If Helen's was the face that launched a thousand ships and burned the towers of llim, , Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, had an eternal feminine flower not born to blush unseen in what today is an obscure little town, Jankapur. Sita.......her beauty made a dim world bright but made herself an unenviable central figure in a tragedy of epic dimensions.
The story of the Ramayan does not bear repittion here. But in Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , where the Princess of Mithila symbolises a lotus rather than Venus a daughter of the soil whose examplary womanhood conjures up visions of a Great Age in the country's own pre history many a folk song or a bard song has come down countlss generations as a legacy of the past extolling the virtues of king janaka as also of Sita, but which in no way feature in the famous Epic.
If there is any possibility of ascertaining the age of origin of the kathmandu valley following the draining out of a lake we may perhaps by cross reference, also establish the era during which the great legendary foster father of sita ruled an empire which his capital in the vicinity of today's Jankapur Dham in south eastern Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, .
As the stories go following the founding of civil sation by Manjushree in the Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, valley, Dharmakara, one of the sevant's disciples became the king of kathmandu. This king had no issues. however and was succeeded by one Dharmpala, a contemporary of Kraku chhanda Buddha.
That Rama, the prince of Ayodhay had to enter into a traditional feat of archery in order to win the hands of Sit is well known that is little known however is that Dharmaplala's descendant and successor to the throne of Kathmandu, Sudhanwa, had also set forth for janaks's capita with a view to matching his talent in archery with all the other princes gathered there to compete for the coveted hands of Sita. But somehow, a battle ensued between king Janaka and Sudhawa in which the latter was killed. If we set this against the historical belief, held by some that story of the Ramayan dates roughly back to the 7th century B.C the kathmandu may have some food for thought about the timing of their own legendary civilsation indeed.
Even an obscure little community the Chepangs, claim to be the direct descendants of Sita. While living in exil at sage Valmiki's hermittage on the banks of the river Gandaki so goes their legend, Sita had given birth to a son, Lohari by name one day Sita took the wailing Lohari to the river to bathe. Returning to the hermittage in the meanwhile, Valmiki saw Lohari's cradle empty and thought the baby must have fallen a prey either to some wild animals or to baby lifters. Apprehensive that Sita would create a scene upon her discovery of the loss. Valmiki hurriedly create a living likeness of Lohari out o the holy kusa grass and left it in the cradle. Upon her return with Lohari Sita was spell bound to see another child playing in her son's cradle and it was not until Valmiki explained the whole thing that her doubts werw set at rest. Valmiki also advised her to bring up both as twins and named the second one kushari (born out of kusha grass). Chepangs hold fast to the belief that they are thus the direct descendants of Lohari whereas Kushari's descendants are the kusundas a food gathering and hunting tribe living today in forested areas west of the Cheapang country.