In an interview with PTI, Tripathi said his second book in the Ramachandra series will feature Lord Rama merely as a supporting character and instead focus entirely on his wife.
"The version of Sita that we have now is based on a 1980 television series, which was largely based on the 'Ramcharitamanas' by Tulsidas," he said.
Inspired by Valmiki's "Adhbut Ramayana", the book will explore the flip side to the conventional portrayal of Sita as a traditional, dutiful Hindu wife who follows her husband. In Valmiki's version Sita overcomes several hurdles with incredible strength of character to emerge as a warrior and goddess, Tripathi said.
"The very word Ramayana means the travel of Rama. It is the story of Lord Rama, and Sita Devi is a character in that story...But my book is actually Sita Devi's story where Rama is just a character who appears only in the last one-third of the book," he said.
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"She is the one who kills Ravana in 'Adhbut Ramayana'", said Tripathi, a banker-turned-best-selling author who is among the leading names in the mythological fiction genre in India.
"There are two Ravanas; the elder Ravana is killed by Sita Devi when she takes the true form of Maa Kali," he said.
"Sita: Warrior of Mithila," comes two years after his bestselling "Scion of Ikshvaku," the first in the Ramachandra series. Three more will follow later, he said.
The book is expected to hit the stands by end of May or early June.
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