Kathmandu, Nov 25 : A festive splendour gripped the city of Janakpur, home to the Janaki Temple, as the traditional reenactment of the wedding ceremony of Lord Ram and Sita (Janaki) took place on Tuesday.

A symbolic 'swayamvar' of Lord Ram and Sita was organised at the historic Rangabhoomi ground in Barha Bigha, where tens of thousands of pilgrims from both Nepal and India gathered to celebrate the event. The occasion, known as 'Vivah Panchami', is a Hindu festival that commemorates the union of Ram and Sita of the Ramayana.

"An estimated 300,000â??400,000 pilgrims thronged Janakpur to witness the traditional wedding ceremony of Lord Ram and Sita in our city," Janakpur Deputy Mayor Kishori Shah told IANS. "Thousands of pilgrims from various districts of Nepal and from the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra came to Janakpur to celebrate the event."

A grand wedding procession featuring traditional tableaux and hymns arrived from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya carrying the idol of Ram, while another group of pilgrims departed from the Janaki Temple in Janakpur carrying the idol of Sita.

Both groups met at the historic Barha Bigha Rangabhoomi, where the ceremonial 'swayamvar' was performed, with tens of thousands of devotees attending to witness the procession and the ritual.

The wedding is believed to have taken place on the fifth day of the waxing moon in the month of Mangsir (Marga Shukla Paksha) during the Treta Yug in the Mithila region. Janakpur, the capital of Madhesh Pradesh in Nepal, is believed to be the birthplace of Sita and the capital of ancient Mithila.

Shah said there are plans to perform Ram Kalewa on Wednesday, a tradition involving the distribution of various foods â?? including sweets, vegetables, grains, curd, and ghee â?? to the groom's procession.

He added that Vivah Panchami has also been helping promote tourism in Janakpur, as it draws tens of thousands of pilgrims to the city.

/IANS