قصة الكتاب :
The Ramayana is one of the two great epic poems of India, the other being the Mahabharata. In Sanskrit, Ramayana means Rama’s journey and Mahabharata stands for Great Epic of the Bharata dynasty. These books together constitute what is referred to as the ‘Hindu Itihasa’, itihasa meaning history. The book is believed to be written by Maharishi Valmiki between 500 – 100 BC and is about the life of prince Rama of Ayodhya, a city in the kingdom of Kosala.

\r\nThe book comprises of 24,000 verses in seven cantos and contains the teachings of ancient Hindu sages. Its origins can be traced to five books of what may have been an oral epic of local significance dealing with a simple plot involving a local hero. This eventually became seven books in which the hero Rama became an avatar of Vishnu and the scene encompassed all of India. The struggle to recover his wife from the villain transformed into a grandiose metaphor representing the triumph of good over evil. The protagonist is Rama, elder son of the King Dasaratha of Ayodhya. Rama wins the hand of the Sita, a beautiful princess but gets exiled from his kingdom along with her and his dear brother Lakshman for fourteen years. His stepmother plots and plans this exile. Sita gets abducted by Ravana of Lanka during their tenure in the forest. The entire story is then about how Sita gets rescued by Rama from the hands of Ravana. He does this by gathering his own army in the forest, who then attack Lanka, kill Ravana and bring Sita back. Sita is asked to prove her chastity and does so by stepping into fire and not being consumed. She is thus restored to her husband and their triumphant entry into Ayodhya paves the way for a golden age for the kingdom, referred to as Ram-raj. However, even after their return to Ayodhya, doubts are cast by people about Sita’s chastity. Rama banishes her away again to the forest. Sita meets Valmiki, the sage who is believed to have written the Ramayana, in the forest and gives birth to Rama’s two sons at his hermitage. The couple re-unite once the sons come of age but Sita protests her innocence once again and plunges into the Earth, her mother, who receives her.

\r\n\r\nThe story of Rama has been adapted into various forms over the years. It has been re-written into poems and dramas by great Indian writers. It has found its way into detailed temple sculptures. It has been acted out constantly on stages across India and abroad as dance-dramas, village theatre performances, shadow act theatre and the annual Ramlila. The book is considered to be one of most important literary works of ancient India and has influenced art and culture in the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia. \r\n