Valmiki Ramayana-shankar abhyankar
Ramayana Sanskrit: रामायणम्, Rāmāyaṇam is an ancient Indian epic poem which narrates the struggle of the divine prince Rama to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana. Along with the Mahabharata, it forms the Hindu Itihasa.
The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, the legendary prince of the Kosala Kingdom. It follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest from the kingdom, by his father King Dasharatha, on request of his second wife Kaikeyi. His travels across forests in India with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, the kidnapping of his wife by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, resulting in a war with him, and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned king..
Ahalya: Wife of sage Gautama, who was turned into a stone and later became free from curse by the touch of Rama
Bharata: Brother of Rama and son of Kaikeyi
Dasharatha: Rama’s father and King of Kosala
Dashanan: Ten headed King of Lanka a.k.a. Ravana
Garuda: The mighty mythical raptor; King of winged creatures
Gautama: Sage/Rishi who cursed her wife Ahalya and turned her into a stone for her immoral conduct
Hanuman: Son of Pavana — the wind God; Devout of Rama and a leading warrior among the monkey tribe
Indrajit: Ravana’s son who fought with Rama with magical powers
Jambuvan: Leader of bears who found Sita with his supernatural powers
Janaka: King of Mithila; Father of Sita, who found her in a furrow
Jatayu: Great bird who was killed by Ravana while rescuing Sita
Garuda & Hanuman are two major zoomorphic characters of the Ramayana. Photo Credit: Painting © ExoticIndia.com
Kaikeyi: Dashartha’s youngest queen and mother of Bharata who asked for Rama’s exile
Kausalya: Dashratha’s queen and Rama’s mother
Kevat: Boatman who let Rama, Laxman and Sita cross the river in his boat and washes Rama’s feet
Khar: Brother of Ravana and Shurpanakha
Kumbhkarna: Ravan’s brother known for sleeping and eating
Kush: Son of Rama and Sita
Laxman: Queen Sumitra’s son and Rama’s brother aka Lakshmana
Lava or Luv: Son of Rama and Sita; brother of Kush
Mandavi: Bharat’s wife & King Janak’s daughter
Manthara: Maid servant of Keikeyi who convinced her for Bharat’s thorn and exile of Rama
Maricha or Mareech: Who assumed form of suvarna mriga or golden deer and help abduct Sita
Meghanad: Ravana’s son, who made Laxman unconscious in the battlefield with his arrow
Nala: Son of great builder who helped Rama construct the famous bridge to Lanka
Lakshmana or Laxman sitting with Rama in a discussion with the Vanaras before their Lanka conquest. Photo Credit: Painting © ExoticIndia.com
Tataka: Demoness or rakshasi killed by Rama; mother of Mareecha
Tulsidas: Sanskrit scholar and poet who created Ramacharitmanas, a version of Valmiki Ramayana in local Avadhi language
Urmila: Laxman’s wife; daughter of King Janak and sister of Sita
Vali or Bali: The mighty ape, cousin of Sugriva, who occupied Kiskindha and was killed by Rama
Valmiki: The great poet and creator of Ramayana; Sage who helped Sita and her two son Lava-Kush stay at her ashrama
Vanara: Monkey; The army led by Hanuman. A hill tribe of Southern India — according to the Ramayana
Vasistha: Head priest or kul Guru of Ayodhya
Vibhishana: Ravana’s brother who leaves Lanka to join Rama and later becomes the king of Lanka
Vishnu: Lord of Preservation — part of the Hindu Trinity of Gods; Rama is considered the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Vishwamitra: Sage or rishi, who used Rama to kill troubling demons
Sita in captivity in Lanka. Photo Credit: Painting © ExoticIndia.com
Rama: The main protagonist of the Ramayana — an avatar of Lord Vishnu; prince of Ayodha, son of King Dasharatha of Kosala
Ravana: Ten headed King of Lanka, who abducted Sita; brother of Vibhishana and Surpanakha; father of Indrajit; husband of Mandodari
Sampati: Brother of Jatayu
Shatrughna: Rama’s younger brother
Shabari: Devotee of Rama who offered him berries
Shatananda: Head Priest or kul Guru of Mithila
Shiva: The Lord of Destruction — part of the Hindu Trinity of Gods, whose bow was lifted by Rama in the swayamvar of Sita
Shravan: Son of blind parents; known as an idol of service to parents
Shrutkirti: Shatrughna’s wife and King Janak’s daughter
Shurpanakha: Ravan’s sister whose ears and nose were cut by Laxman
Sita: Daughter of Janaka and wife of Rama
Sugriva: King of monkey tribe and King of Kiskindha
Sumanta: Charioteer of King Dasharatha
Sumitra: Wife of Dashratha; Mother of Laxman & Shatrughna
Sunayana: Wife of King Janak; Mother of Sita
Sushen: Lankan physician, who advised Sanjivani herbs from Kailas mountain in order to cure Laxman