Ramayana’s true worth lies in its moral and ethical moorings, its strict, almost obsessive,
adherence to ‘dharma’ as duty and in the visionary nature of its composition. Rama is the hero
of the great Ramayana epic which is staged all over India once a year. The final act of the drama
comes when he slays the ten-headed Ravana, and this day, Dussehra, is a time of rejoicing and
celebrating with great pomp. Rama and his wife, Sita, the ideal of Indian womanhood, are two
of the most popular deities and widely worshipped. In the Ramayana epic, the abduction of Sita
results in war against ancient Lanka, and the death of the Demon-King Ravana. And much later,
in historic times, wars were fought to protect the honour of women according to rules of
chivalry.
Story of Rama in Valmiki Ramayana: There once ruled a wise and powerful king at Ayodhya or
Awadh. His name was Dasharatha. He had three wives — Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. By
Kausalaya he had a son by name Rama; by Kaikeyi he had a son, Bharata, and by Sumitra he had
two sons, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Rama is the hero of this long narrative. He takes Sita, the
daughter of King Janaka of Mithala, as his wife after publicly proving his great physical prowess
by bending an enormous bow. The bow, known as Pinaka, belonged to Lord Shiva. After he
returns to Ayodhaya with his beautiful bride, his father decides to declare him heir apparent.
Rama being the embodiment of all princely virtues, everyone acclaims the proposal of the
ageing King, except his favourite wife, Kaikeyi. In fulfillment of a promise which Dasharatha had
given her a long time ago — to sanction any two of her wishes — she demands that succession
to the throne be conferred on her son Bharata, and that Rama should be exiled for 14 years
into the forests. This cruel wish comes as a great shock to the King. But Rama, noble as he is,
insists on going into exile so that his father may be able to keep his promise. His wife and one of
his half-brothers, Lakshmana, join him. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana spent a long duration of their
exile in Dandakaranya. Dandakaranya comprised parts of present-day Chhattisgarh, Orissa,
Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The King dies of grief. Bharata, furious at his mother’s
wickedness, tries to persuade his brother to return to Ayodhya but Rama refuses. Instead he
agrees that Bharata should reign for fourteen years as a Regent.
During these years Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana wander through the forests killing demons and
giving protection to the noble saints. One of these is a vile ogress, Surpanakha, who falls in love
with Rama but he rejects her advances. She goes to Lanka (Ceylon), ruled by her brother,
Ravana, a demon king. She tells him about the beauty of Sita and incites him to abduct her. The
royal princes go in search of Sita and are told that she has been taken to Lanka. They meet the
monkey general Hanuman, who organizes a huge army on their behalf. Ravana’s fortress is
besieged; the demon king is killed and Rama returns with Sita to Ayodhya. Bharata, on his
brother’s return, hands over the reins of the kingdom. There is great jubilation all over the
country, and Rama rules for many years bringing peace, justice and prosperity to all. The way
Rama took care of their subjects with highest standards of character and moral values, the term
Rama Rajya had been coined as the pinnacle of ideal rule.