The word Agnipareeksha is synonymous with the hardship to prove the purity, truth or honesty of oneself. The literal meaning is (agni) fire (pareeksha) test.In Ramayana, the great Hindu epic, Rama (the perfect man) rescues his wife Sita Devi from her abductor Ravana, the demon king. Though Rama doesn't suspect her purity the world wonders about her purity. To show the world that their queen is pure, Rama asks Sita Devi to pass the agnipareeksha. She enters the pyre and comes out unharmed, the Agni (God of Fire) declares she is pure and bows to her.
In the picture is the wall painting in Albert Hall, Jaipur. Mughal Emperor Akbar got the Hindu epic translated in persian and the paintings were based on Persian Ramayana. Monkey soldiers are seen in the painting too.
talk about a picture speaking more than a thousand words- just one pic and so much can be seen in it. (but I am grateful for your running commentary, because there is the background story which I would have never guessed from the pic)
ReplyDelete@Anjuli: Thanks! Sometimes cultural differences hide the story behind the pictures! When I was in Italy it was hard to interpret the art though the paintings were exquisite! A guide comes handy in such cases!
ReplyDeleteOur society has always been cruel to women...Even Sita Maa had to prove herself...:(
ReplyDelete@saru: True. It happens even now. Sad :(
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