Vivah Panchami: Wedding of Ram and Sita

What it celebrates

Vivah Panchami is the wedding anniversary of Shri Ram and Sita. After Ram strung and broke the bow of Shiva at Mithila, King Janaka sent messengers to Ayodhya, King Dasharatha came with a great wedding party, and on the fifth day of the bright half of the month of Margashirsha the marriage took place, with the three other brothers married to princesses of Janaka's house at the same ceremony. The story closes the Bala Kanda.

How Ayodhya celebrates

Ayodhya celebrates as the groom's town. In the days before, temples hold the preliminary rites of a north Indian wedding for the deities, including the tilak and the haldi. On the day itself the Ram Barat, the bridegroom's procession, goes out from several temples with bands, decorated horses and chariots, lamps and dancing, and devotees join as members of the wedding party. In the evening the marriage rites are performed for the images of Ram and Sita, with the garlands, the sacred fire and the wedding songs sung in Awadhi and Maithili, followed by a feast. Kanak Bhawan, the palace given to the bride, is a focus of the celebrations, as are Dashrath Mahal and Sita ki Rasoi.

The festival is grandest at Janakpur in Nepal, the bride's home, and wedding parties have at times travelled from Ayodhya to Janakpur to re-enact the journey, a reminder of the old bond between Awadh and Mithila.

The meaning

This marriage is held up as the ideal. Three things are usually drawn from it.

• It began with worthiness, not wealth: the test was a bow, not a dowry.
• It was a partnership through hardship. When exile came, Sita chose the forest, and Ram, when separated from her, searched the length of the country and never took another wife.
• It joined two families and two regions in lasting affection. Wedding songs in Mithila still tease Ram as the son-in-law.

Read The dignity and strength of Sita.

A custom worth knowing

In parts of Mithila some families traditionally avoid holding their daughters' weddings on this date, despite its sanctity, because Sita's married life brought her so much suffering. Others consider it highly auspicious. The difference shows how personally people take this story.

Planning your visit

• The festival falls in late November or December; check the date for your year.
• Evenings are cold. Carry warm clothing, and expect morning fog later in the season.
• The processions move through the main streets of the old town in the afternoon and evening; ask locally for the routes.
• Crowds are lively but far lighter than at Ram Navami or Deepotsav, which makes this one of the most enjoyable festivals for visitors.

See also Best time to visit Ayodhya and the festival calendar.