Popular belief and the text
Did a shadow Sītā go through the fire?
Popular beliefA shadow Sītā went through the fire
In Vālmīki
Not in Vālmīki. The shadow Sītā belongs to later traditions such as the Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa and the Rāmcaritmānas. In Vālmīki the ordeal, and Rāma's harsh words before it, are real.
Yuddha Kāṇḍa sargas 115–116Vālmīki (primary text)
Primary text: Śrīmad Vālmīkīya Rāmāyaṇa, Gita Press, Gorakhpur. Later traditions are labelled as such. Return to the Rāmāyaṇa World.