The Nepal Weekly 
November 25, 2025
Vivah Panchami is a Hindu festival that commemorates the holy wedding of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita. They are the main characters of Ramayan, the most celebrated holy scripture the Hindus. The wedding in the ancient time, is said to have taken place on the fifth day of the waxing moon in the month of Mangshir in the Treta Yug in Janakpur, which is now in Madhesh Pradesh, Nepal. Janakpur was the birth place of Goddess Sita.
For the Hindus, the day is considered to be auspicious for getting married and starting a family. The Janaki Temple, dedicated to Sita in Janakpur, is a rare blend of Mughal and Rajput architecture with a lovely garden that includes Vivah Mandap (wedding courtyard) dedicated to them. The weeklong festival is celebrated by re-enacting Ram and Sita’s wedding, colourful processions, dance performances attended by both locals and visitors from nearby Indian cities, as well as some from Ayodhya in India.
Vivah Panchami is one of the most sacred day when Lord Shri Ram and Goddess Sita got married. The whole country celebrates the marriage anniversary. This day holds a great cultural importance in Hindu religion.
According to Hindu scriptures, renowned Saga Vishwamitra once approached King Dasharath of Ayodhya and requested that he send his sons Ram and Laxman to rescue him and other Sages from demons torturing them and preventing them from performing yajnas. Lord Ram and Laxman exterminated every demon.
After that Vishwamitra led them to Jankapur, where King Janak’s daughter’s Swayambar was being held. King Janak had a condition that one who would lift the bow of Lord Shiva, only that person will become husband of his daughter Sita. All kings appeared one by one, but no one was able to lift the bow. Ram, the eldest son of King Dasharath and incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was then indicated by VIshwamitra to lift the bow.He succeeded doing so and got married to Sita by Swayambar ceremony. Since then Vivah Panchami is celebrated in Janakpur every year.
The city of Ayodhya in the Indian stae of Uttar Pradesh lavishly celebrates this occasion. Vivah Panchami is also celebrated in temples as the marriage of Goddess Sita and Lord Ram in India and Nepal.
Hundreds of people from Ayodhya in India arrived Janakpur via Matihani, Jaleshwor and Pipara of Nepal for the Vivaha Panchami will be observed in Janakpur on 25 November this year.
The festival is more than a religious form of joy; it reflects the cultural history of the people of both Nepal and India. The inhabitants of Janakpur are aware of this tradition, and most of them regard it as their duty to preserve religious endowment and strengthen community identity.
This year’s Vivah Panchami, also includes various cultural activities to entertain visitors.
The night in Janakpur is filled with bright and coloured lighting, and lots of family dwellings are lit up. Food is a major aspect of the celebrations, with many stalls featuring local delicacies to which the beauty of what is on sale can be seen and felt. The hustle and bustle and togetherness thus have a harmonious resonance with Janakpur’s cultural DNA and its relationship with the historical lineage of the civilization.
Like most Nepali festivals, the Vivah Panchami festival is full of joy, and the spirit of Janakpur go with jubilance. During the joyful process of the event, the residents will feel the pride of their identity and their culture. The celebration is a reminder of the marriage of Lord Ram and Sita, which played an essential role in demonstrating unity, promoting the interests of the community, and continuing traditions. The Nayaa Shrawan celebration this year has been designed to be a memorable one for all the stakeholders based on the hindsight that the city of Janakpur holds a rich cultural and religious significance in the area.
