The Ramayana is the shorter of the two great epic poems of India, the other being the Mahabharata. The Ramayana was composed in Sanskrit, around 300 BCE, traditionally by the poet Valmiki. Its present form consists of some 24,000 couplets divided into seven books.
The poem describes the life and adventures of Rama in the kingdom of Ayodhya. The poem is immensely popular still in India, where its recitation is considered an act of great merit. While it was originally composed in Sanskritt, there are mant translations that are considered literary masterpieces themselves such as the Tamil Kampan, the Bengali version called Krttibas, and the Hindi version called the Ramcaritmanas. Throughout Northern India events from the poem are reenacted ins annual pageants, such as the Ram Lila, and in Southern India the two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, even today make up the story repertoire of the kathakali dance-drama of Malabar. The Ramayana was popular during the Mughal period (16th century), and it was a favourite subject of Rajasthani and Pahari painters of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The story was spread by the Hindu disapora that spread the religion and myths into Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand. Today, characters from the Ramayana and Mahabharata are the heroes of traditional Javanese-Balinese theatre, dance, and shadow plays. Incidents from the Ramayana are also carved in bas-relief on many Indonesian monuments—for example, at Panataran in eastern Java.
The poem contains many of the basic stories of Hindu mythology as well as discussing the themes and ideals of righteous behavior, loyalty to family and kingdom, the balancing of good and evil, self-sacrifice for the betterment of society, morality, role of family, ideal relationships between father and son, brother to brother, friend to friend , and wife to husband.

The Ramayana

Dasharatha, is King of Aydohya and has three wives and four sons. Rama is the eldest. His mother is Kaushalya. Bharata is the son of his second and favorite wife, Queen Kaikeyi. The other children are twins, Lakshman and Shatrughna.
In a neighboring city the ruler's daughter is named Sita. When it was time for Sita to choose her bridegroom, she called upon her suitors to perform a great task, Princes were asked to string a giant bow called Krishna’s Bow. No one else can even lift the bow, but Rama not only lifts it but bends it but strings and then breaks it in two. Sita indicates she has chosen Rama as her husband by putting a garland around his neck and the two are married.
King Dasaratha of Ayodha is aging and chooses his son Rama as his heir. But, Kaikeyi, asks that he appoint her son Bharata to the throne. Kaikeyi tells the king that he owes her two favors, and she believes a great misfortune will come upon her if he doesn't crown Bharata king and banish Rama to the forest for 14 years. The king reluctantly agrees, so Rama, dutifully, leaves with his beautiful wife, Sita, and his brother Laksmana, to live a simple life in the forest.
After 13 years wandering in the forest the three meet the demoness Surpanakha who falls in love with Rama. Rama refuses her advances and Laksmana wounds her. She flees to her brother Ravana, ruler of the island kingdom of Lanka and relates the story of the three travllers. But Ravana, after hearing Surpanakha's report, is more intrigued by the of the beauty of Sita, and decides that he must have Sita and changes himself into in wandering holy man to find her in the forest. When Rama and Laksmana are distracted, Ravana carries Sita off to Lanka.
Sita mourns in Ravana's garden in Lanka, while Rama and Laksmana enlist the services of Hanuman, the monkey king, to help them find her. Hanuman, who is able to make himself larger or smaller, starts his search for Sita by taking a giant step to the Island of Lanka. Carrying Rama's ring he finds Sita and identifies himself as Rama's messenger. Sita is delighted, but Hanuman is caught and Ravana sets Hanuman's tail on fire. Hanuman escapes and sets fire to Lanka.
Rama, Laksmana, Hanuman, and his monkey army lay siege on Lanka. The monkeys make a bridge to Lanka, and after a long battle with spears, bows and arrows, Rama kills Ravana. Sita, however, is not received by Rama unreservedly; he questions her chastity after having lived in the house of another man. Rama asks her to undergo the test by fire. Proving her chastity by remaining unscathed by the fire, she rejoins Rama. They all return to Ayodya when Rama becomes king.