A short 20 minute flight (after a 2 hour delay) brings me to Janakpur. What strikes me most at first is the heat and the colours of the city.  Janakpurdham or Janakpur is a sub-metropolitan city in Dhanusa District and capital of the newly named Madhes Province (former Province 2). Over 170,000 inhabitants (2015 census),  the city is a major hub for religious and cultural tourism. The area around Janaki Mandir is full of street sellers, mostly selling offers and items for religious worship near the gates of the temple, then clothes and bangles, and further down street food like pakora, jeri and puri. Understanding heritage performance first requires getting acquainted with the place, and therefore lots of walking and observing, at different times of the day.

The area around Janaki Mandir is full of street sellers, mostly selling offers and items for religious worship near the gates of the temple, then clothes and bangles, and further down street food like pakora, jeri and puri.