Madhubani is a town in Bihar. A small place no doubt but its fame has become global because of the art it is associated with. Madhubani art is 2500 years old and its paintings go back to the time of Ramayana when King Janaka is said to have asked a Madhubani artist to paint the picture of Sita’s wedding with Rama. Today Madhubani art and culture is growing in leaps and bounds. Japan has a museum of Madhubani paintings and there are some 15,000 such samples of art. Japan attracts hordes of people who wish to perfect this art. Sadly, there is nothing of this stature in Madhubani where this art had taken off from. Tourism in Madhubani consists of temples and other places of interest from archaeological or religious points of view. A travel guide for Madhubani is placed below for visitors.

Madhubani is in Bihar. It is a small town which has fairly decent roads and railway stations. However, there are no airports in Madhubani. For those intending to fly the best option is to fly to Patna which is 128km away and thereafter take a train or taxi to Madhubani. The roads and trains connect Madhubani fairly well within the state of Bihar and with the rest of the country. 

By Road:

The roads in and around Madhubani are motorable. There are buses that ply regularly from other cities to Madhubani. If you wish to travel by road from Kolkata you could complete your journey in around 14h. For those driving from Patna to Madhubani the journey would take about 4hr20min.

By Rail:

Madhubani enjoys good rail connections with the rest of the country. This town has three rail stations and there are direct rail connections with Kolkata, Delhi and all major cities.  

By Air:

Madhubani does not have its own airport. The nearest airport is Patna Airport which is around 128km, a distance one can cover in just over four hours by taxi. One could also take a train.

The climate of Madhubani is mild. It is a temperate climate that leans towards being warm. The summers tend to have more rainfall than winter and the average temperature of the place is around 24.7°C. The average rainfall is about 1123mm.

Summer (March-June):

Madhubani has sunny and hot summers with temperatures ranging from a low of 24 and a high of 42°C. The place is not suited for visits during this period.

Monsoon (July-September):

Madhubani does get a fair amount of rain and the weather is cool and pleasant during this period especially after the hot soil has soaked in adequate water. However, transportation could be a problem in case roads get flooded.

Winter (December-March):

This is the best period for visitors to Madhubani. The days are cool and the sun is not so harsh. The nights could get cold however and one is advised to carry adequate woollens.

Madhubani is a very old town. There are some very beautiful temples and archaeological monuments in and around the town. It is worth the while to visit these places preferably with either a guide or literature on these sites. 

Visit Kapileshwarsthan:

A visit to Kapileshwarsthan is bound to be satisfying. The place is only about 9km from Madhubani and is popular on account of the Shiva Temple about which there is an old story doing the rounds. The story goes that there was once a sadhu known as Kapil who placed a Shiva Lingam here and since then the royal family in Darbhanga has looked after the temple. Try to make it to this temple on Maha Shiva Ratri when there is a fair and the occasion is celebrated with a lot of fanfare.

See Somnath Mahadev Temple at Saurath:

If you drive on the road to Madhubani from Jaynagar you cannot miss Saurath on the way. It is a small village whose claim to fame is the temple of Somnath Mahadev. The temple is well kept and surely worth a visit but the temple is intriguing for a strange reason. This temple is looked after the Maithili Brahmins who use the premises of the temple to hold their annual meeting when they discuss and finalise the wedding of their children. It helps that all genealogical records of these families are maintained by the local Panjikar whose details are naturally well sought after.

Admire Nagar Palace:

The Nagar Palace which was built by Shri Rameshwar Singh, the Maharaja of the kingdom, suffered heavy structural damage in the earthquake of 1934. However, it is understood that repairs were carried out thereafter. This palace was the home of the royalty and it consists of a temple, dedicated to Kali. Besides the beautiful temple there is a pond and a tower, seven storeys tall. The palace and fort is worth a visit.

See Ugana Mahadev Mandir in Bhawanipur:

Bhawanipur is well known for Ugana Mahadev Mandir which is linked to Vidyapati, the famous poet. This village is quite near Pandaul, the major town in the area. The story about the Ugana Mahadev Mandir goes that Lord Shiva served Vidyapati, his devotee, pretending to be Ugana, Vidyapati’s servant.

Visit Bhagwati Temple at Uchaitha:

Uchaitha is a typical village that is in the Benipatti Block. It is well known for the Bhagwati temple, near Thumne River, which is dedicated to Durga. There is a very interesting story that has been handed down the ages. The story is regarding Kavi Kalidasa, the famous Sanskrit poet, and it seems that the poet was blessed by Ma Durga at this site on account of the fact that she was most impressed by the poet and his dedication and talent. 

Eating out in Madhubani may be a confined experience unless one is prepared to go to Darbhanga which is about 27km away. Royal Mithila Family Restaurant is within Madhubani and this one serves Indian food. There are several good restaurants in Darbhanga however. Some of these include Shyama Residency which is touted to be “great”. Rasraj on the other hand offers sweets and bakery products besides Indian food. Try Swadisht Restaurant which offers Indian and Italian food.

It should not be difficult to answer the question “What to buy in Madhubani?. Buy Madhubani paintings of course. These come in different sizes and prices and one will have many choices to sift through. The pricing starts from Rs. 500 and goes up to astronomical figures. Shops where these are sold include Madhubani Paintings Art Gallery, Mithila Art Center and Madhubani Art among several others.