Mandavi
The wedding ceremony of Mandavi and Bharata.
TextsRamayana
Personal information
ParentsKushadhvaja (father), Chandrabhaga (mother)
SpouseBharata
ChildrenTaksha
Pushkala
DynastyRaghuvamsha (by marriage)

Mandavi (Sanskrit: माण्डवी, romanized: Māṇḍavī) is a princess and the elder daughter of King Kushadhvaja and Queen Chandrabhaga in the Hindu epic Ramayana.[1] She is married to Bharata, a younger brother of Rama. Mandavi is considered to be an incarnation of the conch shell of Lakshmi.[2]

Legend

In the Ramayana, Sunayana and Chandrabhaga, the wives of Janaka and Kushadhvaja, gave birth to Urmila and Mandavi. Chandrabhaga later gave birth to her second daughter and Mandavi's younger sister, Shrutakirti.[3] After Rama won the hand of Sita at her svayamvara, his father, King Dasharatha arrived in Mithila for his son's wedding. He noticed that Lakshmana had feelings for Urmila, King Janaka's younger daughter, but according to tradition, Bharata and Mandavi had to marry first. King Dasharatha arranged for Bharata to marry Mandavi and for Shatrughna to marry Shrutakirti, allowing Lakshmana to marry Urmila. Ultimately, all four sisters married the four brothers, strengthening the alliance between the kingdoms.[4] They have two sons, Taksha and Pushkala.[5]

When her mother-in-law Kaikeyi demanded that Bharata be crowned and Rama be exiled, Mandavi was shocked to hear the news. She did not have the courage to face her sisters, Sita and Urmila, as she did not wish to become a queen. She used to take care of her in-laws, along with her sister Shrutakirti, when her cousin Sita, her brothers-in-law Rama and Lakshmana were exiled. During their exile, Mandavi stayed at Nandigrama, where she devoted her time to worshipping Rama's paduka. Mandavi also spent time with her husband Bharata, chanting the ramanama and supporting him. Like Bharata, Mandavi led a saintly vānaprastha life, dedicating her time to meditation and serving their mothers Kausalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi. Meanwhile, Bharata carried out his responsibilities as per Rama's commands and governed the kingdom.[citation needed]

Mandavi is regarded to be an aspect of Lakshmi, merging with the goddess following the death. According to the Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas, after Sita dead Ayodhya got curse that no Suhagan women will alive so Urmila, Mandvi, Shrutakriti along with Suhagan girls womens took Samadhi.[citation needed]

Worship

In the Medak district of Telangana, there is a temple called Sri Kalyana Ramachandra Sannadhi that is dedicated to Bharata and Mandavi. This temple is the only one in India that has installed statues of Rama's brothers and their wives.[6][7]

In popular culture

References

  1. ^ Dawar, Sonalini Chaudhry (2006). Ramayana, the Sacred Epic of Gods and Demons. Om Books International. ISBN 9788187107675.
  2. ^ Agarwal, Shubhi (20 April 2022). LakshmiLa : The Eternal Love Story. Om Books International. ISBN 978-93-92834-21-9.
  3. ^ Praśānta Guptā (1998). Vālmīkī Rāmāyaṇa. Dreamland Publications. p. 32. ISBN 9788173012549.
  4. ^ Debroy, Bibek (2005). The History of Puranas. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-8090-062-4.
  5. ^ "The Ramayana and Mahabharata: Conclusion". www.sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Sri Kalyana Ramachandra Swamy temple: Small wonder on a hillock". Deccan Chronicle. 3 December 2017.
  7. ^ "This unique Rama temple near Hyderabad where Hanuman finds no place". The News Minute. 17 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Ramayana cast and characters: A full list". www.timesnownews.com. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Mera naam Prithvi hai, aur main ek ladki hoon' - Times of India". The Times of India. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
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