Agnipravesham

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Mughal painting of Sita undergoing the agnipravesham.

Agnipravesham (

romanized: Agniparīkṣā, lit.'fiery ordeal') is the mythical[2] practice of self-immolation described in Hindu literature.[3][4] It is primarily associated with the ordeal of Sita in the Ramayana, and is regarded to be a custom inspired by Vedic tradition.[5]

Legend

In the last book of the Ramayana, Sita undergoes the agnipravesham to offer evidence of her virginity to her husband, Rama, and the people of Ayodhya, after suspicions are cast upon her virtue due to her abduction by Ravana.[6][7][8] She invokes Agni, the god of fire, who rescues her, thereby testifying to her fidelity to Rama.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2017-08-29). "Agnipravesha, Agnipraveśa, Agni-pravesha: 11 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
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  4. ^ Muralidharan, Kavitha. "With just 11 stories this collection goes to the core of Tamil writer Jayakanthan's fiction". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
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