| Matihani | |
| Image Alt: | Eastern view of laxmi narayan temple |
Matihani is a municipality of Nepal, located in the Mahottari District of Nepal. The municipality was established in 2016, and currently consist of 9 wards, which were previously part of 9 village development committees.[1] Matihani occupies an area of 29.02 square kilometers with a total population of 31,026.[2] [3] [4]
Matihani is considered the gateway to the Ramayana in Nepal. Matihani is located at the Indian border and was where the Matkor ceremony for Mata Sita was conducted in the treta yuga. In a traditional mithila marriage, the Matkor ceremony is conducted when the groom comes to the bride place for marriage. Bedi is a ritual where mud is used for the Matkor ceremony. In the annual wedding ceremony (Bibah Panchmi), which takes place every year at Janakpur, the mud is taken from the pond nearby of Swami Laxmi Narayan temple.
The king of the Sen dynasty met a Tasmanian baba who was meditating in the jungle of Matihani and asked how to have a son. The saint assured the king that his wishes would be fulfilled and returned to Matihani to build a school. The king then built the Sanskrit school and the Laxmi Narayan temple.
The municipality is, according to some, considered religiously significant in Hinduism. The second largest Laxmi Narayan temple in Nepal is located at the center of Matihani. Additionally, the pond surrounding the Laxmi Narayan temple which is commonly known as "Laxmi Narayan Pond" is sometimes associated with the marriage ceremony of Goddess Sita and Lord Rama, as described in the Ramayan, a holy book of Hinduism. The Matkor ceremony of Sita is also held at this location.
Yjnayavalkya Lakshminarayan Vidyapeeth is the constituent unit of Nepal Sanskrit University. It offers Sanskrit and Hindu Vedic education to students from both India and Nepal. The institution was built by the Sen dynasty, which also constructed the Lakshminarayan Mandir in the village. It is located at the Indo-Nepal border in the Madhwapur-Matihani village group.
Currently, the village hosts a government school along with a few smaller schools. Additionally, Damodar Academy, located in Parikauli, provides bus service for students, which has helped improve the education system in the area. The village is also home to one of the oldest Sanskrit schools in Nepal.[5]
Children from the village typically attend either Damodar Academy in Nepal, about 10 km from Matihani, or Delhi Public School in India, approximately 4-5 km from Matihani. They may need to cross the Nepal-India border to reach these schools. However, some children attend a nearby government school.