Sita is Rama’s wife and principal female protagonist in the Ramayana.
Sita is traditionally the daughter of King Janaka of Videha. In the epic’s famous marriage episode, Rama wins her hand by lifting and breaking the great bow associated with Shiva. After their marriage, Sita accompanies Rama into exile rather than remain safely in the kingdom.
During the exile, Ravana abducts Sita and takes her to Lanka. Rama, aided by Hanuman and the vanara forces, eventually defeats Ravana and rescues her. Later episodes involving Sita’s trial, exile, and return to the earth vary across versions of the Ramayana and have generated extensive interpretation in literature, religion, and performance.
Sita is commonly associated with the goddess Lakshmi, while Rama is understood in Vaishnava traditions as an avatar of Vishnu. Sita should not be confused with Mandodari, Ravana’s wife, or with Draupadi, the central wife of the five Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Her name is also written Seeta or सीता in transliteration and Devanagari.