Goddess Sita is revered for her purity, dedication and sacrifice. She is Lord Rama’s wife and is considered to be Goddess Lakshmi’s form. She is the adopted daughter of King Janak, who was the ruler of Mithila. Sita is the daughter of Mother Earth. She was found on the land when King Janak was ploughing his field and hence is also called as the daughter of Bhoomi (earth). As a child, Sita was very strong and is said to have lifted the table on which Lord Shiva’s bow was kept. Due to this incident, King Janak had kept a competition during Sita’s Swayamvar (wedding), that Sita would marry only that person who would lift Shiva’s bow. This feat was performed by Prince Rama and hence he was selected as Sita’s lucky groom.

The epic Ramayana is not only about the stories of Lord Rama but also called “Sita Charitra” as she is the Lord Rama’s strength. She is known as the ideal daughter, ideal wife and ideal mother to her twins- Luv and Kush. She was Lord Rama’s silent pillar of strength and support especially during his years of exile.  

When Lord Rama was banished for 14 years, she voluntarily accompanied her husband and happily wanted to support him in the tough phase of life, despite living a life of luxury. In the forest of Panchavati, where they were staying during the exile, one day, Sita Mata spotted a Golden Deer who was actually the demon called Mareecha, who was Ravana’s uncle. On Sita’s insistence, Rama followed the golden deer deep into the forest and realised it was a ploy only after he killed the deer who then returned to its natural demonic form. Until then, Ravana had very cleverly disguised himself as a Sage and went to ask Sita for alms who innocently crossed the line, Lakshman had drawn to protect Sita from evil. Ravana kidnapped Sita and held her hostage in Ashokavan in Lanka and forced her to marry him. She was kept in captivity for one year, but she did not yield to Ravana’s pressure and continued to love Lord Rama who along-with his monkey army, his loyal devotee Lord Hanuman and Lakshman rescued her.

After a huge battle between Rama and Ravana, Rama emerged victorious and rescued Sita. But Sita Mata had to undergo lot of trials by the people after being rescued by Lord Rama from the evil Ravana. She went through Agni Pariksha (trial by fire) and it is because of her courage that she emerged as the final winner. Some myths say that when Sita Mata gave Agni Pariksha, the coals on the fire automatically turned into soft lotus as soon as she stepped on them. This is how she remains the eternal representation of purity and divinity.