The solar kingdom of Videha was established by Ikshvaku’s son Nimi. The area which was formed by the churning or drying of the swamp as a result of the conduct of yajna was called Mithila.
The kings of Mithila were known as ‘Janak’. At that time, Sheerdhwaj Janak occupied the throne of Mithila. Sheerdhwaj was also known by the name of ‘Videha’ because he was learned and rose above the material needs of his body. He was, therefore, called a ‘Rajarshi’. He was a real protector of his subjects.
Once, king Janaka held a yajna. For this, he was ploughing the yajna site by himself. All of a sudden, he heard a sound from among the bushes. It was the cry of a weeping baby. King Janaka went there and found a beautiful baby weeping there. He picked the little one up and the baby stopped crying. The king took the baby to his wife Sunanya. They were childless and that little baby-girl had been gifted to them by Mother Earth. From then on, they brought her up lovingly as their own daughter. In Sanskrit, a plough means ‘Seet’. So, the baby-girl was named Seeta.
