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Rāmāyaṇa

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  • First Online:
Hinduism and Tribal Religions

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

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Synonyms

Mānas; Rāmāyan; Rāmcharitmānas; Rāmkathā; The Rāma story

Definition

Any of a variety of oral and written stories about the life of Lord Rāma on earth.

Introduction

Rāmāyaṇa (also referred to as Rāmāyan or Rāmkathā) is a common name for the Rāma story, one of the most popular tales of ancient India. For its Hindu devotees, it is largely viewed as an account of the life of the divine, Lord Rāma, incarnated as a human being. Both orally and in written form, it has had an effect on nearly every aspect of their lives for several millennia, influencing and even encompassing religious, literary, artistic, and cultural sensibilities. The name comes from the earliest known written version of the story, the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, which has subsequently been written and rewritten hundreds of times in various Indian languages. It has also been carried to countries throughout Southeast Asia and beyond where it has also been rendered in more than a dozen non-Indian languages as well. Wherever...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Religion, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Ramdas Lamb

Authors
  1. Ramdas Lamb
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ramdas Lamb .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA, USA

    Jeffery D. Long

  2. The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Rita D. Sherma

  3. Department of Humanities & Languages, Philosophy & Religious Studies, The India Centre, FLAME University, Pune, India

    Pankaj Jain

  4. Centre for the Study of Comparative Religions and Civilizations, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Madhu Khanna

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Lamb, R. (2022). Rāmāyaṇa . In: Long, J.D., Sherma, R.D., Jain, P., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1188-1_1561

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