Baal Kaanda
56 - The wedding of Sita and Rama and Their farewell
Chaupais
Description
When the people of the city heard that the bridegrooms' party was leaving, they anxiously asked one another if it were a fact. When they learnt that the departure of the guests was certain, they were all sad in the same way as lotuses get shrivelled up in the evening. Provisions of various kinds were sent to all those places where the bridegrooms' party had halted while coming from Ayodhya. Dry fruits and confections of all kinds and other articles of food too numerous to be mentioned were sent by Janaka on the back of oxen and through numberless porters alongwith a number of beautiful bedsteads. He also sent 1,00,000 horses and 25,000 chariots, all decorated from top to bottom, 10,000 adorned elephants in rut, that put to shame the elephants guarding the eight quarters, besides cartloads of gold, wearing apparel and jewels and even so shebuffaloes, cows and many other articles of various kinds.