I Love Indonesia

Ramayana Verses in the Ramayana are written in a 32-syllable meter called anustubh. The Ramayana was an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry and Hindu life and culture. Like the Mahābhārata, the Ramayana isn't just a story: it presents the teachings of ancient Hindu sages in narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and devotional elements. The characters Rama, Sita, Lakshman, Bharata, Hanuman and Ravana are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India, Nepal, and many South-East Asian countries such as Thailand and Indonesia. There are other versions of the Ramayana , notably the Ramavataram in Tamil, Buddhist and Jain adaptations, and also Cambodian, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, Lao, Burmese and Malaysian versions of the tale. Traditionally, the Ramayana is attributed to Valmiki. The Hindu tradition is unanimous in its agreement that the poem is the work of a single poet, the sage Valmiki, a contemporary of Rama and a peripheral actor in the drama. ...