Between Earth and Exile: An Ecofeminist Rewriting of Sita’s Journey in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments

Abstract

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments (2019) is a feminist reimagining of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, narrated from the perspective of Sita, a voice historically overshadowed by the grandeur of male heroism and divine duty. The novel not only humanises a mythic figure but also reclaims her agency, inner world, and resistance. This research article, “Between Earth and Exile: An Ecofeminist Rewriting of Sita’s Journey in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments”, aims to examine the novel through the theoretical framework of ecofeminism. By foregrounding Sita’s voice and interiority, the novel challenges androcentric readings of the Ramayana that have long marginalised or silenced the female perspective. The paper proposes that Sita’s narrative moves beyond a mere account of suffering and endurance to emerge as a complex site of ethical reflection, ecological consciousness, and spiritual self-determination. Her affinity with the forest, her empathetic bond with non-human life, and her rootedness in care and non-violence reveal alternative modes of agency that disrupt patriarchal and anthropocentric structures. Through a close reading of Divakaruni’s text, this research article seeks to justify how the intersection of ecological and gendered resistance is intricately woven into Sita’s journey, and invites further reflection on what it means to resist from both within and beyond exile.