Maharishi Valmiki is a revered poet and wrote the epic Ramayana in 24,000 shlokas and 7 cantos (kandas). During the period of Lord Rama’s exile, he met Maharishi Valmiki and later on the great sage provided shelter to Rama’s wife Sita when she was banished from the kingdom of Ayodhaya by Lord Rama. Sita even gave birth to her twin sons Lava and Kusha at Rishi Valmiki’s ashram and he became their teacher and taught them Ramayana. Lava and Kusha sang the divine story in Ayodhya during the Ashwamedha yajna which led to Lord Rama questioning their identity. Lord Rama visited Maharishi Valmiki’s hermitage to confirm whether Lava and Kusha’s claims of him being their father was indeed true and met Sita in the Hermitage.
Valmiki was the tenth son of a Brahmin named Pracheta (also known as Sumali) and is of Bhrigu gotra. It is believed that in his previous life the sage was a highway dacoit named Ratnakara and used to **** and rob people. A chance encounter with Narada Muni changed his life forever and he became a great devotee of Lord Rama. During his severe penance huge anthills formed around him which earned him the name of Valmiki.
Valmiki Jayanti is also known as Pragat Diwas and is celebrated by followers of Valmiki. People celebrate this occasion with prayers and shobha yatras or processions. Devotees offer free food to people and decorate temples of Maharishi Valmiki. The most prominent Valmiki temple is in Chennai and is named Thiruvanmiyur after the sage Valmiki. The temple’s name means here is the temple of Valmiki and is believed to be 1300 years old built during the Chola Empire.
Shubh Muhurat for Valmiki Jayanti Puja
Maharishi Valmiki is a revered name in Hindu mythology not only because he wrote the Ramayana and provided shelter to Sita and her sons but because his story tells us that with devotion and dedication people can change and rise from the station of their birth, it is our deeds and choices that make the individual.