Sita Bibaha Panchami: The Festival of Divine Wedding

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

Nepalese celebrate the wedding anniversary of Sita and Rama in Janakpur on the fourth day of the bright fortnight in the Marga (November-December) in the Vikram calendar, the day is called Sita Bibaha Panchami. On this occasion, they decorate the idol of Sita as a bride in preparation for the marriage with the Rama’s idol decorated as a bridegroom. They perform the Hindu rituals and rites of marriage to both the idols of Sita and Rama

Devotees celebrate the wedding anniversary of Sita and Rama enthusiastically. Many Hindu devotees from across the border and other countries visit Janakpur to watch the annual festival of the divine wedding.

Janakpur was the capital city of ancient kingdom called Mithila – once a flourishing state. A king called Janak ruled the Mithila kingdom. He was pious king. However, he was without progeny.

A legend has it that the king wanted to perform a fire-worship called Yagya. As it was customary at that time, he himself needed to level the ground with a golden plow for making an altar. While he was leveling the ground, the golden plow brought a girl child up to the surface on its tip. Seeing her, King Janak became so happy that he took the child to his queen immediately, and they adopted her. They named her Sita from the word “sitay” which means the tip of a plow. Thus, Sita became the daughter of King Janak and his queen.

Another legend has it that once Ravan - the king of Lanka imposed tax on the ascetic holy men. They had nothing for paying the tax imposed on them. So, they collected their blood in an earthen pot, sealed it and sent it to King Ravan with a note attached to it. The note said that the earthen pot contained the amount of the tax they needed to pay to the king but the king should be careful to open it. King Ravan became very concerned with the caution of the holy men. So, the king asked his attendants to take the earthen pot sent by the holy men for the payment of the tax to as far as possible from his kingdom and leave it there. They took it to the foothills of the Himalaya, and left it there. Sita was born out of it and King Janak found her in his land.

Sita grew into a beautiful woman that the king had difficulty to find a suitable suitor matching up to her beauty and personality. King Janak was concerned with it very much. One day, the king saw Sita dusting the Shiva dhanu, and moving the Shiva dhanu very easily. The king was surprised by her strength and power. Lord Shiva presented the bow to King Janak in appreciation of the offerings he made to the lord. The bow was named Shiva dhanu, as Lord Shiva gave it to the king. It was so heavy that no one could move it.

Hence, King Janak set a condition for the marriage of Sita with the man with the strength matching up with hers. The condition was anyone who could lift the Shiva dhanu (Shiva’s bow) and break it up would receive the hands of Sita. King Janak sent the message of marriage with the condition to all princes and kings, and announced the date for the wedding of Sita with the condition.

Princes and kings sent the return-message of their acceptance of participating in the contest for winning the hands of Sita because they were fascinated by the beauty and personality of Sita. King Janak made preparation for the contest than the marriage suiting to the grandeur of all brave princes and kings. He made a grand arrangement of the seats for all dignitaries to sit around the Shiva dhanu.

At that time, two young princes called Rama and Laxman both sons of King Dasharath of Aodhyaya were serving the holy ascetic man called Biswamitra in helping him in performing fire-worship keeping the demons who attempted to disturb the performance of the fire-worship away.

Biswamitra with his telepathic power came to know that King Janak was giving Sita in marriage in a contest. He also knew that Sita was the incarnation of Goddess of Wealth called Laxmi, who came out of the milk ocean when gods and demons churned it. Lord Vishnu - preserver of the Hindu world, received Laxmi as the spouse.  Biswamitra also knew that Rama was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Biswamitra told the princes that king Janak was giving Sita in marriage to the person who could lift and break the Shiva dhanu. Hence, they should go and watch the contest and then the marriage of Sita with the winner of the contest in Janakpur. He took Rama and Laxman ostensibly to watch the contest for the hands of Sita.

When Biswamitra along with the two princes entered into the palace courtyard packed with almost all renowned princes and kings ready to test their luck in the contest, king Janak stood up from his throne and welcomed him along with the two princes, and assigned them to special seats. Sita was in a wedding dress, and she was ready with her wedding-flower garland to put around the neck of the winner-the-suitor who could lift and break the Shiva dhanu.

King Janak once again announced the condition of marriage to the audience of dignitaries, and then he introduced Sita to them. Thereafter, he declared opened the contest of lifting and breaking the Shiva dhanu for winning the hands of Sita. Princes and kings – one after another went to the Shiva dhanu and attempted to lift it. However, none of them could even move it not to mention lifting it, and then the famous king called Ravan of Lanka went to the Shiva dhanu. With all his power, he lifted it a half way, unfortunately he slipped out of balance, and got buried under the Shiva dhannu.

King Janak seemed worried about the situation as he thought that he might have set an impossible condition for the marriage of his daughter. At that moment, Biswamitra got up from his seat, and addressed King Janak and the audience of dignitaries that if the king would give his permission he would like to give the chance of lifting the Shiva dhanu to one of the princes who accompanied him. King Janak reluctantly agreed to the Biswamitra’s proposal. Some of the princes and kings giggled at the Bsiwamitra’s proposal, thinking how could the young chap lift such a bow that none of the mighty princes and kings could even move.

All brave princes and kings were perplexed when the holy man signaled Rama to go to the stage and give it a try. Prince Rama walked seriously to the Shiva dhanu, uttered mantras at it, concentrated his mind, held the Shiva dhanu firmly by his left hand, and with all his power lifted it up, and held it for sometime in the air to demonstrate it to all the dignitaries participating in the contest in the palace courtyard. Then, he held another end of it by his right hand and broke it up sending a crashing thunder shaking the three worlds such as heaven, earth and underworld.

Even today, some splinters of the Shiva dhanu broken by Rama were preserved in stone in the Janakpur area, not very far from the place where an annual festival of the anniversary of the marriage ceremony is held. People hold those splinters with the utmost esteem.

Flowers were showered on Rama from heaven. All princes and kings were puzzled. However, it was the greatest relief for King Janak. Sita, the bride with the garland in her hand moved forward and put the garland around the neck of Rama – the winner of the greatest contest of that time. Thus, Sita got married with Rama in Janakpur - capital of the Mithila kingdom.

Nepalese and devote Hindus from all over the world come to Janakpur to celebrate the anniversary of the marriage of Sita and Rama held in ancient time. They make offerings to Sita and Rama at the Janaki mandir in Janakpur. On the occasion, devote Hindus decorate the idol of Sita as a bride and that of Rama as a bridegroom, and take them on the decorated elephant around the town of Janakpur.

A religious fair is held in Janakpur to commemorate the memorable marriage ceremony of the two divine figures. Thus, Janakpur is the hometown of Sita - the Goddess of wealth called Laxmi who came to this world to be with Rama who in turn was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu who also came to the world in a human form to eliminate the demonic power prevailing in the form of corruption on the earth at that time. Therefore, it is a very auspicious day for all Hindus. So, all Nepalis perform marriage ceremony and any other meritorious rituals and rites on this day, as the day is the most favorable one for holding such auspicious events.