Janakpur (Nepali: जनकपुर अञ्चल ⓘ) was one of the fourteen zones of Nepal, reaching from the Indian border in the south to the Tibetan border in the north and Sagarmatha Zone in the east and Bagmati and Naryani Zones in the west.
The headquarters of Janakpur Zone and its main city was Janakpur. Close to the Indian border, it is a historic city of Hinduism. The city is believed to have been the capital city of King Janaka, the father-in-law of Lord Rama, the son of the then king of Ayodhya, Dasharatha. The city was then called 'Mithila Nagari'. The name of Janakpur zone is related to the historic King Janaka and his capital Janakpur.
Other cities within Janakpur Zone are Kamalamai (in Inner Terai), Manthali (in Hill & Terai), Bhimeshwor (in Himalaya) and Bardibas, Dhalkebar, Jaleshwor, Malangwa, Hariwan, Lalbandi, Gaushala Bazar and Matihani (Outer Terai).
As a zone, Janakpur was divided into six districts; since 2015 the three northern districts have been redesignated as part of Bagmati Province, while the three southern districts have been redesignated as part of Madhesh Province.
| District | Type | Headquarters | Since 2015 part of Province |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dhanusha | Outer Terai | Janakpur | Madhesh Province |
| Mahottari | Outer Terai | Jaleshwar | |
| Sarlahi | Outer Terai | Malangwa | |
| Dolakha | Mountain | Charikot | Bagmati Province |
| Ramechhap | Hill | Manthali | |
| Sindhuli | Inner Terai | Kamalamai |
