Vishwamitra decided to take the princes to the svayamvara of King Janaka's daughter, Sita.
King Janaka was the ruler of Mithila. Sita was his beautiful, charming daughter. She was to choose her husband from all the heroes from different kingdoms who came to her father's court at Mithila, seeking her hand in marriage.
Once, King Janaka had been blessed by Shiva with a magnificent bow which was so big and heavy that only a true hero could lift it.
Since King Janaka's daughter, Sita, had to be married, the king decided that he would get Her married only to the great hero who could lift the bow of Shiva and string it.
There were kings and princes from kingdoms far and wide, who came to win the hand of fair Sita.
The suitors who wished to win Sita assembled in the place where the bow was kept. Soldiers removed the casket that covered the bow and everyone was amazed at the size of the weapon.
One by one, they stepped up to the platform that held the bow and tried to lift it up. But nobody could lift this great bow!
All the while, Sita waited, hoping that it would be Rama who lifted the bow and strung it. She had seen Him with Vishwamitra and Lakshmana, in the garden, before.
She immediately knew that She wanted only Him as Her husband, as He looked strong, noble and handsome.
Finally it was Rama's turn. Folding His hands and circling the great bow with respect, Rama held the bow in His strong arms, lifting it like a child lifts a feather.
Then He bent it to string it, but in His powerful grip, the gigantic bow broke into two! The bow made a sound like a clap of thunder when it broke and everyone cheered that this hero of the Raghu dynasty had proven His strength.
No one was as happy as beautiful Sita, who was soon married to Rama in a grand ceremony.
Sita's sister Urmila was married to Lakshmana. The two beautiful daughters of King Janaka's brother were married to Bharatha and Shatrughna.
In this way, King Dasharatha and his queens had four weddings to attend when they arrived in Mithila!