It is said that the body of us humans is made of panchtatva. These are Vayu, Agni, Bhoomi, Aakash and Jal.
From each element a girl was born to teach the world eternal truths, these women came to be known as Panchakanyas, a group of pious Satis consisting of Ahilya, Tara, Mandodari, Sita and Draupadi.
1) Jal - According to the Mahari dance tradition, Brahma created Ahalya out of water as the most beautiful woman in order to break the pride of Urvashi.
While some praise her loyalty to her husband and her undaunted acceptance of the curse and gender norms, others condemn her adultery.
2) Vayu - In the Tamil version of Ramayan called Ramavataram, Tara along with Ruma are said to be apsaras who emerged from Samudra manthan and are thus associated with Vayu.
Tara's intelligence, presence of mind, courage and devotion to her husband Vali is praised. She is extolled as one of the panchkanya.
3) Aakash - Apsara Madhura was in love with Mahadev and tried to get intimate with him in Kailash. Thus Mata Parvati cursed her to become a frog. After years of penance Madhura finally became Mandodari and was married to Ravan.
Despite her husband's faults, Mandodari loved him and advised him to follow the path of righteousness. Mandodari repeatedly advised Ravan to return Sita to Ram, but her advice falls on deaf ears. Her love and loyalty to Ravana are praised in the Ramayan.
4) Bhumi - Many places instead of Kunti Mata Sita is revered as a Panchkanya. When King Janak was ploughing the field, he found Mata Sita. She thus considered to be a child of Mother Earth, produced by union between the king and the land.
Sita is a personification of Earth's fertility, abundance, and well-being. Even though she faces many challenges in life, she conquers all of them through her love and dedication to Shri Ram. And its not surprising that her name is taken before him.
5) Agni - Fire that destroys everything gave birth to a woman, Draupadi. The heroine of the epic Mahabharat, the common wife of Pandavas.
Draupadi overcame all the challenges of life by surrendering to God and keeping her head high.Some parts of the sub-continent, a sect of Draupadi exists, where she is worshipped as a goddess.
FUN FACT - Some people believe that the Panchkanyas (Draupadi, Kunti, Ahilya, Tara and Mandodari) are the ones who aren't chaste. For they had relations with more than one man.
They believe the real Panchkanyas are Mata Sati, Mata Sita, Savitri, Damiyanti and Arundhati (wife of rishi Vashisht).
But one must understand that although the Panchkanyas are not perfect but they did fulfil their duty as mothers, sisters, wives despite the hard challenges they faced in life.
