Summary-
Stories of Goddess Sita's childhood in Mithila—her miraculous birth from the earth, wisdom, power that was felt in the silent firmness of her actions, and lesser-known stories from Jain and regional Ramayanas- all in a single blog. Explore rare legends, sacred Teertha in Bihar and Nepal, Sita’s bond with her sisters, and the philosophical depth of Maithili Mahopanishad- a discussion between Sita and Sapta Rishi.
When we hear about goddess Sita, a woman wrapped in a saffron saree, sitting in the forest, alongside Sri Rama appears in front of us. Or the silent and resolute Sita in the Ashoka Vatika of Ravana, who did not have to lift any weapon but a grass blade, and the demon king stayed away. The stories of Sita-Rama are so popular in our culture that we rarely think about the childhood of Devi Sita, when she was born and charmed the residents of Mithila with her intelligence, beauty, and courage.
This is the story of Sita before she met Sri Rama, the story of Janaki (King Janak’s daughter), Bhumija (born from the earth), and Vaidehi (princess of Videh kingdom).
The birth day of goddess Sita is celebrated as Sita Navami or Janaki-Navami, on the ninth (navam) day of Shukla Paksha, in the Hindu month of Vaishaka, which falls during April- May. in several parts of India, especially places like Bihar and beyond India, in Nepal, which are associated with the early life stories of Sita, this day is celebrated in ancient temples, community festivities and homes of the locals.
In 2025, Sita Navami is on 5th May 2025, with the Madhyahna Muhurat from 10:58 AM to 01:38 PM, as per the Hindu Panchang calculations.
The most famous tale of goddess Sita’s birth is known to many- it mentions a draught in the kingdom of Raja Janak. He was asked by his teachers to perform a sacrificial ritual (yagya), one of whose rituals was ploughing the farming land. During the ritual, the plough was stuck to something, and when pulled at, a pot was revealed. Inside that ghata (earthen pot, which is an ancient symbol of fertility and Lakshmi herself) was a beautiful girl child.
Sita- named after the furrow from which she emerged, the girl was Ayonija (not born from the yoni) and thus, from the beginning, the kingdom of Janaka and his family knew that she was no ordinary girl. And she was not.
While the most popular story of Sita’s birth is her emergence from the earth, in the Ramopakhyana (description of Rama) in the Mahabharata and the Paumachariya of Vimal Suri, the Jain Ramayana, Sita is described as being born to Janaka. No matter which version is popular in a region or religion, the connection between Janaka and Sita is undeniable, and the virtues and abilities of Sita reflect the presence of Janaka as an intelligent and doting father who nurtured her into a powerful and gentle woman whose character is the essence of Rama’s story.
A rare story of Sita’s birth comes in the regional versions of the Ramayana, mainly from the Bengal and North Western parts of the country, weaves together Menaka and Janaka with Sita as the thread. One day, as Janaka was praying for a child, he heard an akashavani (voice in the sky) and at the same moment, saw the Apsara Menaka. Soon, when Janaka found the child, the voice in the sky spoke once again, telling him that the girl he had discovered was a spiritual child of himself and the nymph Menaka!
Acharya Gunabhadra, a writer and monk in the Mahayana sect of Jainism, wrote the Uttara Purana, in which a unique story of Ravana and Mainavati, who was performing a penance. Ravana disturbed Menavati’s meditation, and in anger, she vowed to take revenge on the asura. In her next birth, she is born as the daughter of Ravana and his wife Mandodari. The court-jyotishi (astrologer) tells Ravana that this child will be the end of his empire. Fearing his fall, Ravana buries the daughter, who is later discovered by Raja Janaka.
A slightly different version is described in Sanghadasa’s Jaina Ramayana and Adbhuta Ramayana, where Sita is mentioned as the daughter of Ravana. The astrologers informed him that the firstborn with his wife, Vidyadhara-Maya, would bring harm to the grand empire of the asura-king. So, he abandoned the child who later became Sita in Janakapuri and, in the end, became the kaarana (reason) behind the fall of Ravana’s mighty Lanka.
Another similar story of Vedavati as an asectic who was reborn as Sita is mentioned in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana.
Rama-lila, the divine plays of Sri Rama since his childhood days, are often enacted during Dussehra celebrations all over India. The stories of Devi Sita’s early days are comparatively lesser-known.
This is probably the most well-known story of Devi Sita because it is followed by the description of Sita-Swayamvara in popular performances of Ramayana. As a child, Sita was always illustrious, and it was not hidden. She was cherished by the people of the capital of Janaka, cared for all life forms in nature, and among her many Lilas was the lifting of the powerful bow of Shiva.
While roaming in the palace, Sita saw the bow and was intrigued by it. She went closer and, with a gentle effort, lifted the weapon like it was nothing. Janaka witnessed this awe-inspiring moment and vowed that only the man who is able to lift Shiva-dhanush will be the husband of her virtuous Sita.
After the 14 years of Vanvas, Rama-Sita and Lakshman had come back, and everything was joyous and peaceful. Then one day, upon hearing the rumors started by a couple of washerman and woman, about goddess Sita, who was now pregnant, Rama reluctantly sent her to Vanvas again. This makes us question: Why did Sita go to the forest?
The answer to this is given in the Padma Purana, in a story when Sita was a young princess. One day, she found a pair of parrots who came from the aashrama of Valmiki and knew a lot about the Purushottama Rama. Intrigued by their tales, Sita ignored the requests of the pregnant female parrot and let the male parrot go, while she kept the female to tell her everything about Rama. In the absence of her partner, the female parrot dies from the pain of separation, but before that, she cursed Sita.
Just as she had to live and die away from her husband while pregnant, so will Sita experience the pain of separation while bearing her child.
Urmila, Mandavi, and Shrutikirti were the sisters of Sita, who married Rama’s brothers and came with Sita to Ayodhya. Urmila, born from Janaka and his wife, was the elder sister of Sita, who is also believed to be a form of the goddess Nagalakshmi, the wife of Adi-Shesha, whose incarnation was Lakshmana. Mandavi and Shrutikirti, daughters of Janaka’s brother, are believed to be the human incarnations of goddess Lakshmi’s Shankha (conch) and Chakra (discus), who came with her, accompanying her on earth in her avatar as Sita.
Knowledge of the world, the power of Sri Rama’s mantra, and the meaning of Param Brahmana, revealed for the Sapta Rishi (the seven sages) by goddess Sita, is contained in this minor Upanishada, known as Maithili Mahaopanishad. It is also a part of the Valmeeki Samhita and is a revered text for the Ramanandi sect, who worship Rama and Sita as the supreme deities.
The Upanishad contains discussions on the questions of existence and profound wisdom, to which goddess Sita provides answers, as the source of all knowledge, which highlights her role as the supreme mother- Adi Shakti.
हिमपति भवन उल्लास, मन्दाकिनी प्रगटल रेलालना रे, माय मनोर मुख चुमु, कि चित कट हुलसल रेआंगन चौक पुरौल, चौमुख दीप लेसली रेलालना रे, नागराही पड़ल हकार, गैन्हु बैसल रे
This is a folk song from Mithila, where the birth of a son is celebrated through singing such geet. But this is a song dedicated to the daughter of Janakapuri, Sita. It compares her birth to the coming of Mandakini (Ganga) to the home of Himalaya and relishes in the joy of the city when they saw the tender face of Sita.
Mithilanchala and parts of Nepal have taken pride in being the Mayaka (the maternal home) of Sita, and assert their connection with the goddess through festivals, songs, and rituals, but most importantly through the temples now constructed on the spot of Sita’s birth.
👉🏿Punaura Dham, in Sitamarhi (Bihar), is renowned as the place where Sita was born, tied to the goddess for eternity through its name. The famine that made Raja Janaka plough the field is believed to have happened in this region. A number of sacred spots are scattered all over the land of Sitamarhi.
👉🏿Janaki Kunda (the pond of goddess Sita) is a powerful place in the geography of Sitamarhi. It is said that when Maa Sita was performing the Agni-Pariksha, or trial by fire, she held the heat of the fire in her body. Once it was done, she took a dip in the Janaki Kunda, and all the heat was released, leading to the formation of hot water springs here.
👉🏿Haleshwara Nath (the Lord of the Plough) Temple is another popular pilgrimage spot, where Shiva is worshipped in his Lingam form. The temple was formed when, during the ritual of ploughing the field, Raja Janaka found the Shiva-lingam and a shrine. The temple lies at a unique intersection where locals as well as devotees from Nepal visit Mahadeva, with pots filled with the holy water of Nepal’s Bagamati River, which flows alongside the Pashupatinath temple, during the month of Shravana.
👉🏿Mahavir Temple in Patna (Bihar) is dedicated to Hanuman’s Sankat Mochan form, a powerful and benevolent aspect, which is worshipped by the locals, especially on Tuesday and Saturday, to remove all the obstacles from their lives. The temple also has Ram-Lala’s Rasoi, the kitchen of young Rama, which feeds anyone who comes to its doors.
Goddess Sita’s personality, kindness, and wisdom are human qualities that are worshipped everywhere. No wonder her home is located not only in India but also in the neighboring nation of Nepal, which claims ancient connections to Sita and Raja Janaka.
👉🏿In the Madhesh province of Nepal is located Janakpur, a place believed to be the city of Janaka and the birthplace of Sita. Similar to the sacred temples in Mithila, there are several pilgrimage spots in Janakpuri-
👉🏿Dhanush-Dham is the place where the Shiva-Dhanush was placed. Devotees visit the temples located here and believe that a part of the bow is still hidden under the structure.
👉🏿Janaki Mandir and Ram-Janaki Mandir are popular among the devotees of the divine couple, who regularly visit the temples, seeking the blessings of Sita-Rama.
👉🏿Hanuman Mandir is also one of the many temples in Janakpur, following the tradition of worshipping Hanuman wherever Rama and Sita are worshipped.
👉🏿Rajarishi Janak Mandir is a unique temple dedicated to the father of the goddess Sita, paying respect to him as the ancestor of the region and the ancient ruler of the region.
👉🏿Sita Navami and Vivah Panchami, the wedding ceremony of Ram-Sita during November-December, are two of the most important festivals celebrated in Janakapur, during which the city with grand temples and monuments becomes a home of devotees, who see themselves as a part of Sita’s extended family.
Where is the birthplace of goddess Sita then? If you ask a person from Mithila, they know it is Mithilanchal. If you ask someone in Nepal, they will say Janakpur. And they are not wrong. Sita is born from earth, she is the daughter of the earth, and there is no place on earth where her mother can not be found.
Rama is in the heart of Hanuman and his devotees. Sita is in the culture of the people, in the way of their lives. And from time to time, she becomes visible in their art, songs, and traditions. Mithilanchal and its culture are rooted in the life and persona of Devi Sita.
👉🏿Madhubani Art: The folk art that is finding a place in the global art world through its colorful canvas and culturally rich motifs began with the wedding of Sita and Rama. Local legends mention that when the festival of the auspicious wedding was happening in Mithila, Janaka asked his people to adorn their houses and surroundings with beautiful images, leading to the birth of Mithila painting, which came to be known as Madhubani art.
👉🏿Songs of Mithila: The sweet-sounding folk songs of Mithila, sung by local women during birth, weddings, and other auspicious occasions, among other things, are either addressed to Sita, describe her, narrate a moment from her life, or pay respect to her personality that is godly but also loved by people. Janaki Vivah Sankeertan- musical gatherings during the marriage ceremony of Maa Sita are one of the most emotionally rich celebrations of these songs, during which the audience finds themselves a part of Janaki’s family, interacting with her and pleasing her through music.
She who was born from the earth went back to the earth. While Sri Rama has been presented as a human hero, a god, and an incarnation of Vishnu in the various versions of Rama-katha, there is no alternate story for the divinity of Sita. From the moment of her birth, she did not belong to the human world but represented beauty, calmness, wisdom, strength, and resilience that is otherworldly.
Throughout her life in the human realm, Sita lived effortlessly. In the joy of her childhood, the pleasures of her marital life, and the difficulties that followed, she remains a mirror of the stability of her mother, Bhudevi. It was as if the world had to see what it meant to be a karma-yogi (yogini)- one who does not resent the obstacles of life and meets them with equanimity.
Sita did not go to the forest to perform some yagya or tapasya. Her entire life was a tapasya, a lesson from the daughter of Earth whose personality is as vast as the sky.
☀ Folklore and Mnemoculture (chapter on Maithili Folk Songs and Poetry)
☀ Mithilanchal or the land of Sita: A forgotten rich cultural heritage by Dr. Suprita Jha
☀ Sita as “Folk-Heroine” in Maithili Oral Songs by Dr. Shruti Amar
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