According to Hindu tradition, Ramayana takes place during a period of time known as Treta Yuga. The definition of itihāsa is a narrative of past events ( purāv ṛ tta) which includes teachings on the goals of human life. Textual history and structureĪccording to Hindu tradition – and according to the Ramayana itself – the epic belongs to the genre of itihasa like Mahabharata. There are also Cambodian, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, Lao, Burmese and Malaysian versions of the tale. There are many versions of Ramayana in Indian languages, besides Buddhist, Sikh and Jain adaptations. The characters Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman, Shatrughna, 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. Like Mahabharata, Ramayana is not just a story: it presents the teachings of ancient Hindu sages in narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and ethical elements. Ramayana was an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry and Hindu life and culture. 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. In Hindu tradition, it is considered to be the adi-kavya (first poem). It consists of nearly 24,000 verses (mostly set in the Shloka meter), divided into seven Kandas (books) and about 500 sargas (chapters).

The Ramayana is one of the largest ancient epics in world literature. It follows his banishment from the kingdom by his father King Dasharatha, his travels across forests in India with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, the kidnapping 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 epic, traditionally ascribed to the sage Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, the legendary prince of the Kosala Kingdom. Along with the Mahabharata, it forms the Sanskrit Itihasa. Ramayana (Sanskrit: रामायणम्, Rāmāya ṇ am) 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.

Ramayan 2008 sita lifts shiv dhanush