I have read the Ramayana in detail and sometimes wonder how accurate this book is. Obviously it is not the word of god as it contains passages that extol the virtues of caste. However my aim is not to discuss the Ramayana, but one aspect of a relationship that is not discussed in the Ramayana, namely the relationship if any between Ravana and the wife of Lord Rama Sita.

The Ramayana is one of the oldest pieces of literature and recounts the tale of Lord Rama who is considered the 7th Avatar of Lord Vishnu. The tale of the Ramayana is well known and I am sure readers will agree that relating that tale  is not a requirement. suffice that Ravana the king of Lanka abducted the beautiful Sita and took her away to Central Lanka.. the palace where he took has now been identified by historians and so one can conclude that the tale shorn of fantasy is true.

One fact emerges is that Ravana was a lusty man who was not only virile but a great warrior. One tale of the genesis of Ravana's lust for Sita which I have heard is that he had, it appears, gone for the swayamvara of Sita. Before the swayamvara started, a false piece of information was passed to him that his sister had been kidnapped.  Ravana immediately left the swayamvara and on going back learnt that the information was not true. When he returned he realised that the swayamvara was over and Rama had won Sita. Another tale is that Ravana learnt of the beauty of Sita and wished to possess her. Ravana had 3 wives, yet he was not averse to other women.

One other aspect of this tale is to read between the lines. When Rama mounted an invasion of Lanka to rescue his wife, many people advised Ravana to hand Sita back to Rama and stop the war, but he refused. Obviously he coveted Sita and maybe he was infatuated with her. One other  fact is that Sita remained in the custody of Ravana for some years.  The Ramayana says that Ravana lavished gifts on  Sita, but she spurned his advances. This must be taken with a pinch of salt and does not synchronise with the character of Ravana.. Ravana was a lusty man and it does  appear inconceivable  that he never touched Sita, during the period she was in his captivity. The Ramayana does not talk of such a relationship and as such one can only surmise or make a conjecture. Perhaps there is more to this tale than what is mentioned in the Ramayana. 

I am intrigued that Rama asked Sita to go through "Agnipareeksha" ( ordeal by fire) . There is no confirmation that such a incident really happened, but it is possible that it was enacted to convince the masses that Sita was chaste. The Ramayana omits a lot of details and is a bland story, but one can read between the lines. Perhaps Ravana spared Sita as he was a follower of Lord Shiva, but doubts will always linger as to what really happened in the palace when Sita was in the captivity of Ravana..