Search Results: Rama

Rama (or Ramacandra) is the seventh avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. His adventures include the slaying of the demon king Ravana which is recounted in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata and in the Ramayana, the oldest Sanskrit epic, written...

The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic, composed some time in the 5th century BCE, about the exile and then return of Rama, prince of Ayodhya. It was composed in Sanskrit by the sage Valmiki, who taught it to Rama's sons, the twins Lava and...

Ravana is the mythical multi-headed demon-king of Lanka in Hindu mythology. With ten heads and twenty arms, Ravana could change into any form he wished. Representing the very essence of evil, he famously fought and ultimately lost a series...

A small carved figurine sits high on a grand multi-tiered pedestal in a magnificent wat (temple) in Bangkok, Thailand. It has been sitting there since 1784 CE and was originally thought to be made of emerald. Hundreds of tourists and pilgrims...

Hanuman is one of several zoomorphic characters in Indian mythology, but is the only wholly animal figure who is revered as a god today. The mythic texts speak of him as a monkey child of the Wind God, as possessing enormous strength, keen...

A sculpture of the Hindu hero Rama from Srivaikundam, Tamil Nadu India. Alongside him is the faithful monkey warrior Hanuman who helped Rama defeat the Demon king Ravana.

The current king of Thailand is His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Rama X (r. 2016-present) who is the first king in 69 years after succeeding his father Rama IX (1927-2016 CE).

A relief scene from the Ramayana where Lakshmana cuts off the ears and nose of the demoness Surpanakha while Rama looks on from the left with his bow. Gupta period from Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh. (National Museum, New Delhi, India).

A modern illustration depicting the Hindu hero Rama alongside his wife Sita and faithful companion and brother Laksmana.

The next entry in our parade of heroes is Rama, the protagonist of the Ramayana, one of India’s oldest stories. We’re going to be talking about Rama’s importance to Hindu culture, and how Rama fits into Campbell’s idea of the Hero’s Journey...