To add to the joy of the wedding Rama Seeta , King Dasharatha announced that Rama, his eldest son, would succeed him to the throne of Ayodhya. Everyone, including the queens, the ministers, and the citizens of Ayodhya were overjoyed with this news. The auspicious day for this noble ceremony was decided accordingly

But there was a corner in the palace where this news caused a different reaction. Instead of joy and merriment, the chamber of queen Kaikeyi was tense. The maid-servant of queen Kaikeyi -- Manthara by name - was trying to convince the queen how great injustice had been done to her and her son -- Bharata. Instead of Rama, her son was the right successor to the throne.

If Rama becomes the king, your son Bharata would never get opportunity to occupy the cherished throne of Ayodhya. As a mother, should you not help him fulfill his ambition? And have you forgotten the past two boons the king - your husband - Dasharatha has conferred upon you!"Mantharas words keep ringing in Queen Kaikeyis mind .

And indeed Kaikeyi was convinced about the injustice being done to her son Bharata! She was angry and did not come out to greet her husband Dasharatha. Therefore, the king himself went to her chamber and inquired about her well being. In fact the king loved Queen Kaikeyi the most!

The words of Manthara had done their trick. Queen Kaikeyi reminded Dasharatha about the two boons he had promised her years back. The king remembered and was in fact pleased to grant the boons on that auspicious day. (the story goes that in his youth time the king was involved in a battle whereby the Queen saved the kings life as well as had helped him win the war .In happiness the king had granted her 2 boons which the queen told that she would seek her boons later in her life if and when she required any.)And as the fate had it, Kaikeyi asked:

1. Of the first boon, O my beloved husband, I ask that instead of Rama, Bharata be given the throne of Ayodhya, and,

2. Of the second boon, I ask for the banishment of Rama to the forest for fourteen years.

The king was not prepared for such unusual demands. He tried to persuade the queen to ask for something else, but no. Kaikeyi was firm in her resolve. The king went for compromise in granting the throne to Bharata but pleaded with his queen not to insist to send Rama to Forest. But still, no. Kaikeyi was firm on both the counts.

King Dasharatha was heartbroken on listening to the resolve of Kaikeyi to send Rama to the forest for fourteen years. He could not imagine even in dream that his most beloved son Rama would be put to such an acid test. He knew that the separation from Rama would be the last thing his old and frail body could tolerate. With heavy heart, he pleaded with his wife, "O Kaikeyi, what has possessed your kind heart! Why has your love for Rama disappeared! Please say that you are speaking in jest, and that you are not serious about your two demands."

"Ask for anything else. Ask for many palaces and jewelry, ask for army of thousand of elephants and horses, ask for my life, but spare my Rama from the hardships of forest and banishment to the life of recluse. I grant Bharata the throne of Ayodhya."

But, no. Kaikeyi was firm as a rock in her demands. Said she, "Come what may, you must keep your word of honour. If you fail, you will see my corpse at the sunrise next morning." She also reminded the King about the lofty tradition of keeping promises even at the cost of life in the Raghu dynasty.