Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular

avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

s of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ''puruṣottama''), Rama is the male protagonist of the Hindu epic ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

''. His birth is celebrated every year on

Rama Navami Rama Navami () is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Rama, one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism, also known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being an ideal king and h ...

, which falls on the ninth day of the bright half (

Shukla Paksha Paksha () refers to a fortnight or a lunar phase in a month of the Hindu lunar calendar. Literally meaning "side", a paksha is the period either side of the '' purnima'' ( full moon day). A lunar month in the Hindu calendar has two fortnights, ...

) of the lunar cycle of

Chaitra Chaitra () is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Choitro. Chaitra or Cha ...

(March–April), the first month in the

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, also called Panchangam, Panchanga (), is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes ...

. According to the ''Ramayana'', Rama was born to Dasaratha and his first wife

Kausalya Kausalya (, ) is a queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the first senior queen consort of Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital Ayodhya. She is the mother of Rama, the male protagonist of the epic. She is a secondar ...

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

, the capital of the Kingdom of

Kosala Kosala, sometimes referred to as Uttara Kosala () was one of the Mahajanapadas of ancient India. It emerged as a small state during the Late Vedic period and became (along with Magadha) one of the earliest states to transition from a lineage ...

. His siblings included

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

, Bharata, and

Shatrughna ''Shatrughna'' (, ), also known as Ripudaman, is the younger brother of Rama, and King of Mathura, Madhupura and Vidisha, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of the Sudarshana Chakra of god Vishnu, and was married ...

. He married

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

. Born in a royal family, Rama's life is described in the Hindu texts as one challenged by unexpected changes, such as an exile into impoverished and difficult circumstances, and challenges of ethical questions and moral dilemmas. The most notable story involving Rama is the kidnapping of Sita by the demon-king

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

, followed by Rama and Lakshmana's journey to rescue her. The life story of Rama, Sita and their companions allegorically discusses duties, rights and social responsibilities of an individual. It illustrates

dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

and dharmic living through model characters. Rama is especially important to

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

. He is the central figure of the ancient Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', a text historically popular in the South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. His ancient legends have attracted ''

bhashya Bhashya () is a "commentary" or "exposition" of any primary or secondary text in ancient or medieval Indian literature. Common in Sanskrit literature, ''Bhashyas'' are also found in other Indian languages such as Tamil. Bhashyas are found in variou ...

'' (commentaries) and extensive secondary literature and inspired performance arts. Two such texts, for example, are the '' Adhyatma Ramayana'' – a spiritual and theological treatise considered foundational by Ramanandi monasteries, and the ''

Ramcharitmanas ''Ramcharitmanas'' ( deva, रामचरितमानस, rāmacaritamānasa), is an epic poem in the Awadhi language, composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas (c. 1511–1623). It has many inspirations, the primary being t ...

'' – a popular treatise that inspires thousands of

Ramlila Ramlila or Ramleela (; literally 'Rama's lila or play') is any dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' or secondary literature based on it such as the '' Ramcharitmanas''. It particular ...

festival performances during autumn every year in India. Rama legends are also found in the texts of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, though he is sometimes called Pauma or Padma in these texts, and their details vary significantly from the Hindu versions.

Jain Texts Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jainism, Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas'', which ...

also mention

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

as the eighth

balabhadra In Jainism, Balabhadra or Baladeva are among the sixty-three illustrious beings called '' śalākāpuruṣas'' that are said to grace every half cycle of time. According to Jain cosmology, ''śalākāpuruṣa'' are born on this earth in every ...

among the 63 salakapurusas. In

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

, Rama is mentioned as twentieth of the twenty-four divine avatars of Vishnu in the Chaubis Avtar in ''

Dasam Granth The ( Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various poetic compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

.''.

Etymology and nomenclature

Rama is also known as Ram, Raman, Ramar, and Ramachandra (; , ). ''Rāma'' is a Vedic Sanskrit word with two contextual meanings. In one context, as found in ''

Atharva Veda The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" and ''wikt:वेद, वेद'', "knowledge") or is the "knowledge storehouse of ''wikt:अथर्वन्, atharvans'', the proced ...

'', as stated by

Monier Monier-Williams Sir Monier Monier-Williams (; né Williams; 12 November 1819 – 11 April 1899) was a British scholar who was the second Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University, England. He studied, documented and taught Asian languages, especially ...

, it means "dark, dark-colored, black" and is related to the term ''ratri'', which means night. In another context in other

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

texts, the word means "pleasing, delightful, charming, beautiful, lovely". The word is sometimes used as a suffix in different Indian languages and religions, such as Pali in Buddhist texts, where ''-rama'' adds the sense of "pleasing to the mind, lovely" to the composite word. ''Rama'' as a first name appears in the Vedic literature, associated with two patronymic names – Margaveya and Aupatasvini – representing different individuals. A third individual named ''Rama Jamadagnya'' is the purported author of hymn 10.110 of the ''

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

'' in the Hindu tradition. The word ''Rama'' appears in ancient literature in reverential terms for three individuals: # Parashu-rama, as the sixth

of Vishnu. He is linked to the ''Rama Jamadagnya'' of the ''Rigveda'' fame. # Rama-chandra, as the seventh avatar of

and of the ancient ''Ramayana'' fame. # Bala-rama, also called ''Halayudha'', as the elder brother of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

both of whom appear in the legends of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The name Rama appears repeatedly in Hindu texts, for many different scholars and kings in mythical stories. The word also appears in ancient

Upanishad The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...

s and

Aranyaka The ''Aranyakas'' (; ; IAST: ') are a part of the ancient Indian Vedas concerned with the meaning of ritual sacrifice, composed in about 700 BC. They typically represent the later sections of the Vedas, and are one of many layers of Vedic text ...

s layer of Vedic literature, as well as music and other post-Vedic literature, but in qualifying context of something or someone who is "charming, beautiful, lovely" or "darkness, night". The Vishnu avatar named Rama is also known by other names. He is called ''Ramachandra'' (beautiful, lovely moon), or ''Dasarathi'' (son of Dasaratha), or ''Raghava'' (descendant of Raghu, solar dynasty in Hindu cosmology). Additional names of Rama include ''Ramavijaya'' ( Javanese), ''Phreah Ream'' ( Khmer), ''Phra Ram'' ( Lao and Thai), ''Megat Seri Rama'' ( Malay), ''Raja Bantugan'' (

Maranao The Maranao people ( Maranao: ''Bangsa'' ''Mëranaw''; Filipino: ''mga'' ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranaw, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is a predominantly Muslim Filipino ethnic group native to the region around Lanao Lake in the island of Mi ...

), ''Ramar'' or ''Raman'' (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

), and ''Ramudu'' ( Telugu). In the '' Vishnu sahasranama'', Rama is the 394th name of

. In some Advaita Vedanta inspired texts, Rama connotes the metaphysical concept of Supreme

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

who is the eternally blissful spiritual Self (Atman, soul) in whom

yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297–299, 331 ...

s delight nondualistically. The root of the word ''Rama'' is ''ram-'' which means "stop, stand still, rest, rejoice, be pleased". According to

Douglas Q. Adams Douglas Quentin Adams is an American linguist, professor of English at the University of Idaho and an Indo-European comparativist. He studied at the University of Chicago, earning PhD in 1972. Adams is an expert on Tocharian and a contributor ...

, the Sanskrit word ''Rama'' is also found in other Indo-European languages such as Tocharian ''ram'', ''reme'', ''*romo-'' where it means "support, make still", "witness, make evident". The sense of "dark, black, soot" also appears in other Indo European languages, such as ''*remos'' or Old English ''romig''.

Legends

This summary is a traditional legendary account, based on literary details from the ''

'' and other historic mythology-containing texts of

and

. According to Sheldon Pollock, the figure of Rama incorporates more ancient "morphemes of Indian myths", such as the mythical legends of ''Bali'' and ''Namuci''. The ancient sage

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

used these morphemes in his ''Ramayana''

simile A simile () is a type of figure of speech that directly ''compares'' two things. Similes are often contrasted with metaphors, where similes necessarily compare two things using words such as "like", "as", while metaphors often create an implicit c ...

s as in sections 3.27, 3.59, 3.73, 5.19 and 29.28.

Birth

The ancient epic ''Ramayana'' states in the ''Balakanda'' that Rama and his brothers were born to Kaushalya and Dasharatha in

, a city on the banks of Sarayu River. The Jain versions of the ''Ramayana'', such as the ''Paumacariya'' (literally deeds of Padma) by Vimalasuri, also mention the details of the early life of Rama. The Jain texts are dated variously, but generally pre-500 CE, most likely sometime within the first five centuries of the common era.

Moriz Winternitz Moriz Winternitz ( Horn, December 23, 1863 – Prague, January 9, 1937) was a scholar from Austria who began his Indology contributions working with Max Müller at the Oxford University. An eminent Sanskrit scholar, he worked as a professor ...

states that the ''

Ramayana'' was already famous before it was recast in the Jain ''Paumacariya'' poem, dated to the second half of the 1st century CE, which pre-dates a similar retelling found in the ''Buddha-carita'' of Asvagosa, dated to the beginning of the 2nd century CE or prior.

Dasharatha Dasharatha (, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of Kosala, with its capital at Ayodhya, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Dasharatha married Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He was the father of Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana ...

was the king of

, and a part of the

Kshatriya Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

solar dynasty The Solar dynasty or (; ), also called the Ikshvaku dynasty, is a legendary Indian dynasty said to have been founded by Ikshvaku. In Hindu texts, Hindu literature, it ruled the Kosala Kingdom, with its capital at Ayodhya (Ramayana), Ayodhya, ...

of Iksvakus. His mother's name Kaushalya literally implies that she was from Kosala. The kingdom of Kosala is also mentioned in

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and

Jain texts Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jainism, Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas'', which ...

, as one of the sixteen '' Maha janapadas'' of

ancient India Anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. The earliest known human remains in South Asia date to 30,000 years ago. Sedentism, Sedentariness began in South Asia around 7000 BCE; ...

, and as an important center of pilgrimage for Jains and Buddhists. However, there is a scholarly dispute whether the modern Ayodhya is indeed the same as the Ayodhya and Kosala mentioned in the ''Ramayana'' and other ancient Indian texts. Rama's birth, according to ''Ramayana'', is an incarnation of God (''Vishnu'') as human. When demigods went to ''Brahma'' to seek liberation from Ravana's menace on the Earth (due to powers he had from Brahma's boon to him), ''Vishnu'' himself appeared and said he will incarnate as ''Rama'' (human) and kill ''Ravana'' (since ''Brahma'''s boon made him invincible from all, including God, except humans).

Youth, family and marriage to Sita

Rama had three brothers, according to the ''

Balakanda ''Bala Kanda'' (; IAST: ', ) is the first Book of the Valmiki ''Ramayana.'' The ''Bala Kanda,'' in partif not in its entiretyis generally regarded as an interpolation to the original epic.' Structure The book consists of seventy-six ''sargas ...

'' section of the ''

''. These were

, Bharata and

. The extant manuscripts of the text describes their education and training as young princes, but this is brief. Rama is portrayed as a polite, self-controlled, virtuous youth always ready to help others. His education included the

Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

s, the

Vedanga The Vedanga ( ', "limb of the Veda-s"; plural form: वेदाङ्गानि ') are six auxiliary disciplines of Vedic studies that developed in Vedic and post-Vedic times.James Lochtefeld (2002), "Vedanga" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia o ...

s as well as the martial arts. The years when Rama grew up are described in much greater detail by later Hindu texts, such as the ''Ramavali'' by

Tulsidas Rambola Dubey (; 11 August 1511 – 30 July 1623pp. 23–34.), popularly known as Goswami Tulsidas (), was a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava (Ramanandi Sampradaya, Ramanandi) Hinduism, Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. H ...

. The template is similar to those found for

, but in the poems of

, Rama is milder and reserved introvert, rather than the prank-playing extrovert personality of Krishna. Marriage of Rama to Sita with Brahmins making fire sacrifice

Marriage of Rama to Sita with Brahmins making fire sacrifice

In the kingdom of Mithilā,

Janaka Janaka (, IAST: ''Janaka'') is the King of Videha who ruled from Mithila (region), Mithila, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Janaka was married to Sunayana (Ramayana), Sunayana. He is the father of Sita and Urmila in the epic. The term Janaka ...

conducted a

svayamvara ''Svayaṃvara'' ( ) is a matrimonial tradition in ancient Indian society where a bride, usually from '' Kṣatriya'' (warrior) caste, selects her husband from a group of assembled suitors either by her own choice or a public contest between her ...

ceremony at his capital with the condition that she would marry only a prince who would possess the strength to string the ajagava, one of the bows of the deity

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. Many princes attempted and failed to string the bow. During this time,

Vishvamitra Vishvamitra (, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. Vishvamitra is one of the seven Brahmarshi. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gay ...

had brought Rama and his brother Lakshmana to the forest for the protection of a ''

yajna In Hinduism, ''Yajna'' or ''Yagna'' (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐd͡ʒɲə ) also known as Hawan, is a ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. Yajna has been a Vedas, Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature ...

'' (ritual sacrifice). Hearing about the ''svayamvara'', Vishvamitra asked Rama to participate in the ceremony with the consent of Janaka, who agreed to offer Sita's hand in marriage to the prince if he could fulfil the requisite task. When the bow was brought before him, Rama seized the centre of the weapon, fastened the string taut, and broke it in two in the process. Witnessing his prowess, Janaka agreed to marry his daughter to Rama and invited Dasharatha to his capital. During the homeward journey to Ayodhya, another avatar of Vishnu,

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...

, challenged Rama to combat, on the condition that he was able to string the bow of Vishnu, Sharanga. When Rama obliged him with success, Parashurama acknowledged the former to be a form of Vishnu and departed to perform penance at the mountain Mahendra. The wedding entourage then reached Ayodhya, entering the city amid great fanfare. Thereafter, Rama lived happily with Sita for twelve (12) years. Meanwhile, Rama and his brothers were away,

Kaikeyi Kaikeyi,(Sanskrit: कैकेयी, IAST: Kaikeyī) is a princess of Kekeya and the queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Kaikeyi is the third queen and favourite consort of King Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital, A ...

, the mother of Bharata and the third wife of King

, reminds the king that he had promised long ago to comply with one thing she asks, anything. Dasharatha remembers and agrees to do so. She demands that Rama be exiled for fourteen years to Dandaka forest. Dasharatha grieves at her request. Her son Bharata, and other family members become upset at her demand. Rama states that his father should keep his word, adds that he does not crave for earthly or heavenly material pleasures, and seeks neither power nor anything else. He informs of his decision to his wife and tells everyone that time passes quickly.

leaves with him to live in the forest, and

joins them in their exile as the caring close brother.

Exile and war

Rama heads outside the Kosala kingdom, crosses Yamuna river and initially stays at Chitrakuta, on the banks of river Mandakini, in the hermitage of sage

Vasishtha Vasishtha (, ) is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vasishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigve ...

. During the exile, Rama meets one of his devotee,

Shabari Shabari (, ), also known as Bhilni, Bhilani, and Shramana, is an elderly woman ascetic in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is described as an ardently devoted woman who received Rama's blessing due to her bhakti towards him. Story Shabari w ...

who happened to love him so much that when Rama asked something to eat she offered her ber, a fruit. But every time she gave it to him she first tasted it to ensure that it was sweet and tasty as a testament to her devotion. Rama also understood her devotion and ate all the half-eaten bers given by her. Such was the reciprocation of love and compassion he had for his people. This place is believed in the Hindu tradition to be the same as Chitrakoot on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The region has numerous Rama temples and is an important Vaishnava pilgrimage site. The texts describe nearby hermitages of Vedic

rishi In Indian religions, a ''rishi'' ( ) is an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mention in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "gre ...

s (sages) such as

Atri Atri or Attri is a Vedic sage, who is credited with composing numerous shlokas to Agni, Indra, and other Vedic deities of Hinduism. Atri is one of the Saptarishi (seven great Vedic sages) in the Hindu tradition, and the one most mentioned in ...

, and that Rama roamed through forests, lived a humble simple life, provided protection and relief to ascetics in the forest being harassed and persecuted by demons, as they stayed at different

ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< After ten years of wandering and struggles, Rama arrives at Panchavati, on the banks of river Godavari. This region had numerous demons (''rakshashas''). One day, a demoness called Shurpanakha saw Rama, became enamored of him, and tried to seduce him. Rama refused her. Shurpanakha retaliated by threatening

. Lakshmana, the younger brother protective of his family, in turn retaliated by cutting off the nose and ears of

Shurpanakha Shurpanakha (Sanskrit: शूर्पणखा, , ), is a ''rakshasi'' (demoness) in Hindu epic. Her legends are mainly narrated in the epic ''Ramayana'' and its other versions. She was the sister of Lanka's king, Ravana, and the daughter o ...

. The cycle of violence escalated, ultimately reaching demon king

, who was the brother of Shurpanakha. Ravana comes to Panchavati to take revenge on behalf of his family, sees Sita, gets attracted, ask

Maricha In the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', Maricha, or Mareecha (Sanskrit: मारीच, IAST: ), is a rakshasha, who was killed by Rama, the hero of the epic and an avatar of Vishnu. He is mentioned as an ally of Ravana, the antagonist of the epic. Hi ...

, his uncle, to disguised himself as a magnificent deer to lure Sita, and kidnaps her to his kingdom of Lanka ''(believed to be modern

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

)''. Rama and

discover the kidnapping, worry about Sita's safety, despair at the loss and their lack of resources to take on Ravana. Their struggles now reach new heights. They travel south, meet

Sugriva Sugriva (, ), is a character In the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana. He is the younger brother of Vali (Ramayana), Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara kingdom of Kishkindha. He is a son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun. As the king ...

, marshall an army of monkeys, and attract dedicated commanders such as

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

who was a minister of Sugriva. Meanwhile, Ravana harasses Sita to be his wife, queen or goddess. Sita refuses him. Ravana gets enraged and ultimately reaches Lanka, fights in a war that has many ups and downs, but ultimately Rama prevails, kills Ravana and forces of evil, and rescues his wife Sita. They return to Ayodhya.

Post-war life

The return of Rama to Ayodhya was celebrated with his coronation. It is called ''Rama pattabhisheka'', and his rule itself as ''Rama rajya'' described to be a just and fair rule. It is believed by many that when Rama returned people celebrated their happiness with ''

diyas Zarina Diyas (; ; born 18 October 1993) is a Kazakh professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as No. 31 by the WTA. Diyas has won one singles title on the WTA Tour, at the 2017 Japan Women's Open, along with nine singles titles ...

'' (lamps), and the festival of

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

is connected with Rama's return. Upon Rama's accession as king, rumours emerge that Sita may have gone willingly when she was with Ravana; Sita protests that her capture was forced. Rama responds to public gossip by renouncing his wife and asking her to prove her chastity in front of ''

Agni Agni ( ) is the Deva (Hinduism), Hindu god of fire. As the Guardians of the directions#Aṣṭa-Dikpāla ("Guardians of Eight Directions"), guardian deity of the southeast direction, he is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu temples. ...

'' (fire). She does and passes the test. Rama and Sita live happily together in Ayodhya, have twin sons named Kusha and

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

, in the ''Ramayana'' and other major texts. However, in some revisions, the story is different and tragic, with Sita dying of sorrow for her husband not trusting her, making Sita a moral heroine and leaving the reader with moral questions about Rama. In these revisions, the death of Sita leads Rama to drown himself. Through death, he joins her in afterlife. Depiction of Rama dying by drowning himself and then emerging in the sky as a six-armed incarnate of

is found in the Burmese version of Rama's life story called ''Thiri Rama''.

Variations

Rama's legends vary significantly by the region and across manuscripts. While there is a common foundation, plot, grammar and an essential core of values associated with a battle between good and evil, there is neither a correct version nor a single verifiable ancient one. According to Paula Richman, there are hundreds of versions of "the story of Rama in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, Southeast Asia and beyond". The versions vary by region reflecting local preoccupations and histories, and these cannot be called "divergences or different tellings" from the "real" version, rather all the versions of Rama story are real and true in their own meanings to the local cultural tradition, according to scholars such as Richman and Ramanujan. The stories vary in details, particularly where the moral question is clear, but the appropriate ethical response is unclear or disputed. For example, when demoness

disguises as a woman to seduce Rama, then stalks and harasses Rama's wife Sita after Rama refuses her,

is faced with the question of appropriate ethical response. In the Indian tradition, states Richman, the social value is that "a warrior must never harm a woman". The details of the response by Rama and Lakshmana, and justifications for it, has numerous versions. Similarly, there are numerous and very different versions to how Rama deals with rumours against Sita when they return victorious to Ayodhya, given that the rumours can neither be objectively investigated nor summarily ignored. Similarly the versions vary on many other specific situations and closure such as how Rama, Sita and Lakshmana die. The variation and inconsistencies are not limited to the texts found in the Hinduism traditions. The Rama story in the Jain tradition also show variation by author and region, in details, in implied ethical prescriptions and even in names – the older versions using the name Padma instead of Rama, while the later Jain texts just use Rama.

Dating and historicity

In some Hindu texts, Rama is stated to have lived in the ''

Treta Yuga ''Treta Yuga'' (IAST: ''Tretā-yuga'') (Devanagari: त्रेतायुग), in Hinduism, is the second and second-best of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'' and followed by '' Dvapara ...

'' that their authors estimate existed before about 5000 BCE. Archaeologist H. D. Sankalia, who specialised in Proto- and Ancient Indian history, find such estimate to be "pure speculation". A few other researchers place Rama to have more plausibly lived around 1250 BCE, based on regnal lists of Kuru and Vrishni leaders which if given more realistic reign lengths would place Bharat and Satwata, contemporaries of Rama, around that period. Sankalia dates various incidents of the Ramayana to have taken place as early as 1,500 BCE. The composition of Rama's epic story, the ''

'', in its current form is usually dated between 8th and 4th century BCE. According to John Brockington, a professor of Sanskrit at Oxford known for his publications on the ''Ramayana'', the original text was likely composed and transmitted orally in more ancient times, and modern scholars have suggested various centuries in the 1st millennium BCE. In Brockington's view, "based on the language, style and content of the work, a date of roughly the fifth century BCE is the most reasonable estimate".

Historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

s often highlight that Rama's narrative reflects not only religious beliefs but also societal ideals and moral principles. They explore the possibility of Rama being a composite figure, embodying virtues and qualities valued in ancient

Indian society Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

. This perspective underscores the Ramayana's role as both a religious scripture and a cultural artifact, illustrating how legends like Rama's have shaped India's collective consciousness and ethical frameworks over centuries. Ariel Glucklich about this, quoted: " ..Rama serve not only as historical narratives but also as moral and spiritual teachings, shaping cultural identity and religious beliefs in profound ways."

Iconography and characteristics

Rama iconography shares elements of avatars of Vishnu, but has several distinctive elements. He has two hands, holds a ''bana'' (arrow) in his right hand, while he holds the ''dhanus'' (bow) in his left. The most recommended icon for him is that he be shown standing in ''

tribhanga Tribhaṅga or Tribunga is a standing body position or stance used in traditional Indian art and Indian classical dance forms like the Odissi, where the body bends in one direction at the knees, the other direction at the hips and then the oth ...

'' pose (thrice bent "S" shape). He is shown black, blue or dark color, typically wearing reddish color clothes. Rama is often accompanied with his brother

on his left side while his consort

always on his right, both of golden-yellow complexion. His monkey companion

stands nearby with folded arms. The group can be accompanied with Rama's brothers Bharata and Shatrughna too. The Ramayana describes Rama as a charming, well built person of a dark complexion (''varṇam śyāmam'') and long arms (''ājānabāhu'', meaning a person whose middle finger reaches beyond their knee). In the Sundara Kanda section of the epic,

describes Rama to

when she is held captive in

Lanka Lanka (; ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary Rakshasa king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks kn ...

, to prove to her that he is indeed a messenger from Rama. He says:

Philosophy and symbolism

An early 20th century Hindu deity Rama painting

Rama's life story is imbued with symbolism. According to Sheldon Pollock, the life of Rama as told in the Indian texts is a masterpiece that offers a framework to represent, conceptualise and comprehend the world and the nature of life. Like major epics and religious stories around the world, it has been of vital relevance because it "tells the culture what it is". Rama's life is more complex than the Western template for the battle between the good and the evil, where there is a clear distinction between immortal powerful gods or heroes and mortal struggling humans. In the Indian traditions, particularly Rama, the story is about a divine human, a mortal god, incorporating both into the exemplar who transcends both humans and gods. As a person, Rama personifies the characteristics of an ideal person (''purushottama''). He had within him all the desirable virtues that any individual would seek to aspire, and he fulfils all his moral obligations. Rama is considered a ''maryada purushottama'' or the best of upholders of Dharma. According to Rodrick Hindery, Book 2, 6 and 7 are notable for ethical studies. The views of ''Rama'' combine "reason with emotions" to create a "thinking hearts" approach. Second, he emphasises through what he says and what he does a union of "self-consciousness and action" to create an "ethics of character". Third, Rama's life combines the ethics with the aesthetics of living. The story of Rama and people in his life raises questions such as "is it appropriate to use evil to respond to evil?", and then provides a spectrum of views within the framework of Indian beliefs such as on

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

and

. Rama's life and comments emphasise that one must pursue and live life fully, that all three life aims are equally important: virtue (dharma), desires (

kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit: काम, ) is the concept of pleasure, enjoyment and desire in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. It can also refer to "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsका� ...

), and legitimate acquisition of wealth (

artha ''Artha'' (; ; Pali: Attha, Tamil: பொருள், poruḷ) is one of the four goals or objectives of human life in Hindu traditions.James Lochtefeld (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Rosen Publishing, New York, , pp 55–56 ...

). Rama also adds, such as in section 4.38 of the ''

'', that one must also introspect and never neglect what one's proper duties, appropriate responsibilities, true interests, and legitimate pleasures are.

Literary sources

''Ramayana''

The primary source of the life of Rama is the Sanskrit epic ''Ramayana'' composed by

Rishi In Indian religions, a ''rishi'' ( ) is an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mention in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "gre ...

. The epic had many versions across India's regions. The followers of

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; 1199–1278 CE or 1238–1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) school of Vedanta. Madhva called his philosophy ...

believe that an older version of the ''

'', the ''Mula-Ramayana'', previously existed. The Madhva tradition considers it to have been more authoritative than the version by

. Versions of the ''Ramayana'' exist in most major Indian languages; examples that elaborate on the life, deeds and divine philosophies of Rama include the epic poem ''

Ramavataram The ''Ramavataram'', popularly referred to as ''Kamba Ramayanam'', is a Tamil epic that was written by the Tamil poet Kambar during the 12th century. Based on Valmiki's ''Ramayana'' (which is in Sanskrit), the story describes the legen ...

'', and the following vernacular versions of Rama's life story: * Ramavataram or Kamba-Ramayanam in

by the poet Kambar. (12th century) *

Saptakanda Ramayana ''Saptakanda Ramayana'' is the 14th–15th century Assamese version of the '' Ramayana'' attributed to the famous Assamese poet Madhava Kandali. It is considered to be one of the earliest translations from the Sanskrit into a modern regional la ...

in Assamese by poet Madhava Kandali. (14th century) * ''

Krittivasi Ramayan ''Kṛttivāsī Rāmāyaṇ'',; also called ''Śrīrām Pãcālī'', composed by the fourteenth-century Bengali poet Krittibas Ojha, from whom it takes its name, is a rendition of the '' Rāmāyaṇa'' into Bengali. Written in the traditional '' ...

a'' in

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

by poet

Krittibas Ojha Mahakavi Krittibas Ojha (; 1381–1461) was a medieval Bengali people, Bengali poet. His major contribution to Bengali literature and culture was Hindu epic ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa'' in Bengali language, Bengali. His work, the ''Śrīrām Pā̃c ...

. (15th century) * ''

'' in Awadhi by sant

. (16th century) * ''Pampa Ramayana'', ''Torave Ramayana'' by Kumara Valmiki and '' Sri Ramayana Darshanam'' by

Kuvempu Kuppalli Venkatappa Puttappa (29 December 1904 – 11 November 1994), popularly known by his pen name Kuvempu, was an Indian poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He is widely regarded as the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century. He wa ...

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

* ''Bhavartha Ramayana'' in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

by Sant

Eknath Eknath (IAST: Eka-nātha, Marathi pronunciation: knath (1533–1599), was an Indian Hindu Vaishnava saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of the Hindu deity Vitthal and is a major figure of the Warkari movement. Eknath is often vie ...

. (16th century) * '' Ranganatha Ramayanam'' () by ''

Ranganatha Ranganatha, also known as Ranganathar, Rangan, Aranganathar, Sri Ranga, and Thenarangathan, is a Hindu deity with his origin in South India, southern India, serving as the chief deity of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. The deity is a re ...

'', and '' Ramayana Kalpavruksham'' by Viswanatha Satyanarayana in Telugu * ''Vilanka Ramayana'' in Odia * ''Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu'' in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

by Ezhuttachan (this text is closer to the Advaita Vedanta-inspired rendition ''Adhyatma Ramayana''). (16th century) The epic is found across India, in different languages and cultural traditions.

In Tamil literature

There are several references of the ''Ramayana'' in early Tamil literature even before the ''

'' (''Kamba Ramayanam''), which seems to indicate that the story of the text was familiar in the Tamil lands even before the 12th century. Tamil Sangam texts like the '' Akananuru'', ''

Purananuru The ''Purananuru'' (, literally "four hundred oemsin the genre puram"), sometimes called ''Puram'' or ''Purappattu'', is a classical Tamil literature, Tamil poetic work and traditionally the last of the Eight Anthologies (''Ettuthokai'') i ...

'', and the ''

Kalittokai ''Kalittokai'' ( meaning ''the kali-metre anthology'') is a classical Tamil poetic work and the sixth of Eight Anthologies (''Ettuthokai'') in the Sangam literature. It is an "akam genre – love and erotic – collection par excellence", accor ...

'' mention scenes of the ''Ramayana'' and figures such as Rama, Sita, the ten-faced demon (Ravana), and monkeys. The Tamil epic ''

Cilappatikaram ''Cilappatikāram'' ( IPA: ʧiləppət̪ikɑːrəm, ''lit.'' "the Tale of an Anklet"), also referred to as ''Silappathikaram'' or ''Silappatikaram'', is the earliest Tamil epic. It is a poem of 5,730 lines in almost entirely ''akaval'' (''aciri ...

'' also mentions Rama as the avatar of Vishnu, who measured the three worlds and destroyed the city of Lanka.

''Adhyatma Ramayana''

''Adhyatma Ramayana'' is a late medieval

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

text extolling the spiritualism in the story of

. It is embedded in the latter portion of '' Brahmānda Purana'', and constitutes about a third of it. The text philosophically attempts to reconcile

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

in god Rama and

Shaktism Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...

with Advaita Vedanta, over 65 chapters and 4,500 verses. The text represents Rama as the

(metaphysical reality), mapping all attributes and aspects of Rama to abstract virtues and spiritual ideals. ''Adhyatma Ramayana'' transposes ''Ramayana'' into symbolism of self study of one's own soul, with metaphors described in Advaita terminology. It influenced the popular ''Ramcharitmanas'' by

, and inspired the most popular version of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

i ''Ramayana'' by

Bhanubhakta Acharya Bhanubhakta Acharya () (1814—1868 CE) (1871—1925 Bikram Sambat, BS) was a Nepali writer, poet, and translator. He is widely regarded as the oldest poet in the Nepali language, for which he was conferred with the title of "Aadikabi": literally ...

. This was also translated by Thunchath Ezhuthachan to

, which lead the foundation of

Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puduchery, is one of the six classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary text ...

itself.

''Ramacharitmanas''

Tulsidas composing his famous Avadhi Ramcharitmanas

The ''Ramayana'' is a Sanskrit text, while '' Ramacharitamanasa'' retells the ''Ramayana'' in Awadhi, commonly understood in

northern India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

by speakers of the several

Hindi languages The Central Indo-Aryan languages or Hindi languages are a group of Indo-Aryan languages spoken across Northern and Central India. They historically form a dialect continuum that descends from the Middle Prakrits. Located in the Hindi Belt, t ...

. ''Ramacharitamanasa'' was composed in the 16th century by

.Ramcharitmanas
, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2012) The popular text is notable for synthesising the epic story in a

Bhakti movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of Bhakti, devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6t ...

framework, wherein the original legends and ideas morph in an expression of spiritual

bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

(devotional love) for a personal god. Tulsidas was inspired by ''Adhyatma Ramayana'', where Rama and other figures of the ''Valmiki Ramayana'' along with their attributes (''saguna'' narrative) were transposed into spiritual terms and abstract rendering of an '' Atma'' (soul, self, ''Brahman'') without attributes ('' nirguna'' reality). According to Kapoor, Rama's life story in the ''Ramacharitamanasa'' combines mythology, philosophy, and religious beliefs into a story of life, a code of ethics, a treatise on universal human values. It debates in its dialogues the human dilemmas, the ideal standards of behaviour, duties to those one loves, and mutual responsibilities. It inspires the audience to view their own lives from a spiritual plane, encouraging the virtuous to keep going, and comforting those oppressed with a healing balm. The ''Ramacharitmanas'' is notable for being the Rama-based play commonly performed every year in autumn, during the weeklong performance arts festival of ''

''. The "staging of the ''Ramayana'' based on the ''Ramacharitmanas''" was inscribed in 2008 by UNESCO as one of the Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity.

''Yoga Vasistha''

''Yoga Vasistha'' is a Sanskrit text structured as a conversation between young Prince Rama and sage Vasistha who was called as the first sage of the

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...

school of Hindu philosophy by

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...

. The complete text contains over 29,000 verses. The short version of the text is called ''Laghu Yogavasistha'' and contains 6,000 verses. The exact century of its completion is unknown, but has been estimated to be somewhere between the 6th century CE to as late as the 14th century CE, but it is likely that a version of the text existed in the 1st millennium CE. The ''

Yoga Vasistha ''Vasishta Yoga Samhita'' (, IAST: '; also known as ''Mokṣopāya'' or ''Mokṣopāyaśāstra'', and as ''Maha-Ramayana'', ''Arsha Ramayana'', ''Vasiṣṭha Ramayana'', ''Yogavasistha-Ramayana'' and ''Jnanavasistha'', is a historically popular ...

'' text consists of six books. The first book presents Rama's frustration with the nature of life, human suffering and disdain for the world. The second describes, through the figure of Rama, the desire for liberation and the nature of those who seek such liberation. The third and fourth books assert that liberation comes through a spiritual life, one that requires self-effort, and present cosmology and metaphysical theories of existence embedded in stories. These two books are known for emphasising free will and human creative power. The fifth book discusses meditation and its powers in liberating the individual, while the last book describes the state of an enlightened and blissful Rama. ''Yoga Vasistha'' is considered one of the most important texts of the Vedantic philosophy. The text, states David Gordon White, served as a reference on

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

for medieval era Advaita Vedanta scholars. The Yoga Vasistha, according to White, was one of the popular texts on Yoga that dominated the Indian Yoga culture scene before the 12th century.

''Upanishad''

Rama is the central character in three of the fourteen Vaishnava Upanishads – '' Rama Rahasya Upanishad'', '' Rama Tapaniya Upanishad'' and '' Tarasara Upanishad''. ''Rama Rahasya Upanishad'' talks about is largely recited by

, who states that Rama is identical to the supreme unchanging reality

, same as major Hindu deities, and the means to satcitananda and liberation. The text also includes sections on

Tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...

suggesting the

Bīja In Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, the Sanskrit term Bīja () (Japanese language, Jp. 種子 ''shuji'') (Chinese language, Chinese 種子 ''zhǒngzǐ''), literally seed, is used as a metaphor for the origin or cause of things and cognate with bindu ...

mantra based on Rama. The ''Rama Tapaniya Upanishad'', emphasis is on the Rama mantra ''Rama Ramaya namaha''. It presents him as equivalent to the Atman (soul, self) and the

(Ultimate Reality). ''Tarasara Upanishad'' describes Rama as Paramatman, Narayana and supreme Purusha (cosmic man), the ancient

Purushottama Purushottama (, from पुरुष, ''purusha'', "person," "personal animating principle," or "soul," and उत्तम, ''uttama'', "highest") is an epithet of the Hindu preserver deity, Vishnu. According to Vaishnavism, Vishnu is the sour ...

, the eternal, the liberated, the true, the highest bliss, the one without a second.

Other major texts

A relief summary of Ramayana at Hindu temple cave 16 Ellora India

Other important historic Hindu texts on Rama include ''Bhusundi Ramanaya'', ''Prasanna Raghava'', and ''Ramavali'' by Tulsidas. The Sanskrit poem ''

Bhaṭṭikāvya ' (; "Bhatti's Poem") is a Sanskrit-language poem dating from the 7th century CE, in the formal genre of the "great poem" ( mahākāvya). It focuses on two deeply rooted Sanskrit traditions, the ''Ramayana'' and Panini's grammar, while incorporat ...

'' of Bhatti, who lived in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

in the seventh century CE, is a retelling of the epic that simultaneously illustrates the grammatical examples for

Pāṇini (; , ) was a Sanskrit grammarian, logician, philologist, and revered scholar in ancient India during the mid-1st millennium BCE, dated variously by most scholars between the 6th–5th and 4th century BCE. The historical facts of his life ar ...

's ''Aṣṭādhyāyī'' as well as the major figures of speech and the

Prakrit Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...

language. Another historically and chronologically important text is '' Raghuvamsa'' authored by

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali"; 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviv ...

.. Its story confirms many details of the ''Ramayana'', but has novel and different elements. It mentions that Ayodhya was not the capital in the time of Rama's son named Kusha, but that he later returned to it and made it the capital again. This text is notable because the poetry in the text is exquisite and called a ''Mahakavya'' in the Indian tradition, and has attracted many scholarly commentaries. It is also significant because Kalidasa has been dated to between the 4th and 5th century CE, suggesting that the Ramayana legend was well established by the time of Kalidasa. The ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

'' has a summary of the ''Ramayana''. The Jainism tradition has extensive literature of Rama as well, but generally refers to him as Padma, such as in the ''Paumacariya'' by Vimalasuri. Rama and Sita legend is mentioned in the Jataka tales of Buddhism, as '' Dasaratha-Jataka'' (Tale no. 461), but with slightly different spellings such as ''Lakkhana'' for ''Lakshmana'' and ''Rama-pandita'' for ''Rama''. Rama appears in the

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

namely the ''

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...

'' and ''

Padma Purana The ''Padma Purana'' (, or ) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and includes large sections dedic ...

'' (as an avatar of

), the ''

Matsya Purana The ''Matsya Purana'' (IAST: Matsya Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen major Puranas (Mahapurana), and among the oldest and better preserved in the Puranic genre of Sanskrit literature in Hinduism. The text is a Vaishnavism text named after the h ...

'' (as form of

Bhagavan The word Bhagavan (; ), also spelt as Bhagwan (sometimes translated in English as "Lord", "God"), is an epithet within Indian religions used to denote figures of religious worship. In Hinduism it is used to signify a deity or an ''avatar'', pa ...

), the ''

Linga Purana The ''Linga Purana'' (लिङ्गपुराण, IAST: ) is one of the eighteen '' Mahapuranas'', and a ''Shaivism'' text of Hinduism. The text's title '' Linga'' refers to the iconographical symbol for Shiva. The author(s) and date of the ...

'' (as form of Vishnu), the ''

Kurma Purana The ''Kurma Purana'' (IAST: Kūrma Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, and a medieval era Vaishnavism text of Hinduism. The text is named after the tortoise avatar of Vishnu. The manuscripts of ''Kurma Purana'' have survived into t ...

'',''

Agni Purana The ''Agni Purana'', (, ) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. The text is variously classified as a Purana related to Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism, but also considered as a text that covers them ...

'', ''

Garuda Purana The Sanskrit text ''Garuda Purana'' () is one of 18 Mahapurana (Hinduism), Mahapuranas in Hinduism. The ''Garuda Purana'' was likely composed in the first millennium CE, with significant expansions and revisions occurring over several centuries ...

'' (as Rama), the ''

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' ( IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukhyapurāṇa'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parv ...

'' and the ''

Shiva Purana The ''Shiva Purana'' (original Sanskrit title: Śivapurāṇa (शिवपुराण) and Śivamahāpurāṇa (शिवमहापुराण) is one of eighteen major texts of the '' Purana'' genre of Sanskrit texts in Hinduism, and part o ...

''. Additionally, the Rama story is included in the ''

Vana Parva The Vana Parva ("Book of the Forest") is the third of the eighteen ''parvas'' (books) of the Indian epic ''Mahabharata''.van Buitenen, J.A.B. (1975) ''The Mahabharata: Book 2: The Book of the Assembly Hall; Book 3: The Book of the Forest''. Chicag ...

'' of the ''

'', which has been a part of evidence that the ''

'' is likely more ancient, and it was summarised in the ''Mahabharata'' epic in ancient times. Rama and Sita appears as the central character in '' Valmiki Samhita'', which is attributed to their worship and describes them to be the

ultimate reality Ultimate reality is "the supreme, final, and fundamental power in all reality". It refers to the most fundamental fact about reality, especially when it is seen as also being the most valuable fact. This may overlap with the concept of the Absolut ...

. Apart from other versions of ''Ramayana'', many 14th-century

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...

such as Nabha Dass, Tulsidas and

Ramananda Jagadguru Swami Ramananda (IAST: Rāmānanda) or Ramanandacharya was an Indian 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet Sant (religion), saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the f ...

have their works written about Rama's life. While Ramananda's '' Sri Ramarchan Paddati'' explains the complete procedure to worship Sita-Rama, Tulsidas's ''

Vinaya Patrika Vinaya Patrika (''Letter of petition'') is a devotional poem composed by the 16th-century Indian poet, Goswami Tulsidas (), containing hymns to different Hindu deities, especially to Rama. The language of the text is Braj Bhasha. Vinaya Patrika ...

'' has devotional hymns dedicated to Rama including

Shri Ramachandra Kripalu Shri Ramachandra Kripalu, or "Shri Ram Stuti," is a Stuti (Horation Ode) verse from his work called Vinaya Patrika, written by Goswami Tulsidas. It was written in the sixteenth century in a mix of Sanskrit and Awadhi languages. The prayer/ode g ...

. Ramananda through his conversation with disciple Surasurananda in '' Vaishnava Matabja Bhaskara'', explains about the worship of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, and answers the 10 most prominent questions related to

Vedanta Desika Vedanta Desika (1268–1369), also rendered Vedanta Desikan, Swami Vedanta Desika, and Thoopul Nigamantha Desikan, was an Indian polymath who wrote philosophical as well as religious and poetical works in several languages, including Sanskrit ...

's ''

Hamsa-Sandesha The ''Hamsa Sandesha'' (Sanskrit: ; IAST: ) or "The message of the Swan" is a Sanskrit love poem written by Vedanta Desika in the 13th century CE. A short lyric poem of 110 verses, it describes how Rama, hero of the ''Ramayana'' epic, sends a ...

'', is a love poem which describes Rama sending message to Sita through a swan.

Worship and festivals

As part of the

, Rama became focus of the

Ramanandi Sampradaya The Ramanandi (), also known as Ramavats (), is one of the largest sects of Vaishnavas. Out of 52 sub-branches of Vaishnavism, divided into four Vaishnava '' sampradayas'', 36 are held by the Ramanandi. The sect mainly emphasizes the worshi ...

, a ''

sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), '' grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprastha ...

'' community founded by the 14th-century North-Indian poet-saint

. This community has grown to become the largest Hindu

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

community in modern times. This Rama-inspired movement has championed social reforms, accepting members without discriminating anyone by gender, class, caste or religion since the time of Ramananda who also accepted Muslims wishing to leave Islam.. Traditional scholarship holds that his disciples included later Bhakti movement ''poet-saints'' such as

Kabir Kabir ( 15th century) was a well-known Indian devotional mystic poet and sant. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Gar ...

Ravidas Ravidas or Raidas was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a ''guru'' (spiritual teacher) in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya P ...

, Bhagat Pipa and others. Ram is also the supreme god in the Niranjani Sampradaya, that primarily worships Rama and Sita. The sampradaya was founded by the 16th-century North-Indian poet-saint Haridas Niranjani.

Vyasa Vyasa (; , ) or Veda Vyasa (, ), also known as Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa (, ''Vedavyāsa''), is a ''rishi'' (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahabharata, Mah� ...

represents Rama as the

(metaphysical reality), mapping all ''saguna'' (attributes) of Rama to the ''nirguna'' nature (ultimate unchanging attributeless virtues and ideals, in the '' Adhyatma Ramayana''). The text raises every mundane activity of Rama to a spiritual or transcendent level, the story into symbolism, thus instructing the seeker to view his or her own life through the symbolic vision for his soul, where the external life is but a metaphor for the eternal journey of the soul in Advaita terminology.

Hymns

List of prayers and hymns dedicated to Rama are: * '' Jai Shri Ram'' – Greeting or Salutation in

North India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

dedicated to Rama. * '' Jai Siya Ram'' – Greeting or Salutation in

dedicated to Sita and Rama. * ''Siyavar Ramchandraji Ki Jai'' – Greeting or Salutation dedicated to Sita and Rama. The hymns introduces Rama as Sita's husband. * ''Sita-Ram-Sita-Ram'' – The maha-mantra is as follows: * ''Hare Rama Rama Rama, Sita Rama Rama Rama''. * ''Ramashatanamastotra'' – The hymn dedicated to Rama, which contains 108 names of Rama, mentioned in the Yaga Kanda of '' Ananda Ramayana''. * ''Ramastotram'' – The hymn dedicated to Rama, mentioned in the Vilasa Kanda of ''Ananda Ramayana''. * ''Ramaraksha Mahamantra '' – The hymn dedicated to Rama, mentioned in the Janma Kanda of ''Ananda Ramayana''. * ''Ramasahasranamastotra'' – The hymn dedicated to Rama, mentioned in the Rajya Kanda of ''Ananda Ramayana''. * ''Rama Kavacha'' – The hymn dedicated to Rama, mentioned in the Manohar Kanda of ''Ananda Ramayana''. * ''

'' – The devotional poem has prayers dedicated to Rama, including

, which is as follows: * ''Janaki Mangal'' – This verse describes the episode of Sita and Rama's marriage and has hymns and prayers dedicated to them. * '' Thumak Chalat Ram Chandra'' – This devotional song describes the beauty of Rama's face during his childhood. * '' Hare Rama Hare Krishna'' – This hymn is dedicated to both Rama and

, and is as follows:

Festivals

Rama Navami

is a spring festival that celebrates the birthday of Rama. The festival is a part of the spring

Navratri Navaratri () is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and aga ...

, and falls on the ninth day of the bright half of

month in the traditional

. This typically occurs in the Gregorian months of March or April every year. The day is marked by recital of Rama legends in temples, or reading of Rama stories at home. Some Vaishnava Hindus visit a temple, others pray within their home, and some participate in a

bhajan Bhajan is an Indian term for any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Dharmic religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root w ...

kirtan Sikh ''kirta''n with Indian harmoniums and '' Kenya.html" ;"title="tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya">tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya (1960s) ''Kirtana'' (; ), also rendered as ''Kiirtan'', ''Kirt ...

with music as a part of puja and

aarti ''Arti'' () or ''Aarati'' () is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, part of a ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'', in which light from a flame (fuelled by camphor, ghee, or oil) is ritually waved to venerate Hindu deities, deities. ''Arti'' also refers t ...

. The community organises charitable events and volunteer meals. The festival is an occasion for moral reflection for many Hindus. Some mark this day by

vrata Vrata is a Sanskrit word that means "vow, resolve, devotion", and refers to pious observances such as Fasting#Hinduism, fasting and pilgrimage (Tirtha (Hinduism), Tirtha) found in Indian religions such as Hinduism and Jainism. It is typically ...

(fasting) or a visit to a river for a dip. The important celebrations on this day take place at

Sitamarhi Sitamarhi is the headquarters of the Sitamarhi district in Tirhut Division, Bihar. The city was named in honour of Sītā, wife of Rāma, who was born in Sitamarhi according to Hindu legends. In 1875, a subdivision for Sitamarhi was create ...

Janakpur Janakpurdham or Janakpur (), is the capital city of Madhesh Province. This sub-metropolitan city is a central hub for the Maithili language, as well as for religious and cultural tourism in Nepal. The city was founded in the early 18th centur ...

(

Bhadrachalam Bhadrachalam is a census town in Bhadradri Kothagudem district in the Indian state of Telangana. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage town with the Bhadrachalam Temple of Rama, situated on the banks of Godavari River. It is located east of sta ...

, Kodandarama Temple, Vontimitta and

Rameswaram Rameswaram (; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about from ...

. Rathayatras, the chariot processions, also known as ''Shobha yatras'' of Rama, Sita, his brother

and

, are taken out at several places. In Ayodhya, many take a dip in the sacred river

Sarayu The Sarju ( Kumaoni: सरज्यू, Hindi: सरयू), also known as Saryu, is a major river draining Central Kumaon region in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Originating from Sarmul, Sarju flows through the cities of Kapkot, Bageshw ...

and then visit the Rama temple. Rama Navami day also marks the end of the nine-day spring festival celebrated in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh called ''Vasanthothsavam'' (Festival of Spring), that starts with

Ugadi () or (), also known as Samvatsarādi (), is the first day of the year on the Hindu calendar that is traditionally celebrated by the Telugu people and the Kannadigas in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Na ...

. Some highlights of this day are ''Kalyanam'' (ceremonial wedding performed by temple priests) at

on the banks of the river

Godavari The Godavari (, �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga River and drains the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharash ...

in Bhadradri Kothagudem district of

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

, preparing and sharing ''Panakam'' which is a sweet drink prepared with jaggery and pepper, a procession and Rama temple decorations.

Ramlila and Dussehra

Rama's life is remembered and celebrated every year with dramatic plays and fireworks in autumn. This is called

, and the play follows the ''

'' or more commonly the ''

''. It is observed through thousands of Rama-related performance arts and dance events, that are staged during the festival of

. After the enactment of the legendary war between Good and Evil, the Ramlila celebrations climax in the

Dussehra Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navarahtri. It is observed o ...

(Dasara, Vijayadashami) night festivities where the giant grotesque effigies of Evil such as of demon Ravana are burnt, typically with fireworks. The Ramlila festivities were declared by UNESCO as one of the "Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity" in 2008. Ramlila is particularly notable in historically important Hindu cities of

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ') is a municipal corporation and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the ...

Satna Satna is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of Satna district. It is 7th largest city and List of cities in Madhya Pradesh by population, 8th most populous city of the s ...

and Madhubani – cities in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The epic and its dramatic play migrated into southeast Asia in the 1st millennium CE, and ''Ramayana'' based ''Ramlila'' is a part of performance arts culture of Indonesia, particularly the Hindu society of

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Diwali

In some parts of India, Rama's return to Ayodhya and his coronation is the main reason for celebrating

, also known as the ''Festival of Lights''. In

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

, Diwali is marked as a special occasion and celebrated with a lot of fanfare. It is observed as a national holiday in this part of the world and some ministers of the Government also take part in the celebrations publicly. Just like Vijayadashmi, Diwali is celebrated by different communities across India to commemorate different events in addition to Rama's return to Ayodhya. For example, many communities celebrate one day of Diwali to celebrate the Victory of Krishna over the demon Narakasur.

Vasanthotsavam

Vasanthotsavam is an annual Seva celebrated in

Tirumala Tirumala is a Hindu religious temple town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the neighbourhoods of the Tirupati city. The town is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority and located in Tirupat ...

to celebrate the arrival of spring season. ''Abhishekam'' - specifically called ''Snapana Thirumanjanam'' (Holy bathing), is performed to the utsava murthy and his consorts on all the three days. On the third day, abhishekam is performed to the idols of Rama,

and Hanumana along with

and

Rukmini Rukmini (, ) is a Devi, Hindu goddess and the first queen of Krishna. She is described as the chief of Krishna's wives in Dvārakā. Rukmini is revered as the avatar of Lakshmi and is venerated primarily in Warkari, and Haridasa tradition, and ...

. Procession of the consecrated idols are taken in a procession in the evening on all the three days.

Temples

Temples dedicated to Rama are found all over India and in places where Indian migrant communities have resided. In most temples, the iconography of Rama is accompanied by that of his wife

and brother

. In some instances,

is also included either near them or in the temple premises. Hindu temples dedicated to Rama were built by the early 5th century, according to copper plate inscription evidence, but these have not survived. The oldest surviving Rama temple is near

Raipur Raipur ( ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Raipur is also the administrative headquarters of Raipur district and Raipur division, and the largest city of the state. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of Chh ...

(Chhattisgarh), called the Rajiva-locana temple at

Rajim Rajim is a town which is proposed to be in Raipur district but officially in Gariaband district, Chhattisgarh, India. Rajim is named after Rajiv Lochan Mandir which is the main Hindu pilgrimage temple of Rajim dedicated to Vishnu. There is also ...

near the

Mahanadi The Mahanadi River is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam which was the first major multipurpose river valley project after India's independenc ...

river. It is in a temple complex dedicated to Vishnu and dates back to the 7th-century with some restoration work done around 1145 CE based on epigraphical evidence. The temple remains important to Rama devotees in the contemporary times, with devotees and monks gathering there on dates such as

. Some of the Rama temples include: * Rama Mandir, Ram Janmabhoomi, Ayodhya,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. * Bhadrachalam Temple,

. * Kodandarama Temple, Vontimitta,

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. * Ramateertham Temple,

. *

Ramaswamy Temple, Kumbakonam Ramaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the prominent temples in the town and also one of the most prominent temples dedicated to Rama in India. This t ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. * Kola Valvill Ramar Temple, Tiruvelliyangudi,

. * Veeraraghava Swamy Temple, Tiruvallur,

. * Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple,

. * Ramchaura Mandir,

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. * Mudikondan Kothandaramar Temple,

. * Vijayaraghava Perumal temple,

. * Punnainallur Kothandaramar Temple,

. * Eri-Katha Ramar Temple,

. * Kothandarama Temple, Thillaivilagam,

Tamilnadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. *

Kothandaramaswamy Temple The Kothandaramaswamy Temple at Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu is a shrine dedicated to the Hindu deity Rama. The temple is Classified one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition. Located at a distance of from Rameswaram, it forms ...

. * Sri Kothanda Ramaswamy Temple,

. * Kothandaramar temple, Vaduvur,

* Sri Yoga Rama temple,

. * Kodandaramaswamy Temple,

. * Kothandaramaswami Temple, Nandambakkam,

. * Triprayar Sriramaswami Kshetram,

Triprayar Thriprayar is a town in Thrissur District of Kerala, India. It is famous for the Thriprayar Temple. It is a part of Thrissur Metropolitan Area. It has one of the 4 temples which is visited in Nalambalam Yatra(Rama-Bharta-Lakshmana-Shaturghna). ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. * Kalaram Temple,

Nashik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. * Raghunath Temple,

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

. * Ram Mandir, Bhubaneswar,

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. * Kodandarama Temple,

Chikmagalur Chikmagalur (officially Chikkamagaluru, ), previously known as ''Kiriya-Muguli'' is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri, Mullayanagiri peak of the We ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. * Odogaon Raghunath Temple,

. * Sri Rama Temple, Ramapuram, Kerala. * Thakurdwara Bhagwan Narainji,

Gurdaspur Gurdaspur is a city in the Majha region of the Indian state of Punjab, between the rivers Beas and Ravi. It houses the administrative headquarters of Gurdaspur District and is in the geographical centre of the district, which shares a bord ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

* Vilwadrinatha Temple, Thiruvilwamala,

. * Gibraltar Hindu Temple,

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. * Perth Ram Temple,

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Outside Hinduism

Jainism

, the earliest known version of Rama story is variously dated from the 1st to 5th century CE. This Jain text credited to

Vimalsuri Vimalsuri was a Jain monasticism, Jain monk of the Śvetāmbara, Śvetāmbara Murtipujaka sect. He is best known for his composition ''"Paumachariyam"'', the earliest known Jainism, Jain version of the Ramayana and the oldest work of literature ...

shows no signs of distinction between

Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major Jain schools and branches, schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic pract ...

- Svetambara (sects of Jainism), and is in a combination of

Maharashtri Maharashtri or Maharashtri Prakrit (') is a Prakrit language of ancient as well as medieval India. Maharashtri Prakrit was commonly spoken until 875 CEV.Rajwade, ''Maharashtrache prachin rajyakarte''

and Sauraseni languages. These features suggest that this text has ancient roots. In Jain

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

, people continue to be reborn as they evolve in their spiritual qualities, until they reach the Jina state and complete enlightenment. This idea is explained as cyclically reborn triads in its Puranas, called the Baladeva,

Vasudeva Vasudeva (; Sanskrit: वसुदेव ), also called Anakadundubhi (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his birth), is the father of the Hindu deities Krishna ( ...

and evil Prati-vasudeva. Rama, Lakshmana and evil Ravana are the eighth triad, with Rama being the reborn Baladeva, and Lakshmana as the reborn Vasudeva. Rama is described to have lived long before the 22nd Jain Tirthankara called

Neminatha Neminātha (Devanagari: नेमिनाथ) (Sanskrit: नेमिनाथः), also known as Nemi and Ariṣṭanemi (Devanagari: अरिष्टनेमि), is the twenty-second tirthankara of Jainism in the present age (). Nemina ...

. In the Jain tradition, Neminatha is believed to have been born 84,000 years before the 9th-century BCE Parshvanatha. Jain texts tell a very different version of the Rama legend than the Hindu texts such as by Valmiki. According to the Jain version, Lakshmana (Vasudeva) is the one who kills Ravana (Prativasudeva). Rama, after all his participation in the rescue of Sita and preparation for war, he actually does not kill, thus remains a non-violent person. The Rama of Jainism has numerous wives as does Lakshmana, unlike the virtue of monogamy given to Rama in the Hindu texts. Towards the end of his life, Rama becomes a Jaina monk then successfully attains

siddha ''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of perfection of the intellect as we ...

followed by

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

. His first wife Sita becomes a Jaina nun at the end of the story. In the Jain version, Lakshmana and Ravana both go to the hell of Jain cosmology, because Ravana killed many, while Lakshmana killed Ravana to stop Ravana's violence. ''Padmapurana'' mentions Rama as a contemporary of Munisuvrata, 20th ''

tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

'' of Jainism.

Buddhism

The ''Dasaratha-Jataka'' (Tale no. 461) provides a version of the Rama story. It calls ''Rama'' as ''Rama-pandita''. At the end of this ''Dasaratha-Jataka'' discourse, the Buddhist text declares that the Buddha in his prior rebirth was Rama: While the Buddhist Jataka texts co-opt Rama and make him an incarnation of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

in a previous life, the Hindu texts co-opt the Buddha and make him an

. The ''

Jataka The ''Jātaka'' (Sanskrit for "Birth-Related" or "Birth Stories") are a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. Jataka stories we ...

'' literature of Buddhism is generally dated to be from the second half of the 1st millennium BCE, based on the carvings in caves and Buddhist monuments such as the

Bharhut Bharhut is a village in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. It is known for a Buddhist stupa, unique in that each panel is explicitly labelled in Brahmi characters saying what the panel depicts. The major donor for the Bharhut st ...

stupa. The 2nd-century BCE stone

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

carvings on Bharhut stupa, as told in the ''Dasaratha-Jataka'', is the earliest known non-textual evidence of Rama story being prevalent in ancient India.

Sikhism

Rama is mentioned as one of twenty four divine incarnations of

in the Chaubis Avtar, a composition in ''

Dasam Granth The ( Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various poetic compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

'' traditionally and historically attributed to

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...

. The discussion of Rama and Krishna avatars is the most extensive in this section of the secondary Sikh scripture. The name of Rama is mentioned more than 2,500 times in the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib (, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth (), its first rendition, w ...

and is considered as

along with the

Influence and depiction

Rama's story has had a major socio-cultural and inspirational influence across

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

Few works of literature produced in any place at any time have been as popular, influential, imitated and successful as the great and ancient Sanskrit epic poem, the ''Valmiki Ramayana''. :– Robert Goldman, Professor of Sanskrit,
University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
at
Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...
.

According to

Arthur Anthony Macdonell Arthur Anthony Macdonell, FBA (11 May 1854 – 28 December 1930) was an Indian-born British linguist and Sanskrit scholar. Biography Macdonell was born at Muzaffarpur in the Tirhut region of the state of Bihar in British India, the son o ...

, a professor at Oxford and Boden scholar of Sanskrit, Rama's ideas as told in the Indian texts are secular in origin, their influence on the life and thought of people having been profound over at least two and a half millennia. Their influence has ranged from being a framework for personal introspection to cultural festivals and community entertainment. His life stories, states Goldman, have inspired "painting, film, sculpture, puppet shows, shadow plays, novels, poems, TV serials and plays."

Paintings

Rama and Sita have inspired many forms of performance arts and literary works. Madhubani paintings are charismatic art of Bihar, and are mostly based on religion and mythology. In the paintings, Hindu gods like Sita-Rama are in center with their marriage ceremony being one of the primary theme. Rama's exile, Sita's abduction and Lanka war have also been depicted in the

Rajput painting Rajput painting, painting of the regional Hindu courts during the Mughal era, roughly from the end of the 16th century to the middle of the 19th century. Traditionally, Rajput painting is further divided into Rajasthan and Pahari painting whic ...

Music

Rama is a primary figure in Maithili music, of the

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepa ...

region. The folk music genre ''Lagan'', mentions about the problems faced by Rama and Sita during their marriage.

Hindu arts in Southeast Asia

Rama's life story, both in the written form of Sanskrit ''Ramayana'' and the oral tradition arrived in southeast Asia in the 1st millennium CE. Rama was one of many ideas and cultural themes adopted, others being the Buddha, the Shiva and host of other Brahmanic and Buddhist ideas and stories. In particular, the influence of Rama and other cultural ideas grew in

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

, Malaya,

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

and

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

. The ''Ramayana'' was translated from Sanskrit into old Javanese around 860 CE, while the performance arts culture most likely developed from the oral tradition inspired by the Tamil and Bengali versions of Rama-based dance and plays. The earliest evidence of these performance arts are from 243 CE according to Chinese records. Other than the celebration of Rama's life with dance and music, Hindu temples built in southeast Asia such as the

Prambanan Prambanan (, , Javanese script, Hanacaraka: ꦫꦫꦗꦺꦴꦁꦒꦿꦁ) is a 9th-century Hindu temple, Hindu Candi of Indonesia, temple compound in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, in southern Java, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimurti, Trimūr ...

near

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

(Java), and at the Panataran near

Blitar Blitar is a landlocked city in East Java, Indonesia, about 73 km from Malang and 167 km from Surabaya. The area lies within longitude 111° 40' – 112° 09' East and its latitude is 8° 06' South. The city of Blitar lies at an altitude ...

(East Java), show extensive reliefs depicting Rama's life. The story of Rama's life has been popular in Southeast Asia. In the 14th century, the

Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

and its capital Ayuttaya was named after the Hindu holy city of Ayodhya, with the official religion of the state being Theravada Buddhism. Thai kings, continuing into the contemporary era, have been called Rama, a name inspired by Rama of ''Ramakien'' – the local version of Sanskrit ''Ramayana'', according to Constance Jones and James Ryan. For example, King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

(1853–1910) is also known as Rama V, while King

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn (born 28 July 1952) is King of Thailand. He is the tenth Thai monarch of the Chakri dynasty since ascending the throne in 2016 with the regnal name Rama X. The only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirik ...

who succeeded to the throne in 2016 is called Rama X.

Culture

In the

n region, mainly in

and

, people use salutations such as '' Jai Shri Ram'', '' Jai Siya Ram'' and ''Siyavar Ramchandraji Ki Jai''. Ramanandi ascetics (called ''Bairagis'') often use chants like "Jaya Sita Ram" and "Sita Ram". The chants of ''Jai Siya Ram'' is also common at religious places and gatherings, for example, the

Kumbh Mela Kumbh Mela (, ; ) is an important Hinduism, Hindu pilgrimage, celebrated approximately every 6 or 12 years, correlated with the partial or full orbital period, revolution of Jupiter. It is the largest peaceful gathering of people in the w ...

. It is often used during the recital of ''Ramayana'', ''

'', especially the Sundara Kanda. In

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

Boro people The Boro (बर'/बड़ो ), also called Bodo, are a Tibeto-Burman speaking ethnolinguistic group native to the state of Assam in India. They are a part of the greater Bodo-Kachari family of ethnolinguistic groups and are spread across ...

call themselves ''Ramsa'', which means ''Children of Ram''. In

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

, Ramnami people tattooed their whole body with name of Ram. Rama has been considered as a source of inspiration and has been described as ''Maryāda Puruṣottama Rāma'' (). He has been depicted in many films, television shows and plays.

In popular culture

Films

The following people portrayed Rama in the film adaptation of ''Ramayana''. *

Prithviraj Kapoor Prithviraj Kapoor (born Prithvinath Kapoor; 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was an Indian actor who is also considered to be one of the founding figures of Hindi cinema. He was associated with IPTA as one of its founding members and establish ...

portrayed him in the 1934 Bengali film '' Seeta''. *

Prem Adib Prem Adib (10 August 1917 – 25 December 1959) was an Indian actor. He was acclaimed as one of the top Bollywood actors of the 1940s, along with the likes of Pahari Sanyal, Ashok Kumar, P. C. Barua and Master Vinayak. Adib is best remembered ...

portrayed him in the 1943 Hindi film '' Ram Rajya''. *

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister o ...

portrayed him in the 1958 Tamil film '' Sampoorna Ramayanam.'' * N. T. Rama Rao Jr portrayed him in the 1997 Telugu film ''

Ramayanam The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

''. *

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 6 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading man, leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the hist ...

portrayed him in the 1960 Malayalam film '' Seeta''. *

Kanta Rao Tadepalli Lakshmi Kantha Rao (16 November 1923 – 22 March 2009) was an Indian actor and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. Regarded as one of the finest method actors, Rao appeared in more than 400 feature films, ...

portrayed him in the 1968 Telugu film '' Veeranjaneya''. *

Jeetendra Jeetendra (born Ravi Kapoor ; 7 April 1942) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema. He is noted for his acting, style and dance. He has worked in more than Je ...

portrayed him in the 1997 Hindi film '' Lav Kush''. * Nikhil Kapoor and

Arun Govil Arun Govil ( ; ; born 12 January 1952) is an Indian actor and politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is best known for portraying Lord Rama in the '' Ramayan'' TV series and reprising his role as Lord Rama (voice acting) in the 1993 an ...

voiced him in the 1992 animated film '' Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama''. *

Manoj Bajpayee Manoj Bajpayee (born 23 April 1969), also transliterated as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of numerous accolades including four National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards, and two ...

voiced him in the 2010 animated Hindi film '' Ramayana: The Epic''. *

Nandamuri Balakrishna Nandamuri Balakrishna (born 10 June 1960), also known as Balayya or NBK, is an Indian actor, film producer, politician and philanthropist known for his works in Telugu cinema. Balakrishna is an elected member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative A ...

portrayed him in the 2011 Telugu film ''

Sri Rama Rajyam ''Sri Rama Rajyam'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language devotional film directed by Bapu (in his last venture) who co-wrote the film with Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, and produced by Yalamanchali Saibabu. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Nay ...

''. * Kunal Kapoor voiced her in the 2016 Hindi animated film '' Mahayoddha Rama''. *

Prabhas Uppalapati Venkata Suryanarayana Prabhas Raju (; born 23 October 1979), known mononymously as Prabhas, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. One of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema, he is known as Rebel Star in ...

portrayed him in the 2023 Hindi film ''Adipurush''.

Television

The following people portrayed Rama in the television adaptation of ''Ramayana''. *

portrayed him in the 1987 series ''Ramayan (1987 TV series), Ramayan'' and the 1998 series ''Luv Kush''. * Siraj Mustafa Khan portrayed him in the 1997 series ''Jai Hanuman (1997 TV series), Jai Hanuman''. * Nitish Bharadwaj portrayed him in the 2000 series ''Vishnu Puran (TV series), Vishnu Puran'' and the 2002 series ''Ramayan (2002 TV series), Ramayan''. * Gurmeet Choudhary portrayed him in the 2008 series ''Ramayan (2008 TV series), Ramayan''. * Debargo Sanyal voiced him in the 2008 America animated series ''Sita Sings the Blues''. * Piyush Sahdev portrayed him in the 2011 series ''Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev''. * Gagan Malik portrayed him in the 2012 series ''Ramayan (2012 TV series), Ramayan'' and the 2015 series ''Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan''. * Rajneesh Duggal portrayed him in the 2012 mini-series ''Ramleela – Ajay Devgn Ke Saath''. * Ashish Sharma portrayed him in the 2015 series ''Siya Ke Ram''. * Himanshu Soni portrayed him in the 2019 series ''Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush''. * Waseem Mushtaq portrayed him in the 2019 series ''Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran''. * Diganth portrayed him in the 2021 web series ''Ramyug''. * Amar Upadhyay and Karan Suchak portrayed him in the 2022 series ''Jai Hanuman – Sankatmochan Naam Tiharo''. * Sujay Reu portrayed him in the 2024 series ''Shrimad Ramayan''. *Pavan Sharma portrayed him in 2024 DD National series Kakabhushundi Ramayan- Anasuni Kathayein.

YouTube

*Tarun Chandel portrayed in 2024 YouTube series Valmiki Ramayan

Others

* Rama's life struggles were portrayed in the "Sita-Rama episode" of the 2023 play, ''Prem Ramayan''. * Shri Ram Janki Medical College and Hospital in Samastipur, Bihar.

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

* {{, ur
Ajagava bow: Significance and symbolism
Rama, Ancient Indian culture Mythological kings of Kosala Avatars of Vishnu Ayyavazhi mythology Buddhist gods Characters in the Mahabharata Characters in the Ramayana Creator gods Jain minor deities Hindu given names Hindu gods Solar dynasty Names of God in Hinduism Salakapurusa Savior gods Names of God in Sikhism Kshatriya Suryavansha Heroes in Hindu mythology