Did Lord Ram Also Have A Sister?

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You must be wondering that this is impossible. But there are instances in the various versions of Ramayan, where it is mentioned that Lord Ram also had a sister.

All of you must be familiar that Ramayan has been written by various writers and in different languages. So, here is the South- Indian version of Ramayan which says that apart from the four sons- Ram, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughan, King Dashrath had a daughter who was eldest of them all. King Dashrath and Queen Kaushalya's daughter was named Shanta. But people hardly know her because she has never been mentioned in any of the popular versions of the epic.

Let us find out what is the reason why Lord Ram's sister has never been mentioned in any of the scriptures.

Story of Shanta

King Dashrath and his wife Kaushalya had a daughter named, Shanta. But soon after her birth, King Dashrath handed her over to Kaushalya's sister. It is said that Kaushalya's sister, Varshini who was married to the King of Anga known as King Romapad did not have any children.

Story of Shanta

So, once Varshini jokingly asked Dashrath to let her adopt his daughter. As Varshini did not have a child and being a girl child Shanta would never be the heir to the throne, King Dashrath let Varshini and King Romapad adopt his daughter.

Story of Shanta

Hence, Shanta became the Princess of the kingdom of Anga. It is said that the Princess was extremely beautiful and was educated in the same as the princes. Shanta was married to a great sage named Rishyashringa. Rishyashringa was the same sage who advised King Dashrath to perform the yagna to beget a son.

Story of Shanta

There is also another interesting story related to Shanta which says that once the kingdom of Dashrath suffered a great drought. So, Dashrath asked his advisor Sumant to bring Shanta to the kingdom. It is said that as Shanta walked through the kingdom, the places touched by her feet became green and soon the drought was over.

Story of Shanta

There are so many unknown mysteries in our mythologies. Shanta is one such mystery which is hardly revealed in the most popular versions of the epic. However her existence cannot be denied. So, we now know that Lord Ram did actually have an elder sister.