Kewat (Ramayana)

Kewat[1] is a character in the Hindu epic Ramayana, who had taken Rama, Sita and Lakshman in his boat and crossed the Ganges[2] at the time of exile.[3] This story is described in Ayodhya Kanda of Ramayana.[4] Kewat belonged to the Harivansh Keer society. Kewat was an exclusive devotee of Sri Ramachandra. It is said that at the beginning of the world, when the whole world was inundated, the boatman was born in the Avatar of the Tortoise. In that Avatar too, he had great love for God. He tried unsuccessfully to touch Lord Vishnu's thumb while resting on the rest of Shaya for his salvation. After that, he did penance to god for more than one epoch and finally, in Treta Yuga, he was born as a boatman who served Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.[5][6][7][8]