Manraja
Manraja is a village development committee in the Saptari District, province No. 2, of south-eastern Nepal. It has a total area of and sits at an elevation of. It is known for its landmark Shree Raja Ji Than Temple.
Manraja is located from East-West Highway, south-west of Rajbiraj, and north of the Indian border of Laukhi. The distance from Manraja to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, is approximately. According to the 2011 [Nepal census], the population of Manraja was 4,447, which consisted of 902 households. The village development committee was included in Bodebarsain municipality in 2017.
Religious places
Shree Raja Ji Than Temple
The Shree Raja Ji Than Temple is in the Bodebarsain Municipality of Manraja. The temple was built from ancient stones that were carefully hand-carved with different symbols typical of the Mithila region. The temple contains rectangular stones on either side that are approximately high and wide, which are carved with a variety of symbols. Near the roots of trees, there are many fragments of black stones carved with different symbols. According to locals, the statue is known by the name of Shree Raja Ji Baba of Shree Lakshmi Narayan.The statues of the temple are fragmented. Some theorize that the statues may have been damaged during the spread of Islam into Southeast Asia. According to a survey conducted by the government of Nepal, the temple is situated on the remains of an older temple as evidenced by some older rectangular hand-carved stones found within the temple. A tamarind tree lives within the temple.
The temple is surrounded by various temples dedicated to the God Hanuman, Lord Shiva, and the Goddesses Saraswati and Durga. Every year at Baishakhi, a puja is performed, and a festival in the Raja Ji Than area celebrates the new year. Festivals are held on auspicious days such as Ekadashi, Shivaratri, Chaturdashi, and Rama Navami. In times of misfortune, people go to the temple to practice bhajan, puja, aarti, yagya, hawan, and other ceremonies. Some people also visit the temple regularly to pray for their wishes to be fulfilled by their god.
Sacrificial offerings are often placed within the temple. These include animals, as well as offerings of kheer, laddu, peda, paan, and supari. It is a common tradition for people who suffer from ailments, particularly skin diseases, to present four pairs of brinjal as an offering for a cure. The local people of the Bodebarsain region worship at the Raja Ji Than Temple and consider it sacred.