Hindu art symbolism - Sita Bhumi Pravesh
'Sita Bhumi Pravesh' painting by Raja Ravi Varma. It is Varma's first painting from the Ramayana. On the reverse of the canvas is written "Ravi Varmah Coil Tampuran, 12 November 1880".
Sita Bhumi Pravesh (Sita entering goddess earth) is a chapter from from the Uttara Kanda, the last book of Ramayana. It happened after Sita came back with her sons Lava and Kusha, from Rishi Valmiki's ashrama (monastery), where Rama had commanded Lakshmana to take Sita, to raise their child to assume the role of the King one day. The people of Ayodhya couldn't stop rumouring about Sita's character, and although Rama was certain about Sita's loyalty, the public couldn't accept such a blot on the Queen's reputation, therefore they asked for proof. Sita called upon her mother, Bhumi, declaring that if she had never thought of any man other than Rama, the earth must open up and swallow her. Bhumi came and enveloped Sita in tender embrace, just like Agni had during the Agnipariksha in Lanka after Yuddha kanda, and pulled her down, disappearing into the Earth.
Notice how Bhudevi is wearing the kiritamukuta - the high crown of Vishnu and Vishnu avataras? That's because Bhudevi is the consort of Vishnu along with Lakshmi, and sometimes Bhumi is seen as an aspect of Lakshmi, as both Bhumi and Lakshmi represent the earthly / sub-terranean realms. In Ramayana, Sita is the daughter of Bhumi. One day, the King of Mithila, Janaka, was performing a yajna to end a severe drought in his kingdom. As part of the ceremony, he was personally ploughing the Devayajana (sacrificial ground). While ploughing, the blade of his plough struck a pot hidden deep within the soil. Upon digging, Janaka discovered a golden casket, inside which was sleeping a baby girl. It started raining after the baby was pulled from the casket, ending the drought. Janaka and his wife Sunayana adopted the baby, their first daughter. Janaka named her Sita, which means furrow, a groove made in the ground by a plough.
In the painting, Sita is wearing a blue kanchuka (tailored upper garment), resembling the nilotpala (Nymphaea nouchali, blue water lily) which Bhumi holds in her dvibhuja (two-armed) iconography. This symbolises that Bhumi doesn't appear merely as a comforting parent, but as a grand sovereign ruler, adorned in saubhagya alankaras, symbolising her wealth and fertility. This is a stark contrast to Sita's appearance which was that of a tapasvini (ascetic), stripped off of material vanities. At the time Sita was swallowed inside the earth, don't think that Sita was a helpless woman. In fact, don't make the mistake of thinking that Sita was a helpless woman at all. She was the incarnation of Lakshmi herself, therefore a powerful agent of Dharma. Lakshmi descended from Vaikuntha to accompany Vishnu on earth as Rama and Sita to restore Dharma. Sita was the guiding force of Rama. It was Sita who demanded Rama to carry out Raja Dharma. Sita fulfilled her role as the mother of Lava and Kusha, raising them to become righteous kings.
Notice how Lakshmana, standing behind Rama, is also wearing a mukuta? That's because Lakshmana is the avatara of Shesha, the divine serpent upon whom Vishnu rests in the cosmic ocean. As Rama was an incarnation of Vishnu, Shesha took birth as Lakshmana. Later on, Lakshmana married Urmila, the second daughter of Janaka and Sunayana. Urmila was the incarnation of Nagalakshmi, the wife of Shesha.
Varma added his own touch by painting the fabrics, which Rama and Sita are wearing, as lilac. In ancient India, lilac was not considered as a primary royal colour. The colour of royalty were deep red, maroon, and ochre. Blues were the most expensive, therefore they were used to symbolise divinity (colours of Vishnu, Shiva). However, hues of purples, particularly, the Tyrian purple, were considered royal in Mediterranean civilisations. In the Victorian era and during the Romantic movement, soft purples and lilacs communicated grief, transition, and melancholy in the European painting tradition. The way both Rama and Sita had the same fabric on symbolises their deep, unbreakable bond and mutual sorrow of bidding each other goodbye on that realm. 
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