Is Ravana Sita's Father?

The Ramayana has been part of everyone’s childhood. Furthermore, whenever the name of this epic pops up in our minds, so do a lot of questions. However, due to memories being hazy, we may forget quite significant things. And one of them can be about the relationship between Ravan and Sita. Furthermore, there are a lot of variations on this epic story, all with different details. These different variants may mean loads of different characters or the relationship between these characters. Moreover, readers & devotees alike wonder what’s Sita Father name.

Now begs the question, is Sita daughter of Ravana? Or who is the real father of Sita? Throughout the different variations of the Ramayana, readers have wondered whether Sita was Ravana's daughter or not. And the questions are justified, as some variations of Ramayana don’t even have the famed ‘Laksham Rekha.’ So let’s get into it and find out was Sita daughter of Ravana and what’s lord Sita's father name.

Finding out through the other versions of Ramayana

The Ramayana that we have read in books or heard from our elders is entirely based on the version that Valmiki wrote. Oh, you don’t know who Valmiki is? Alright, we’ll tell you. Valmiki, who was regarded as the greatest sage, wrote the most well-known version of the Ramayana. However, you’d be surprised to know that only one version of the Ramayana doesn’t exist. 

The Buddhist version of the Ramayana is known as Dasaratha Jakarta, while the Gond and Thai versions are known as Ramakein and Gond Ramayani, respectively. The classic plot of Ramaya goes with Ravana kidnapping Sita and Lord Ram fighting the demon army to rescue her. However, if you think every other form of Ramaya has this same plot, then you’d be wrong. The major enemy of the tale, Ravana, has been left out of the many Ramayana variations, including Gondi Ramayani. So there must exist a variant in which Sita father name isn’t what we know it is, right?

Let’s check Sanghadasa’s Jain version of Ramayana

This particular Ramayana version is very peculiar because, in this story, Sita is daughter of Ravana. So in this version, who is Sita father? Is it really Ravana? Let’s now find out Sita Devi father name in this Ramayana version. 

For all these years, it has been said that Sita was discovered by Janaka and Sunaina, the king and queen of Mithila. But the tale of Vedavati is told at the start of this story. Ravana is enamored by Vedavati and desires her, much as he was enchanted by Sita's beauty in Valmiki's rendition. Ravana's nefarious scheme was foiled by Vedavati's cunning, though. Vedavati committed suicide by setting herself ablaze in the fire before Ravana could react. But this tale doesn't end there. Ravana was cursed by Vedavati, who said that in her future life, she would bring about his death.

As prophesied, Vasudevahindi (Vedavati's resurrection), a newborn girl, is born to Ravana and his wife. Ravana attempted to get rid of the girl by drowning her in the sea, but he did so because of fear of the Vedavati curse. Fortunately, Goddess Varuni intervened to save the infant girl. In addition, the Goddess Bhumi received the child from the goddess Varuni.

The Valmiki’s version

The beginning of Sita is discussed in Baala Kanda's 66th chapter (sarga). Sita was not the biological daughter of King Janaka and Sunaina, according to Valmiki's Ramayana. The mention of Sita's ancestry in Valmiki's version of the Ramayana is somewhat unclear in contrast to the other versions, such as Sanghadasa's Jaina Ramayana and the Uttar Purana. We are not given any information about Sita's parents in this version. So what is mata sita father name? Well, everyone regards King Janaka as her father in this version of the Ramayana. 

Manivati’s version of Uttar Purana entails

To solve the riddle of whether Ravana is Sita's father, let's go on to the Manivati translation of the Uttar Purana. Vedavati's reincarnation as Sita, according to the Jaina's interpretation of the Ramayana, was the cause of Ravana's demise. To everyone's amazement, however, the Uttar Purana tells a completely different tale. Manivati took the place of Vedavati as the cause of Ravana's demise. How? Permit us a moment to explain. Similar to how Ravana tried to molest Vedavati in her version, Manivati, too, succumbs to Ravana's malevolent gaze in this one. 

Manivati is born as the child of Ravana and Mandodari in her subsequent birth rather than as Vedavati. Knowing about the curse, Ravana gives the order to murder the infant girl. If you're wondering how King Janaka discovered the infant, we must inform you that Ravana's servant buried the infant girl in the desolate area close to Mithila rather than killing her. There are two different schools of thought about the identity of Ravana's true daughter, who was the catalyst for his own demise. The first group of people still hold Vedavati's account of events to be true, while the remainder thinks Manivati was the little girl who killed Ravana. So that gives us Mata Sita father name!

FAQ

1. Who was the mother of Mata Sita?

Answer: In Valmiki's version of the Ramayana, it is mentioned that Goddess Sita was not King Dashratha and Queen Sunaina's biological daughter. Oh, did you know that the queen of Mithila wasn't actually Sita's biological mother? It is believed that Lord Bhumi is considered to be the spiritual mother of Sita.

2. How many children did Ravana have?

Answer: In various versions of the Ramayana, it is mentioned that Ravana had two wives, Mandodari and Dhanyamalini. Ravana's wife, Mandodari, had three sons named Meghanada, Akshay, and Prahasta. His second wife, Dhanyamalini, gave birth to four sons: Narantaka, Devantaka, Trishira, and Atikaya.

3. What was Sita Devi birthplace?

Answer: When it comes to determining the birthplace of Devi Sita, there are two different opinions. Some people believe that Sita's actual birthplace is in Sitamarhi, Bihar. On the other hand, some people think that the birthplace is located in Sitamarhi, which is also known as Janakpur, in Nepal.