The Divine Weddings of Rama and His Brothers

Sita quietly witnessed the incident as she hesitantly stood before Rama with a garland in her hand. As she wrapped the garland around Rama's neck, the gods started showering flowers from the sky. The sages celebrated Rama's victory in the swayamvara and blessed the newlywed couple. After Rama was chosen as Sita's husband, King Janaka's messengers traveled to Ayodhya to inform King Dasharatha and his queens that their eldest son, Rama, had won Sita's hand in her swayamvara. The news spread like wildfire, and everyone in Ayodhya was elated.

Dasharatha, his queens, and courtiers immediately set out for Mithila, accompanied by magnificently decorated elephants and horse-drawn chariots. Several singers and instrumentalists also joined the journey to perform at the wedding. They brought expensive gemstones as gifts. When Dasharatha's family reached Mithila, they received a warm welcome from Janaka.

Lakshmana married Urmila, Sita's younger sister. King Kushadhvaja, Janaka's younger brother had two daughters, Mandavi and Shrutakirti. Sages Vashishtha and Vishwamitra asked Kushadvaja if he would give his daughters in marriage to Bharata and Shatrughna.  Kushadhvaja gladly agreed. Thus, Bharata married Mandavi, and Shatrughna married Shrutakirti. After the wedding celebrations, Sage Vishwamitra departed for the Himalayas for penance. Dasharatha, accompanied by his queens, Sage Vashishtha, the ministers, and of course the newlyweds, began their return journey to Ayodhya.

Ayodhya was beautifully adorned to receive them, and the air was filled with the melodious sounds of musical instruments and the fragrance of flowers. Maharshi Vashishtha advised Dasharatha to invoke the blessings of Ganesha, Lord Shiva, and Goddess Parvati before entering the city. When King Dasharatha and his procession finally arrived, the citizens huddled together, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new princesses. Every house had a festive atmosphere. On this joyous occasion, the King generously donated four lakh cows to the Brahmins in his kingdom.