The Story of Rama

Last Updated: November 16, 2024

The story of Sri Ramachandra, the prince of Ayodhya is the one most often told in India. Rama was the eldest son of king Dasharatha who had three wives. The youngest of the wives Kaikeyi tricked the king into making her son as the descendent to the throne and made Rama go to the forest in relinquishment.

Rama, the good son that he is, follows the word of the father and goes to the forest for fourteen years. His wife Sita and loyal brother Lakshman follow him and they establish a hermitage.

Shurpanakhi, the sister of ten headed king Rawana of Sri Lanka wishes to court the prince in the forest. She is refused and humiliated. In anger and rage, Rawana kidnaps Sita with the help of his brother Maricha to Lanka and keeps her arrested in his garden.

What follows is the great search for Sita, the friends (Hanuman, Sugreev, etc) the brothers make, the monkey armies they build, and the oceans they bridge to bring Sita back to Ayodhya that is glorified in the great works of Indian arts and literature.

We bring you the epic story of Rama as depicted in various forms of Indian art over five thousand years. It follows no particular order and we have taken the liberty to mix the art forms freely.

Tales and Pictures of Ramayana Epic

• Admonishing of Laxman
• Illustrated Ramayana
• Anjaneya handing over Sita's Ornament at Ashoka Gardens
• Bharata Gets Rama's Padukas
• The Boon of Pudding
• The Bridging of Indian Ocean
• Building a Bridge to Sri Lanka
• The Burning of Sri Lanka
• The Castes During Ramayan Period
• Duel of Sugreeva and Rawana
• Folk Artists as Ramayan Characters
• Hanuman Meets Rawana
• Hanuman Fights King Rawana's Army
• Hanuman takes Rama's Ring to Sita
• Hanuman, Laxman, and Jatayu
• Hunting of Elusive Deer
• Indrajit Enters Battle
• Janaka Finds Sita
• Kidnapping of Sita
• The Killing of Rawana
• The Killing of Viradha
• The Killing of Jatayu
• The Killing of Tataka
• Killing of Kumbhakarna
• Killing of Vali Monkey
• Killing of Krouncha Bird
• Lord Rama and his Bow
• Lord Rama Liberates Ahalya
• Lord Rama Conquers Varuna
• Lord Rama -- Perfect Man, Perfect King
• Comparing Ramayan and Mahabharat
• The Pushpak Aircraft
• Rama Fights the Demons
• Rama Returns to Ayodhya
• Rama Seeks Blessings from Hermit Gautam
• Rama Shoots an Arrow Through Seven Trees
• Rama with the Army of Monkeys
• Rama's Army of Monkeys
• Rama's Devotion to Teacher, Father, and Mother
• Rama's Hermitage and the Magic Deer
• Rama's Hermitage - Painting by Jamini Roy
• Rawana, the King of Sri Lanka
• Sacrifices Yield Boon Giving Pudding
• Sage Goutama Blesses the king Dasharatha with a fertility fruit
• Illustrated Ramayan -- Sampati's Find
• A Scene from Ramayana
• Seduction of Rishyashringa
• Shabari's Hospitality
• Story of Shurpanakhi
• The Signet Ring
• Tale of Vali and Sugreeva
• The Tricking of Sita
• Vibhishana's Crossover
• The War of Ramayana

• Who's Who of Ramayana -- Learn about some of the important characters of Ramayana epic. You can find how they are related to each other by clicking the red hyperlinks
• Castes of Ramayana -- A complete list of professions mentioned in Ramayana provides insight into the caste system of India.

See Also:

• Hanuman, the Son of Wind God
• Ramachandra -- the perfect man and a perfect king

Books on Ramayana

• Books on Ramayana Epic at Amazon

Internet Links

• Lord Rama's Biography -- Article by A. V. Srinivasan
• Paintings of Ramayana -- Picture Gallery at Black Peacock Website