"Vamadeva was an unusual and mysterious Rishi, ascribed with an almost miraculous birth. Vamadeva and his gotra (family), the Gotamas were associated with the land of Videha in Bihar and Nepal from which Sita came and which was the home of the great royal-sages, the Janakas, on which many Upanishads like the Brihadaranyaka, and Advaitic works, like the Ashtavakra Gita, were based. The first mentioning of Sita as an earth Goddess occurs in the hymns of Vamadeva in the Rig Veda (IV.57). Many teachings are ascribed to dialogues between Vasishta, purohit of Kosala, and Vamadeva, purohit of nearby Videha, including teachings on astrology and on Ayurveda. Vamadeva was a name of Indra, the supreme Vedic God, particularly as a falcon (shyena). It was also a name of Savitar, the Sun God, who dispensed his grace or beauty (vama). Vamadeva later became a name of Lord Shiva in his northern face. So it was an important and powerful name and one that few people carried."