Ravana, the many-headed demon-king, detail from a painting of the Ramayana, c. 1720; in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, gift of George P. Bickford The poem describes the royal birth of the god in the kingdom of (Oudh), his tutelage under the sage Vishvamitra, and his success in bending ’s mighty bow at the bridegroom tournament of, the daughter of King Janaka, thus winning her for his wife. After Rama is banished from his position as heir to the kingdom through a palace intrigue, he retreats to the forest with his wife and his favourite half brother, Lakshmana, to spend 14 years in exile.
There, the demon-king of Lanka, carries off Sita to his capital while her two protectors are busy pursuing a golden deer sent to the forest to mislead them. Sita resolutely rejects Ravana’s attentions, and Rama and his brother set out to rescue her. After numerous adventures, they enter into alliance with Sugriva, king of the monkeys, and, with the assistance of the monkey-general and Ravana’s own brother, Vibhishana, they attack Lanka. Rama slays Ravana and rescues Sita, who undergoes an ordeal by fire in order to clear herself of suspicions of infidelity. When they return to Ayodhya, however, Rama learns that the people still question the queen’s chastity, and he banishes her to the forest. There she meets the sage Valmiki (the reputed author of the Ramayana) and at his hermitage gives birth to Rama’s two sons. The family is reunited when the sons come of age, but Sita, after again protesting her innocence, plunges into the earth, her mother, who receives her and swallows her up.
Rama; Sita; Hanuman; Lakshmana Rama and Sita (seated) with Hanuman (kneeling) and Lakshmana, 18th century, India. Photos.com/Thinkstock The poem enjoys immense popularity in India, where its recitation is considered an act of great merit. Little is known of Valmiki as a historical figure, though he is described as having been a thief named Ratnakara prior to becoming a sage. Many translations of the Ramayana into the languages are themselves works of great literary artistry, including the version of, the version of Krittibas, and the version, Ramcharitmanas, of.
'The Ramayana' - Full Text Translation by Romesh C Dutt - BOOK 1. Ramayana: The Story of Prince Rama's Rescue of Sita. The Ramayana: The Great Hindu Epic Translated. Gain an understanding of the Ramayana through information on the background of the tale and an explanation of its themes and influence on popular culture.
Throughout North India the events of the poem are enacted in an annual pageant, the Ram Lila, and in South India the two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, make up the story of the dance-drama of Malabar. The Ramayana was popular during the (16th century), and it was a favourite subject of Rajasthani and Pahari painters of the 17th and 18th centuries. Ramayana translation Learn about a project to create a translation in contemporary English of the Indian epic poem the Ramayana. Displayed by permission of The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
The story also spread in various forms throughout (especially, and Thailand), and its heroes, together with the brothers of the Mahabharata, were also the heroes of traditional Javanese-Balinese theatre, dance, and shadow plays. Incidents from the Ramayana are carved in bas-relief on many Indonesian monuments—for example, at Panataran in eastern. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Managing Editor.