How the rooster acquired its comb

When Ram returned from the deer hunt and found his house empty, he feared the worst and began to cry. A heron said that perhaps, tired of forest life, Sita had run away with someone. Angry, Ram caught its neck fiercely, which is why the heron’s neck is bent.

A crane then informed him that Sita had been abducted by Ravana. That her tears fell on the crane’s body, which is why the bird is white in colour. Relieved to hear this, Ram said that during the rains, the crane can relax and his wife will feed him with the fish she catches. The crane did not like the idea. He said he cannot eat his wife’s jhoota, to which Ram retorted, ‘You have no problem kissing her but you have a problem eating her jhoota. Why so?’

The crane apologised for this thoughtlessness. A rooster also confirmed that Ravana indeed was the culprit. So Ram offered him a golden crown.

The rooster refused, saying that men already chased him for his meat; he did not want them to chase him for his golden crown. And so Ram gave him a red crown of flesh instead, known as the rooster’s comb.

From Odiya folktales and Ramalila by Ananga Narendra

(18th century)

WHEN A ROOSTER CLEARED THE AIR ABOUT THE ABDUCTION OF SITA BY RAVANA, RAM OFFERED HIM A

GOLDEN CROWN

Sampati lost his son who spotted Sita in Lanka but regained his wings in the process

In Odisha, during the Puri temple’s carnival known as Sahi Jatra, we find the image of a giant bird with eight monkeys (ashta-malla, or eight warriors) on its wings. This bird is identified as Sampati’s son carrying the vanaras (monkeys), including Hanuman, high up in the sky to show them Lanka. Sampati was Jatayu’s elder brother who had burnt his wings while protecting Jatayu from the sun’s fiery rays. He lived on the southern seashore, feeding on dead bodies. He found the vanaras there, looking disappointed and intent on starving to death rather than returning home as failures – for they had failed to find Sita’s location. When he overheard the monkeys refer to Ram and Jatayu, he was excited. A sage had told him that his wings would be restored if he helped Ram find Sita. Sampati told his son to carry the monkeys on his wings high into the sky until they could see Lanka in the middle of the sea. Sampati’s son did as he was told, and the monkeys, seated on his wings, did see Lanka. But only Sampati’s son could see Sita there for birds have better eyesight than monkeys. By helping the monkeys locate Sita with the help of his son, Sampati’s wings started to grow again.

From Sri Rama Bilasa by Dhananjaya Bhanja (17th century)