The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon; considered to be based on historical events.

The Ramayana depicts the duties of relationships; portraying ideal characters like the ideal servant; the ideal brother; the ideal wife and the ideal king. The name Ramayana is a tatpurusha compound of Rama and ayana (going; advancing); translating to 鈥楻ama's Journey'. The Ramayana consists of 24;000 verses in seven books (ka??as) and 500 cantos (sargas); and tells the story of Rama (an Avatar of the Hindu preserver-God Vishnu); whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon king of Lanka; Ravana.

The epic was an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry and Indian life and culture. The characters Rama; Sita; Lakshmana; Bharata; Hanuman and Ravana are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India.

There are other versions of the Ramayana; notably Buddhist and Jain in India; as well as Indonesian; Philippine; Thai; Lao; Burmese; Cambodian and Malay versions of the tale.