Exile of Rama

Early years

Middle years

Abduction of Sita

These information come from the Kecak dance, performed at the Uluwatu temple in Bali. The dance tells the story of the kidnapping of Sita by the king Rahwana. The dance is split in 4 scenes.

Scene 1 — Sri Rama (the prince Rama), accompanied by Dewi Sinta (his wife Sinta) and Laksamana, the prince's younger brother, are in the Dandaka forest after Rama's exile by his stepmother. The Golden Deer appears and Sinta asks Rama to catch it. Rama leaves Sinta with Laksamana to look after her, but a scream for help is heard and Sinta urges Laksamana to go help Rama, whom she thinks is the scream from. Laksamana goes despite his brother's instruction and leaves Sinta alone, but not before casting a magic protecting circle around her.

Scene 2 — Sinta left alone, the Giant King Rawhana finds her and, captivated by her beauty, tries to kidnap her, but fails due to the protecting circle. He then transforms into a Baghawan (an old man), and pretend to ask her for water, which she accepts and the king kidnaps her. Sinta's screams are heard by Garuda, a bird deity flying in the sky, and he tries to help her, but Rawhana cuts his wings and he fails.

Scene 3 — Sinta, now in the Alengka Palace laments her fate in the company of Trijata, the king Rawhana's nephew. Hanoman (the White Ape) then appears, and announces he's been sent by Rama and shows Sinta the prince's ring he carries as proof. Sinta then gives him her flower and sends him to Rama with her own message of help. But Hanoman get caught and tied by the King's giants, and almost get burnt alive before escaping using his powers.

Scene 4 — Rahwana learns of this, and confronts Sugriwa, the King of Red Ape, who had come to the Alengka Palace to help Sinta escaping. The two kings fight fiercely. At the right time, Hanoman, Rama, and Laksamana arrive, and with the help of Hanoman's ape army and the magic of Rama's arrow, Rahwana finally falls and die. Sinta and Rama are reunited.

War of Lanka

Return to Ayodhya

Aftermath

Time of Composition

Scholarly estimates of the composition of the available text range from the 8th–5th to 5th-4th centuries BCE, "although the legends constituting it go back farther in time" and later stages extend to the 3rd century CE. Robert P. Goldman (1984) gives 750 BCE to 500 BCE as the probable date of the oral composition of Valmiki's Ramayana, stating that "it is extremely unlikely that the archetype of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇā can be much earlier than the beginning of the seventh century B.C.", while the core portions could not have been composed later than the 6th or 5th century BCE, as the narrative neither mentions Buddhism (founded in the 5th century BCE) nor reflects the later prominence of Magadha (which rose to power in the 7th century BCE). The text also mentions Ayodhya as the capital of Kosala, rather than its later name of Saketa or its successor capital of Shravasti.