Let’s look at some interesting facts about Sita Rasoi. When we hear Sita ki Rasoi, we imagine a royal kitchen, however, it is a temple rather than a royal kitchen. It is situated in Ramkot, Ayodhya, on the northwestern outskirts of the Ram Janam Asthan, next to the Ram Chabutra-terrace.
All of the royal family’s princes, including Ram, Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughan, as well as their spouses Sita, Urmila, Mandvi, and Shrutakirti, have idols in the temple.
Symbolic kitchen equipment such as the rolling plate or Chakla and the rolling pin-belan may be found in the kitchen. In those days, it was customary for newly arriving daughters-in-law to cook for the entire family.
However, tradition has it that Mata Sita, like the fabled Goddess Annapurna, did not cook food for her family, but the entire race of mankind.
Another fascinating detail that indicates the presence of Sita Ki Rasoi at this location is the sign that states “Janmasthan Sita ki Rasoi” on the main arch of the Babri Masjid. The great Indian historian and philosopher Ram Chander Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, found this writing.
Why the Rasoi is named as Sita Rasoi?
Mata Sita’s cooking in the Ramayana is so wonderful that it has been immortalized in mythology. Sita’s captivity by Ravana is linked to the delicious meal she made, according to a tale from Himachal Pradesh.
Mata Sita is said to have gone without food in Lanka because Indra provided her with cuisine that ensured she never went hungry during her forced stay in the demon king’s capital city.
According to legend, a crow transported Mata Sita’s food to Lanka during her exile in the Ramayana. Ravana had a bite of the dish. He was so pleased with the cuisine that he kidnapped Sita and transported her to Lanka, where she would cook for him.
Sita’s kitchen is well-known, and the items used by Mata Sita may be found at Ayodhya’s Sita-ki-Rasoi.
Sita Rasoi at Chitrakoot
You can also visit Sita Rasoi In Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot district. It is situated above Hanuman Dhara on the crest of a hill. During their exile in the Ramayana, Bhagavan Sri Ram, Mata Sita, and Lakshman lived here. Here, Mata Sita prepared meals for the family.
Mata Sita is said to still cook for her family here, according to devotees.
Mata Sita refused to eat the meal Ravana offered her, therefore what did she eat in Lanka?
Rakshasa ladies guarded Mata Sita at the Ashoka Vatika in Lanka. They enticed her with a variety of delicacies in order to persuade her to become Ravana’s queen. Mata Sita, on the other hand, refused to budge.
At Lord Brahma’s request, Indra, the Deva ruler, came to Ashoka Vatika. He personally visits Mata Sita and prepares ‘payasam’ – rice cooked in milk and jaggery – for her.
Indra’s meal is havis (oblation) from Yajna, and it has the power to keep Mata Sita from becoming hungry for ten thousand years.
Mata Sita, on the other hand, is fully aware of Ravana’s techniques and does not trust Indra. She believes he is a demon disguised as Indra.
To gain Mata Sita’s trust, Indra had to establish that he was the King of the Devas.
Indra proves that he is not touching the earth with his feet to persuade her. He then exhibits his unblinking eyes. He also explains that his garlands contain unwilted flowers.
This demonstration persuades a skeptical Mata Sita, and she eats Indra’s meal.
She does, however, present some food to the gods, ancestors, and Bhagavan Sri Ram and Lakshman before eating the good.
Why Sita ki Rasoi Might Be Important in the Future?
Many individuals have been perplexed by allusions to “Sita ki Rasoi” amid the flurry of information and views surrounding the Ayodhya ruling. Because this ‘Rasoi’ is cited with Ram Chabootra as part of the Nirmohi Akhara’s one-third land allocation, it may easily be confused for yet another piece of contested ‘property.’
Sita ki Rasoi, on the other hand, is more than a shrine. It’s more than a historical relic. It’s also a concept that might aid in the resolution of far more serious issues than the Ayodhya dilemma.
The scholar Ramchandra Gandhi paid a visit to the Babri Masjid about a year before it was demolished. His attention was drawn to the one item that none of the others had seen. A notice that said sai was posted above the mosque’s main arch.
‘Ramu’ Gandhi discovered a platform outside the mosque’s northern wall where a rolling board and rolling pin were being worshiped as deities. Ramu saw tremendous signals of “generativeness” in such everyday things, which he traced back to our ancient aboriginal beginnings.
Ramu concluded that the Ramkot mound in Ayodhya was formerly a holy fertility forest. In Puranic times, this temple to Mother Earth or Divine Mother was known as Sita ki Rasoi and was subsequently symbolized by the board and rolling pin as symbols of nurturing love.
Conclusion
Sita ki Rasoi is also one of the most popular tattoo designs among Central Indian tribes. It is a symbol of richness and plenitude.
As a result, the existence of Sita ki Rasoi in Ayodhya served as a reminder that despite millennia of instability and upheavals—across caste and theological denominations—the inhabitants of this subcontinent have worshiped nature itself as a ubiquitous god.
Sita ki Rasoi can also be interpreted as a symbol of Advaita, the rejection of dualism, which is found not just in aboriginal spirituality but also in more formal Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism traditions.
As a result, Ramchandra Gandhi advocated that the greatest approach to honor Sita ki Rasoi’s spirit was to make Ayodhya the site of a subcontinental atonement not just between Hindus and Muslims, but more significantly between humans and the rest of nature.
Though Ram, as an avatar of Vishnu, is the preserver of all creation, Gandhi was touched by the reality that his birth or birthplace could not be truly honored without also honoring Sita as Sakti, mother Earth, the embodiment of plenitude.