y interest in Sita was particularly aroused when Mas part of a gender affirmative programme, I conducted awareness sessions for adolescent Sita in Himachal Pradesh girls in Higher Secondary schools in some villages in Himachal. In the course Richa Jas of one such participatory discourse, a student commented that she felt the that the girl would be the cause of her his wife who buried it under the field same kind of embarrassment and shame father’s death. The Buddhist versions that King Janak of Mithila was to plough on being teased by a man as Sita must of the Ramayan from Tibet, Malaya himself to end drought conditions in have felt when Ram asked her for a and, Khaitan repeat the same story. his kingdom.2 The next day Janak second time to prove her innocence by found Sita in the box that he ploughed taking the fire test. Much as I tried, I Folk Ramayan of Mahasu out of the field and adopted her as his failed to convince the girls that it was The Ramayan of Mahasu district daughter. anger and rejection of both her in Himachal which covers large parts Sita dreams that Dashrath, Ram’s husband and the fire test, that prompted of present day Shimla district and that Sita to return to mother Earth. of Kinnaur district seems to have been father, asks her to get Ram to conduct Sita’s story has important meanings influenced by the Jain and Buddhist shradh in the memory of his dead to many people in various regions of versions of the Ramayan in the story ancestors.Ram did as he was instructed. Himachal. Though no single temple has of Sita’s birth. In the folk version of Sita cooked delicious food for the been dedicated to her alone, both Mahasu district: a daughter was born occasion, one part of which was served Shaivites and Vaishnavs relate to her to Ravan and there were celebrations to a crow as per tradition. Sita instructed as an epitome of purity and as the in Lanka. The astrologers predicted that the crow not to fly with the food goddess of endurance. Allusions to the she will grow up and get married to her towards the South as the ruler there suffering that Prithvi or Earth must father and bring him a bad name. would kill him on getting the smell of endure due to the will of the gods, as When Ravan heard this he ordered the delicious food. The crow refused Sita did as the daughter of Prithvi, are that the girl be killed. However his wife to listen to her and flew southwards. common in Himachal where strong Mandodari did not have the heart to Ravan, the ruler of the South, declared belief in village deities in local versions get her daughter killed. She put her that the food that smelled so good of gods and goddesses still remains inside a box with lot of gold and jewels should be snatched from the crow and strong.1 and then let the box float in the ocean. brought to him. On tasting the food he In the folk songs of most districts The box was found by a fisherman and got a search conducted for the woman in Himachal, the bride is almost always addressed as Sita and her friends and relatives wish that the man she is bethrothed to might prove himself to be like Ram who is considered the epitome of the perfect man. In a folk song of Hamirpur district of Himachal, the groom’s relatives sing for him: If you wish to sit on the horse and bring your bride home, you must promise that you will treat her like Ram treated Sita. In the Jain Ramayan of the 3rd century A.D, Sita was the daughter of Ravan and his wife Mandodari afloat and was after her birth put in a box by Mandodari, which was set afloat Ram and Sita in the Panchvati hermitage, Pahari School painting, Kangra idiom. 1780-85 because the astrologers had predicted
No.133 25 who had cooked it and then planned to abduct her. Good cooking skills in a woman are not only considered an asset but are considered absolutely essential requirement in Himachal. Also the folk tradition in Himachal gives much importance to appeasing the spirits of their ancestors. The folk Ramayan of Mahasu has no role for Shrupnakha3 , Ravan’s sister who is conspicuous by her absence. In many other Ramayanas, she plays a key role in instigating her brother to abduct Sita. Disobedient Lakshman In Kullu and Bilaspur district’s folk The trinity of Shiv, Vishnu and Brahma, paying their respect to Sita in a Ramayan, Lakshman deviates painting at Tarna Mandir in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. significantly from most popular versions in refusing to fetch water for while Ram is exonerated from blame as milk thinking that it was poison, as that his brother Ram, saying that his wife it is suggested that even in abandoning was what her husband had told her Sita had also come to know the forests Sita he was fulfilling his duty towards before he asked her to keep it safely. well enough over the years and could his subjects which was his foremost Thereafter, she conceived Sita. In this now do that job for him. In the hills, karma. story Ravan is absolutely unaware of fetching water is one of the main chores While some of the women I Sita’s birth. performed by women. Sometimes interviewed in Himachal relate In Mandi district also the impact of women have to walk long distances to positively to Sita’s passion for gold the Adbhut Ramayan becomes get water. Men usually dismiss it as a saying that it is natural in a woman, obvious as it is on display in the Tarna task women are supposed to do and others think that it seems a paradox as Devi temple where there is a picture of Lakshman’s attitude is a reflection on Sita lived austerely for the larger part of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh bowing the contemporary attitude of men in her life and insisted on leaving all royal before Sita. The accompanying Himachal. luxuries behind to accompany her Sanskrit shloka describes Sita as Frail and Vain Sita husband to the forest. ‘She who has eyes as beautiful as In Bilaspur district, the dialogue The Ramayan of Una district takes Lotus flowers, is fair and beautiful goes further after Ram tells Sita to go the story of Sita’s birth directly from like the full moon, she who bestows fetch water for him. Sita says that she is the Adbhut Ramayan. It is believed that passion and understanding on her of royal birth and needs a golden pitcher the saint Valmiki had written this devotees, and grants them their to get water. Accordingly it is arranged version of the Ramayan for the gods. wishes, she who is the beloved of for her and she goes deep into the In Una district’s Ramayan, the king of Ram and is worshipped by the jungles to get cold water for Ram. There Lanka’s wife, Mandodari conceived Trinity.’ she encounters the golden deer. She is Sita on drinking the blood of some In Himachal, various temples of so Smitten by its charm that she tells saints. Her husband Ravan had localized versions of Durga, and Ram: collected this blood in a vessel to temples devoted to Shiv-Shakti If you refuse to get the deer’s skin announce his victory over these saints normally have an image of Hanuman for me, I refuse to call you husband. without having to kill them. One of these guarding them at the entrance. The Some of the folk poets in Himachal saints had in the same vessel acquired temple priests say that Hanuman was who wrote local versions of the a portion of the goddess Lakshmi the son of Shiv and was given away by Ramayan view Sita as a frail woman through his prayers. He mixed it with his father into the service of Ram who 4 with a weakness for gold, a trait they the milk of Kusha grass he had meant was an incarnation of Vishnu. While see as natural in women. These poets this milk to be drunk by his wife so that this view also sheds light on the fact use karmic theory to blame Sita for his daughter would have a bit of that vaishanavism had taken over a every bit of misfortune that befell her, Lakshmi in her. Mandodari drank the shaiv society, another interpretation
26 MANUSHI that comes to mind is that this is a idealized, spiritual lovers and them. On such occasions a member of subtle recognition in Himachal of the husbands, as did Vaishnavi Radha each household in their domain is obliged shakt aspect of Sita. in ages past. They believe that at to accompany them. It is believed that those households that do not send a some level Sita was one with Ram and The genre of myth has never been representative with the devta’s retinue are entirely abandoned in Himachal. only the physical manifestation of the punished by crop failure or illness or in Though it has dwindled to children’s divine union was not possible. some other way by the divinity. The bedtime tales in some societies, in After intense reflections on temple committee also commonly levies parts of the world protected by forests Himachal’s society it seems that at a fine on them.
or deserts from international mega some level trust in Sita, and the 2) The concept of the king or the master strength derived from her, gives the of the household taking upon himself to culture, it has continued to flourish. plough the land during times of drought During various discussions I had women in Himachal a kind of an perhaps emerged during the period of the with women there it emerged that a ultimate faith in the resilience of their growing impact of the Vaishnav tradition good number of teenage girls and culture. as earth is understood to be the second spouse of Vishnu and the king under the women believed that Sita had asked References Mother Earth to take her because she Vaishnav tradition was seen as an Turner II, B.L., R.H. Moss, and D.L. incarnation of Vishnu himself. Himachal was ashamed that her husband was Skole (eds.) 1993. Relating Land Use and Pradesh also has a long history of still reluctant to take her back. One is Global Land-Cover Change. Inter droughts. forced to question whether the return Governmental Biodiversity Programme 3) Shrupnakha is a sister of the king of to Prithvi5 was due to Sita’s shame Report No. 34 and Human Development Lanka, Ravan. Once when during his exile or was actually Sita’s bold choice. Programme Report No. 5. Stockholm. Ram was sitting with his wife Sita and Hari Ram Jasta (ed.) 1974. Pahari Lok In the Arthashastra of Kautilya, brother Lakshman in a place called Ramayan. Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Panchvati, Shrupnakha came and on seeing the word Sita is given meaning as a Academy of Language, Art and Culture. Ram expressed her desire for him. On form of land tax. The word Sita literally Lutgendorf, Philip 1994. ‘The Text in a being refused she went to Lakshman and means furrowed land. The stories Changing Society.’ In The Life of a Text, sought to become his wife. Repulsed by regarding Sita’s birth and her return Performing the Ramcharitmanas of him too, she went again to where Ram to the earth preserve the basic quality Tulsidas. New Delhi :Oxford University was sitting and tried to kill Sita. Then as Press. of her name. She strongly symbolizes the story goes Lakshman seized his Raha, M.K. 1979. ‘Stratification and fertility and motherhood in Himachal. sword and cut off her nose and ears, Religion in a Himalayan Society.’ In shouting that he would have killed her The Sita of the Ramayan is not Himalayan Anthropology: The Indo- had she not been a woman. Shrupnakha identical to the Sita of the myths Tibetan Interface, ed. James F. Fisher. went back to Lanka bleeding and told her invoking her various traits in Moutine, TX: Aldine. brother of her misfortune. Ravan Himachal. Sita abiding with her Ranjan, S.P.& Joosta, H.R. 1980. Folk promised to avenge her insult from Ram, Tales of Himachal Pradesh. U.K., mother Prithvi implies reverence to Lakshman and Sita. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Mother Earth. Women in Himachal do 4) Hanuman, another creation of Valmiki, Turner B.L. et al. (eds.) 1990. The Earth is a monkey of a different order. He is the more than 70 per cent of the as Transformed by Human Action. Hindu ideal of the perfect devotee who agricultural work. Their natal families London: Cambridge University Press. finds full realization of manhood in his accept those who are discarded by Footnotes love and loyality to Ram. their husbands more readily because 5) The earlier images of Prithvi in Hindu 1) Since ancient times in Himachal, one as extra hands to work in the fields mythology describe her as a mother. The particular deity presides in an area, they are always an asset to their natal synonym Vasudha connotes a repository although there may be more than one god, of wealth. Annada, her other name, homes. native to it The chief deity dominates means “one who gives food.” Later Sitas of Today social and cultural intercourse and sets literature describes her as a beautiful Virah, or separation, is a dominant the social calendar of the festivals, young woman, Vishnu’s wife and a theme in the folk songs in Himachal. forecasts weather, protects crop from spouse of all rich and victorious kings. Women in Himachal sing of disease ensures well-being; answers The Rigveda recognizes Prithvi only as individual queries; hex opponents of despair, of ravaged fates, of stranded the spouse of the sky, drawing a devotees, and interact in all facets of similarity with ancient Greek and loves, of Sita and Ram, of Radha and village life through the medium of oracles. Egyptian mythology. Krishna - and also of hope and It is a standard practice for the gods to reconciliation. They sing of visit relatives and friends in other villages Richa Jas is Ph. D. student at Jawahar transcendence through meeting their and even for specific households to invite Lal Nehru University, New Delhi.
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