The Ramayana (/rmjn/;[1] Sanskrit: , Rmya am, pronounced [rmjm])

is an ancient Indian epic poem which narrates the struggle of the divine prince Rama to
rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana. Along with the Mahabharata, it forms
the Sanskrit Itihasa.
The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki, narrates the life of Shri Ram
Chandra, the legendary prince of Kosala Kingdom, his banishment from the kingdom by his
father, King Dasharatha, his travels across forests in India with his wife Sita and
brother Lakshmana, the kidnap of his wife by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, resulting in
a war with him, and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned king.
The Ramayaa is one of the largest ancient epics in world literature. It consists of nearly
24,000 verses (mostly set in the Shloka meter), divided into seven Kandas (books) and
about 500 sargas (chapters). In Hindu tradition, it is considered to be the adi-kavya (first
poem). It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father,
the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king. The Ramayaa was an
important influence on later Sanskrit poetry and Hindu life and culture. Like
the Mahabharata, the Ramayaa is not just a story: it presents the teachings of ancient
Hindu sages in narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and ethical elements. The
characters Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman and Ravana are all fundamental to
the cultural consciousness of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and south-east Asian countries such
as Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.
There are many versions of the Ramayaa in Indian languages,
besides Buddhist, Sikh and Jai adaptations; and
also Cambodia, Idoesia, Filipio, Thai, Lao, Burmese and Malaysia versions of the
tale.

Contents
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1Etymology

2Textual history and structure

3Period

4Characters

o 4.1Ikshvaku dynasty

o 4.2Allies of Rama

o 4.3Foes of Rama

5Synopsis

o 5.1Bala Kada

o 5.2Ayodhya Kada

o 5.3Araya Kada

o 5.4Kishkidha Kada

o 5.5Sudara Kada
 o 5.6Yuddha Kada

o 5.7Uttara Kada

6Versions

o 6.1In India

6.1.1Buddhist Version

6.1.2Jain Version

6.1.3Sikh Version

o 6.2In Nepal

o 6.3Southeast Asian

6.3.1In Cambodia

6.3.2In Laos

6.3.3In Malaysia

6.3.4In Thailand

6.3.5In other versions

o 6.4Critical edition

7Influence on culture and art

8Religious significance

9Ramayana in popular culture

o 9.1Stage

o 9.2Movies

o 9.3Plays

o 9.4TV series

10See also

11Citations

12References

13Further reading
 14External links