– Priyan R Naik
The consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, in January 2024, dedicated to Lord Ram, a revered figure is a significant landmark event. Meghalaya had a major contribution to make towards building this temple of great historical and cultural significance. Water and soil from the Jaintia Hills in the state has gone into the construction of this grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya. The locals from the Pnar tribe, who adhere to the ancient indigenous ‘Niamtre’ faith, collected these ‘sacred elements’ and dispatched them to Ayodhya. Water and soil was also collected from Jowai’s Syntu Ksiar river in Jowai and the Myntang River from the Nartiang village in West Jaintia hills and sent to Ayodhya for the “bhumi puja” of the Ram temple.
Legend has it that Lord Rama, the great warrior prince was married to Sita, a beautiful, cultured princess. With so much attention revolving around the Ram temple at Ayodhya, I was keen on visiting the Sita Amman Temple, a colourful shrine devoted to Devi Sita, located in present day Sita Eliya in the Nuwara Eliya district of Sri Lanka. The temple, where she was confined by the demon King of Lanka, Ravana, is in a grove called Ashok Vatika According to the epic Ramayana, it was here in ‘Ashok Vatika’ a lush and well-maintained garden with a prominent Ashoka tree that Sita was kept captive by King Ravana after her abduction.
Today, a relatively newly built temple is to be found at the spot near the Ashoka tree under which Sita spent several hours pining away for her husband Lord Rama, waiting to be rescued. Built in the style of typical South Indian temples with brightly painted idols of gods and goddesses adorning the roof, some of the idols are supposedly centuries old. Sita, the legend goes, spent many hours of the day in the Vatika besides a stream called ‘Sita Jharana’ that flows behind the temple, where she bathed and pined away for Lord Rama to rescue her.
At the site, I could see several tourists and pilgrims, all interested in the Ramayana and its associated legends. According to the epic Ramayana, Ravana kidnapped Sita as an act of revenge more so because he was infatuated with her beauty. His desire for Sita and his determination to make her his queen was steadfast while the unwavering Sita remained firmly devoted to her husband, Lord Rama.
It was in this garden that Hanuman met her for the first time using a finger ring given to him by Lord Rama to identify himself to Sita. An imprint of his foot, notably the heel has been imprinted on a rock around the stream close to the temple. Much of the Ashoka Vatika was actually destroyed by Hanuman during his first visit while he was struggling to find Sita.
A description of the time spent by Sita in captivity occupies a significant part of the Ramayana. Events would ultimately culminate in Lord Rama’s rescue mission, with the help of Hanuman and his army of monkeys, who got together to free Sita from Ravana’s clutches. The rescue mission and the subsequent battle between Rama and Ravana forms a crucial part of the epic’s narrative. Sita stayed at the Ashoka Vatika until the very end of the epic battle between Rama and Ravana, which resulted in the destruction of Ravana and most of this clan.
It is in the fitness of things that along with Lord Rama, Devi Sita too gets to be similarly worshipped. Considering the contribution of the people of Meghalaya in building the Ayodhya temple, devotees from Meghalaya, after paying obeisance to Lord Rama at Ayodhya, may proceed to the Sita Amman temple at Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka to complete the Ramayana circuit.
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(The author is a Bengaluru based contributor at The Shillong Times)