Today the name Madhubani brings to our mind the image of its beautiful paintings that go back 2500 years as an ancient folk art. The city in Bihar is well known therefore for its rich culture and art that it has maintained for all these years. Yes, the art still thrives in this district. If you take a drive down Highway 52 of the district you will know that the art is indeed doing very well. The painting is done with the help of twigs and fingers while matchsticks and nibs will do the job just as well. Historically both Ramayana and Mahabharata make mention of Madhubani. In more recent times the area played an important role during the freedom struggle. There are a few tourist places to visit in Madhubani. These will be discussed now. It is unfortunate that there is no museum in Madhubani for its art but there is one in Japan where 15,000 madhubani paintings are on display. 

Kapileshwarsthan is located around 9km from the headquarters of Madhubani. The village is well known for this Shiva temple where a large number of devotees gather especially every Monday and more so during the Shravan month. On the auspicious occasion of Maha Shiva Ratri a large fair is hosted by the temple with a lot of pomp. According to local folklore a sage named Kapil placed a Shiva Lingam at this site and since then the Darbhanga royal family looks after the temple.

Saurath is a small village on the road that leads to Jaynagar from Madhubani. The village has a temple that is called Somnath Mahadev. This temple is used by the Maithili Brahmins to hold their Annual Sabha for the basic requirement of negotiation of marriages. The records of genealogy are maintained by Panjikars for the various families that live here or elsewhere. Each year the Maithili Brahmins from the villages nearby meet during the annual meeting or sabha where they negotiate the various proposals that thereafter lead to weddings. The temple is well known for this major reason.

Nagar Fort which is also well known as the Naulakha Palace was built by Maharaja Shri Rameshwar Singh. Because of the major earthquake that occurred in 1934, the fort suffered a fair amount of destruction. Thereafter, this structure that was once the home of the royal family was reduced to the status of a Khandahar or remnants of the past. The fort was thereafter rebuilt. The area around the fort consists of a Durga Bhawan with a temple which has been dedicated to Kali. There is a pond as well and at the centre of the Naulakha Palace lies a tower that is seven storeys tall. You will also find a building which has three courtyards to the west of the Durga Bhawan.

Bhawanipur is a fairly large village that is located about 5km from Pandaul which is the block headquarters. Bhawanipur is well known for Ugaranath, its temple as well as Vidyapati, the famed poet. Local lore has it that it was on account of Vidyapati, Lord Shiva’s fervent devotee, that the Lord himself started serving the poet as Ugana, his servant. It is said that it is at Ugana Mahadev Mandir that Shiva exposed his real identity to the poet.

Uchaitha is another village that is rife with folklore. Located in the Benipatti Block, the place is popular for the Bhagwati temple that is dedicated to Goddess Durga. This temple is located near the Thumne River. Local folklore has it that the famous poet Kalidasa who was known for his works in Sanskrit, received the blessings of Goddess Durga at this very site. This was on account of the goddess being pleased by the dedication, skills and talent of the poet and dramatist. Located close to the temple is the library or pathshala of the poet. Admirers of period architecture will be impressed with the Indo Aryan form of the temple’s architecture.