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JANAKPUR , 165km east of Birganj, is indisputably the Tarai's most fascinating city. Also known as Janakpurdham ( dham denoting a sacred place), it's a holy site of the first order, and its central temple, the ornate Janaki Mandir, is an obligatory stop on the Hindu pilgrimage circuit. Although Indian in every respect except politically, the city is, by Indian standards, small and manageable: motorized traffic is all but banned from the centre, tourist hustle is largely absent, the poverty isn't oppressive, and the surrounding countryside is delightful. To top it all, Janakpur's railway, the only one still operating in Nepal, makes an entertaining excursion in itself. There's so much going on, both in and around Janakpur, that it's worth setting aside a few days to absorb it all - though bear in mind that there are no tourist-style lodgings, restaurants or other facilities.

Hindu mythology identifies Janakpur as the capital of the ancient kingdom of Mithila , which controlled a large part of northern India between the tenth and third centuries BC. The city features prominently in the Ramayan, for it was in Janakpur that Ram - the god Vishnu in mortal form - wed Sita , daughter of the Mithila King Janak. Recounting the divine couple's later separation and heroic reunion, the Ramayan holds Ram and Sita up as models of the virtuous husband and chaste wife; in Janakpur, where the two command almost cult status, the chant of "Sita Ram, Sita Ram" is repeated like a Hindu Hail Mary, and sadhus commonly wear the tuning-fork-shaped tika of Vishnu. Mithila came under the control of the Mauryan empire around the third century BC, then languished for two millennia until Guru Ramananda, the seventeenth-century founder of the sect of Sita that dominates Janakpur, revived the city as a major religious centre.

Despite the absence of ancient monuments to confirm its mythic past - no building is much more than a century old - Janakpur remains a strangely attractive city. Religious fervour seems to lend an aura to everything; the skyline leaves a lasting impression of palm trees and the onion domes and pyramid roofs of local shrines. Most of these distinctively shaped buildings are associated with kuti - self-contained pilgrimage centres and hostels for sadhus - some five hundred of which are scattered throughout the Janakpur area. Janakpur's other distinguishing feature is its dozens of sacred ponds ( sagar or sar), which here take the place of river ghats for ritual bathing and dhobi -ing. Clearly man-made, the roughly rectangular tanks might, as locals claim, go back to Ram's day, although it's more likely that they've been dredged over the centuries by wealthy merit-seekers.

Janakpur is a long haul from Kathmandu - eleven hours by bus - and only a couple of services ply the route during the daytime. The rest are night buses. The new Dhulikhel-Sindhuli Highway (completion in 2001 or 2002) is expected to bring the travel time down to eight or nine hours, making Janakpur a lot more accessible. In the meantime, your only other options are to break the journey in Hetauda or Birganj (the latter is better for getting a seat on to Janakpur) or fly. Necon Air and Royal Nepal both fly from Kathmandu to Janakpur ($55), Necon's service being the more reliable.