How Ramayana became popular outside India, from east Asia to the Caribbean

Subject: History

Section: Art and Culture

Context:

India’s PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated a grand temple to Hindu god Ram in the flashpoint city of Ayodhya.

More on Ramayana:

The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic which was composed some time in the 5th century BCE.
It is 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 Kush.
The Ramayana is a smriti text from ancient India and is one of the two important epics of Hinduism known as the Itihasas, the other being the Mahabharata.

How the Ramayana spread in Asia:

The Ramayana traveled from India to the rest of Asia in “the early centuries of the Christian era” along three routes.
By land i.e. the northern route took the story from the Punjab and Kashmir into China, Tibet, and East Turkestan.
By sea i.e. the southern route carried the story from Gujarat and South India into Java, Sumatra, and Malaya.
By land i.e. the eastern route delivered the story from Bengal into Burma, Thailand, and Laos.
Vietnam and Cambodia obtained their stories partly from Java and partly from India via the eastern route.
The Ramayana became an integral part of the culture of many of these countries.
In Thailand the Ayutthaya kingdom (1351 to 767) is believed to have been based on the Ayodhya of the Ramayana.
In Cambodia, the Angkor Wat temple complex, built in the 12th century, features murals from the Ramayana, and was originally a temple dedicated to Vishnu.

How it survives in the region today:

The Ramayana remains an important part of the culture of many of these Southeast Asian countries, though the dominant religions range here from Buddhism (for eg. Cambodia, Laos) to Islam (Malaysia, Indonesia).
The Ramakien, a version of the Ramayana, is Thailand’s national epic.
The current king belongs to the Chakri dynasty, whose rulers are all named after Ram. Vajiralongkorn, the current constitutional monarch, is styled Rama X.
Thai Ramakien owes much to the Tamil epic i.e. Kamban Ramayan.
In Laos too, the story of Phra Ram is the national epic.

Differences between Indian epic and Other countries Ramayan:

In Cambodia’s Reamker, a mermaid princess Suvannamaccha falls in love with Lord Hanuman.
In Java, the Javanese deity Dhayana and his sons become part of the story.
The Malaysian Hikayat Seri Rama is more sympathetic to Ravana (Maharaja Wana).
In Laos, Phra Ram is considered a previous incarnation of Gautama Buddha.

Ramayana outside Asia:

A major current that took the Ramayana to Africa, the Caribbean, etc. was the girmitiya migration outside India in the 19th century.
The girmitiyas were not rich traders likely to influence kings, but there is a more personal element in how they remembered and preserved the tale of Ram.
In an alien land, the Ramcharitmanas became a source of succor, of nostalgia, the symbol of a homeland more real than the actual home.

About Girmitiya:

The word ‘girmitiya’ comes from ‘agreement’, which these people signed (or were made to sign) to work in the plantations.
Girmitiyas also known as Jahajis are the indentured laborers from British India transported to work on plantations in Fiji, South Africa, Eastern Africa (namely Mauritius, Seychelles, Réunion, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda), Malaysia, Singapore, and the Caribbean (namely Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname) as part of the Indian indenture system.
Majority of these girmitiya laborers were from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
They carried their culture and religion along with them and a large part of this culture was Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, written in Awadhi and arguably the most popular religious text in North India.

Versions of Ramayana:

Uttar Pradesh (Awadh) – The Ramcharitmanas was written by Goswami Tulsidas in the 16th century.
Tamil Nadu – The Tamil Kambaramayanam, a popular version, written by poet Kamban in the 12th century.
Odisha – The Jagamohana Ramayana or Dandi Ramayana composed by Balarama Dasa in the early 16th century.
Maharashtra – The Marathi Bhavartha Ramayana written by Sant Eknath in the 16th century.
Andhra Pradesh – The Sri Ranganatha Ramayanam was adapted by Gona Budda Reddy and is the Telugu version of the Ramayana between 1300 and 1310 CE.
Bengal – The Bengali KrittivasiRamayan written by Krittibas Ojha in the 15th century.

Places mentioned in Ramayana:

Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh:

Believed to be Rama’s birth place, it has numerous temples and sites linking it to the Ramayana.
Kanak Bhawan Temple, Hanuman Garhi Temple, Sarayu River ghat are places of attraction.

Prayag, Uttar Pradesh

Prayag, the modern-day Allahabad, is where Rama met Rishi Bhardwaja to receive his blessings and wisdom to survive the trials he was to face during the 14-year-long exile. On his return from Sri Lanka, Rama and his retinue landed at the ashram of Sage Bhardwaja once again before moving onward for Ayodhya.
Bhardwaj Ashram, Mankameshwar Temple, Shringverpur are places of attraction.

Chitrakoota, Madhya Pradesh

One of the most important stops in the journey, Chitrakoot is believed to have housed Rama, Sita and Laxmana for more than 11 years during their exile from Ayodhya.
It was here Rama and Sita met one of the seven immortal sages, Atri and his chaste wife Anusuya Devi.
Ramghat, Hanuman Dhara, Kamadgiri, Janki Kund, Sphatik Shila, Gupt Godavari, Sita ki Rasoi, Devi Anusuya Temple are places related to Lord Rama.

Panchavati, Nashik

A once-upon-the-time forest, Panchavati housed the trio for some time. It was here that Lakshmana cut off the nose of demoness Surpanakha, the sister of Ravana.
Kala Ram temple, Sita Gufa, Tapovan, Ram Kund are places of attraction.

Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh

Lepakshi is believed to be the spot where Jatayu, the holy giant bird that tried to rescue Sita from Ravana’s throes, fell lifeless after his fight with the demon king. Before dying, he narrated the incident to Rama and Laxmana and guided them towards Lanka.
Lepakshi Temple is the most revered site present here.

Kishkindha, Karnataka

Now known as Hampi, this highly popular place is supposedly the meeting point of Rama and Sugriv, the monkey king who helped Rama in his battle with Ravana.
Pampa Sarovar is located in this place.

Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

Perhaps the most famous of all the sites, Rameshwaram is the site where the fabled bridge between India and Sri Lanka was built by Rama’s army. Before embarking on this mission to cross the sea for Lanka, Rama installed a Shiva Lingam and worshiped it with full devotion.
Ramanathaswamy Temple is present here.

Ashoka Vatika, Sri Lanka

Ashoka Vatika, now famous as the site of the sacred Sita Amman Temple in Sri Lanka, is where Ravana kept Sita after abducting her. This place is located in the beautiful region named Nuwara Eliya.
Sita Amman Temple, Divurumpola (Sita underwent the fire ordeal here) are few revered sites present here.

Talaimannar, Sri Lanka

The battle site of Ramayana, this is where Rama killed Ravana and rescued Sita.
Thereafter, at Rama’s behest, Lakshmana installed Ravana’s brother Vibhishana as the King of Lanka.
Soon after, Sita, Rama and Lakshmana started for Ayodhya to reunite with their family.
Eventually, the reunion led to the celebrations we now know as Diwali.