Rama is the seventh avatar of Vishnu in the list of the Dashavatara, and for hundreds of millions of people he is the model of a good son, a good king and a keeper of his word. His life is told in the Ramayana, a poem that is read, sung, danced and acted across India and much of Asia. This page gives the story in outline, explains the texts, and sets out the festivals and the temples. It is a short guide to a very large subject, and it follows the common version of the story.
Where the story comes from
The Ramayana attributed to the sage Valmiki is the oldest full account and is called the first poem, the adi kavya. It has seven books, called kandas: Bala, Ayodhya, Aranya, Kishkindha, Sundara, Yuddha and Uttara. Scholars generally regard the first and last books as later additions to a core of five, and they discuss how much the text changed over the centuries. The Uttara Kanda in particular, which tells of the later years of Rama’s reign, has been read in many ways, and some regional versions end the story before it.
Many other tellings exist. Tulsidas wrote the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi in the sixteenth century, and it is the version most heard in north India. Kamban’s Tamil Ramayana, the Krittivasi Ramayana in Bengali and the Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia versions each have their own character. The story is also told in Jain and Buddhist traditions with differences, and across Southeast Asia, for example in the Thai Ramakien and in Indonesia and Cambodia. The Bhagavata Purana and other Puranas list Rama among the avatars. On this site the Sundar Kand and the Ram Raksha Stotra are given in full.
The story in outline
Rama was born in Ayodhya, the capital of the Ikshvaku dynasty, to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya, with brothers Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. As a youth he went with the sage Vishvamitra to protect a sacrifice, and at Mithila he broke the great bow of Shiva and married Sita, the daughter of King Janaka.
On the eve of Rama’s coronation, Queen Kaikeyi, Bharata’s mother, claimed two boons that Dasharatha had once promised her: that Bharata should be king, and that Rama should go into exile in the forest for fourteen years. Rama accepted at once, to keep his father’s word, and Sita and Lakshmana went with him. Dasharatha died of grief. Bharata refused the throne, followed Rama to the forest, and when Rama would not return, took Rama’s sandals back to Ayodhya and ruled in their name.
In the Dandaka forest, the demon king Ravana of Lanka took Sita away, while Rama was lured from the hermitage. The vulture Jatayu tried to stop him and was fatally wounded. Rama and Lakshmana searched, met the vanara king Sugriva and his minister Hanuman, helped Sugriva regain his kingdom, and gathered the vanara army. Hanuman crossed the sea, found Sita in the Ashoka grove and brought word of her. A bridge was built across the water, Rama Setu, and in the war that followed Rama defeated Ravana. After fourteen years, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya, where Rama was crowned, and his reign is remembered as Rama Rajya, an age of justice and peace.
How the story is read
For devotees, Rama is the Lord who shows how to live: the dutiful son, the loyal husband and brother, the king who puts duty above comfort. Hanuman’s devotion is a second centre of the story, and many people love the Ramayana most for that. Readers also ask hard questions of it, especially about Sita’s trial and her later exile, and the tradition has always allowed those questions, in retellings by poets and by women’s songs of many regions. Philosophical traditions such as Advaita read the story as an account of the soul’s search for what it has lost. Tradition places Rama in the Treta Yuga, the age after Vamana and before Krishna, and makes him contemporary with Parashurama, whom he meets in the story.
The festivals
- Ram Navami: Rama’s birth, kept on the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, at midday. Dates and the midday puja window for 49 cities are on the Ram Navami page, and the steps of worship are in the Ram Navami puja guide.
- Vivah Panchami: the wedding of Rama and Sita, on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Margashirsha. See the Vivah Panchami page.
- Dussehra: the day of Rama’s victory over Ravana in the popular tradition, marked by the Ramlila plays and the burning of Ravana’s effigy in north India. See Dussehra.
- Diwali: in many regions, the lamps recall Rama’s return to Ayodhya. Other traditions, in the south and east, link Diwali with different stories, so this is one meaning among several. See Diwali.
- Hanuman Jayanti: the birth of Rama’s great devotee. See Hanuman Jayanti.
Temples
- Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh: the temple at the place that the tradition holds to be Rama’s birthplace, consecrated in January 2024. Ayodhya has many other shrines along the Sarayu.
- Bhadrachalam, Telangana: a temple of Rama on the Godavari, with a long devotional history in the Telugu country.
- Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu: where, according to the Ramayana tradition, Rama worshipped Shiva before crossing to Lanka. See the Rameswaram jyotirlinga page and the Char Dham guide.
- Panchavati, Nashik, Maharashtra: the place linked with the forest years, with the Kalaram Temple nearby.
- Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh: where the tradition places much of the exile.
- Janakpur, Nepal: the Janaki Mandir, associated with Sita’s home.
Check the temple’s own notice before travelling.
Reading and reciting
On this site, the Ram Raksha Stotra, the Sundar Kand, the hymn Shri Ramachandra Kripalu Bhaju Man and the Hanuman Chalisa all belong to the world of the Ramayana.
The next avatar
The list continues with Krishna. Return to the Dashavatara overview for all ten.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Who wrote the Ramayana?
The oldest full version is attributed to the sage Valmiki, and the tradition calls it the first poem. Later retellings include the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas in the sixteenth century and Kamban's Tamil Ramayana.
↳ Is Rama a full avatar of Vishnu?
Vaishnava traditions regard Rama as a complete descent of Vishnu in the Treta Yuga, and the Puranas list him among the avatars. The Valmiki Ramayana itself presents Rama first as an exemplary man, and the divinity of Rama is more explicit in some parts and later versions.
↳ Why is Diwali linked with Rama?
In north India, Diwali lamps are said to welcome Rama back to Ayodhya after his exile. Other regions link the festival with other stories, such as Lakshmi or the defeat of Narakasura, so this is one tradition among several.
↳ When is Ram Navami?
It falls on the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, and the main puja is at midday. The festival page gives the date and timing for 49 cities.
↳ Where are the main Rama temples?
Ayodhya, Bhadrachalam, Rameswaram, Panchavati and Chitrakoot are among the best known. Check each temple's official notice before travelling.