest village to reach from Janakpur is Kuwa , about 1km south of Murali Chowk. People are very friendly, as long as you aren’t too intrusive with your camera, and you can drop in on the Janakpur Women’s Development Centre .
If you feel like roaming further afield, Dhanushadham , 15km northeast of Janakpur, marks the spot where Rama allegedly drew Shiva’s magic bow. Worshippers believe a fossilised fragment of the broken bow lies here.
Further rural adventures and wall art await in the village of Phulgama , a thirty minute bus ride (Rs 20) south of Janakpur.
