In the epic Ramayana, the protagonist, Rama, was wondering along a path when he came upon the village, Tahakari. His mind in a distressed state, Rama picked and smelled flowers in an attempt to calm his nerves, unaware of Shiva and Parvati watching him from the skies. As Rama wept for his deceased wife, Sita, Shiva attempted to convince Parvati that Rama was indeed an avatar of Vishnu. Parvati remained unconvinced of this, and decided to test this theory. Appearing as Sita in front of Lord Rama, both Shiva and Rama saw that Parvati was not Sita. In reply to her costume, Rama asked Parvati: