Ramayana

The Ramayana (Sanskrit: march (ayana) of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. This epic of 24,000 verses in seven kandas (chapters or books) tells of a Raghuvamsa prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the rakshasa, or demon, Ravana. The Ramayana had an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry, primarily through its establishment of the Sloka meter. But, like its epic cousin, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana is not just a grand epic. It contains the teachings of the ancient Hindu sages and presents them through allegory in narrative and the interspersion of philosophic and devotional discourse. The characters of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman and Ravana (the enemy of the story) are all fundamental to the grander cultural consciousness of India. Just like Christians historically believe in the birth of Jesus, people of the Indian religions believe in the birth of Rama (Ram).

Related Topics:
Sanskrit - Hindu - Smriti - Valmiki - Epic - Raghuvamsa - Rama - Ayodhya - Sita - Ravana - Sloka meter - Mahabharata - Lakshmana - Bharata - Hanuman

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The Ramayana is set in the Treta Yuga. Many interpret this as 3000 BCE (based on astronomical data in the Ramayana).

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