Characters
Rama is one of the protagonists of the tale. Portrayed as the seventh
avatar of the god Vishnu, he is the eldest and favorite son of Dasharatha the
king of Ayodhya (current day Ayodhya, India)and his Queen, Kausalya. He is
portrayed as the epitome of virtue. Dasharatha is forced by Kaikeyi, one of his
wives, to command Rama to relinquish his right to the throne for fourteen years
and go into exile.
Sita is another of the tale's protagonists. She is King Janaka's
daughter, and Rama's beloved wife. Rama went to Mithila (current day Janakpur,
Nepal), and got a chance to marry her by lifting a heavy bow in a competition
organized by King Janaka. The competition was to find the most suitable husband
for Sita, and many princes from different states competed to win her. Sita is
the avatara of goddessLakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. Sita is portrayed as the
epitome of female purity and virtue. She follows her husband into exile and is
abducted by Ravana. She is imprisoned on the island of Lanka, until Rama rescues
her by defeating the demon king Ravana. Later, she gives birth to Lava and
Kusha, the heirs of Rama.
Hanuman is a vanara belonging to the kingdom of Kishkindha. In some
versions (other than Valmiki's),he is portrayed as the eleventh avatar of Shiva
(he is also called rudra) and an ideal bhakta of Rama. He is born as the son of
Kesari, a Vanara king, and the goddess Anjana. He plays an important part in
locating Sita and in the ensuing battle. He is believed to live until our
modern world.
Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama, who chose to go into exile
with him. He is the son of King Dasaratha and Queen Sumitra, and twin of
Shatrughna. Lakshmana is portrayed as an avatar of the Shesha, the nÄga associated with the god Vishnu. He spends his time protecting
Sita and Rama during which he fought the demoness Surpanakha. He is forced to
leave Sita, who was deceived by the demonMaricha into believing that Rama was
in trouble. Sita is abducted by Ravana upon him leaving her. He was married to
Sita's younger sister Urmila.
Ravana, a rakshasa, is the king of Lanka. After performing severe
penance for ten thousand years he received a boon from the creator-god Brahma:
he could henceforth not be killed by gods, demons,or spirits. He is portrayed
as a powerful demon king who disturbs the penances of rishis. Vishnu incarnates
as the human Rama to defeat him, thus circumventing the boon given by Brahma.
Jatayu,the son of Aruṇa and nephew of Garuda. A demi-god who has the
form of an vulture that tries to rescue Sita from Ravana. Jatayu fought
valiantly with Ravana, but as Jatayu was very old, Ravana soon got the better
of him. As Rama and Lakshmana chanced upon the stricken and dying Jatayu in
their search for Sita, he informs them of the direction in which Ravana had
gone.
Dasharatha is the king of Ayodhya and the father of Rama. He has three
queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra, and three other sons: Bharata, Lakshmana
and Shatrughna. Kaikeyi, Dasharatha's favourite queen, forces him to make his
son Bharata crown prince and send Rama into exile. Dasharatha dies heartbroken
after Rama goes into exile.
Bharata is the son of Dasharatha and Queen Kaikeyi. When he learns
that his mother Kaikeyi had forced Rama into exile and caused Dasharatha to die
brokenhearted, he storms out of the palace and goes in search of Rama in the
forest. When Rama refuses to return from his exile to assume the throne,
Bharata obtains Rama's sandals, and places them on the throne as a gesture that
Rama is the true king. Bharata then rules Ayodhya as the regent of Rama for the
next fourteen years. He was married to Mandavi.
Shatrughna is the son of Dasharatha and his second wife Queen Sumitra.
He is the youngest brother of Rama and also the twin brother of Lakshmana. He
was married to Shrutakirti.
Sugriva, a vanara king who helped Rama regain Sita from Ravana. He had
an agreement with Rama through which Vaali – Sugriva's brother and king of
Kishkindha – would be killed by Rama in exchange for Sugriva's help in
finding Sita. Sugriva ultimately ascends the throne of Kishkindha after the
slaying of Vaali, and fulfills his promise by putting the Vanara forces at
Rama's disposal
Indrajit, a son of Ravana who twice defeated Lakshmana in battle,
before succumbing to him the third time. An adept of the magical arts,he
coupled his supreme fighting skills with various stratagems to inflict heavy
losses on the Vanara army before his death
Kumbhakarna, a brother of Ravana, famous for his eating and sleeping.
He would sleep for months at a time and would be extremely ravenous upon waking
up, consuming anything set before him. His monstrous size and loyalty made him
an important part of Ravana's army. During the war he decimated the Vanara army
before Rama cut off his limbs and head
Surpanakha, Ravana's demoness sister who fell in love with Rama and
had the magical power to any form she wanted.
Vibhishana, a younger brother of Ravana. He was against the kidnapping
of sita, and joined the forces of Rama when Ravana refused to return her. His
intricate knowledge of Lanka was vital in the war, and he was crowned king
after the fall of Ravana
Events of Ramayana in India & Sri Lanka
Bal kanda - Rama marries Sita
Dasharatha was the king of Ayodhya. He had three queens Kausalya,
Kaikeyi and Sumitra. He was childless for a long time and, anxious to produce
an heir, he performs a fire sacrifice known as putra-kameshti yagya. As a
consequence, Rama is first born to Kausalya, Bharata is born to Kaikeyi,
Lakshmana and Shatrughna are born to Sumitra.
These sons are endowed, to various degrees, with the essence of the
god Vishnu; Vishnu had opted to be born into mortality to combat the demon
Ravana, who was oppressing the gods,and who could only be destroyed by a
mortal.
The boys are reared as the princes of the realm, receiving
instructions from the scriptures and in warfare. When Rama is 16-years-old, the
sage Vishwamitra comes to the court of Dasharatha in search of help against
demons who were disturbing sacrificial rites. He chooses Rama, who is followed
by Lakshmana, his constant companion throughout the story. Rama and Lakshmana
receive instructions and supernatural weapons from Vishwamitra, and proceed to
destroy the demons.
Janaka was the king of Mithila. One day, a female child was found in
the field by the king in the deep furrow dug by his plough. Overwhelmed with
joy, the king regarded the child as a "miraculous gift of god". The
child was named Sita, the Sanskrit word for furrow.
Sita grew up to be a girl of unparalleled beauty and charm. When Sita
was of marriageable age, the king decided to have a swayamvara which included a
contest. The king was in possession of an immensely heavy bow, presented to him
by the god Shiva: whoever could wield the bow could marry Sita. The sage
Vishwamitra attends the swayamvara with Rama and Lakshmana. Only Rama is able
to wield the bow and, when he draws the string, it breaks. Marriages are
arranged between the sons of Dasharatha and daughters of Janaka. Rama gets
married to Sita, Lakshmana to Urmila,Bharata to Mandavi and Shatrughan to
Shrutakirti. The weddings are celebrated with great festivity at Mithila and
the marriage party returns to Ayodhya.
Ayodhya kanda - Rama sent into exile
After Rama and Sita have been married for twelve years, an elderly
Dasharatha expresses his desire to crown Rama, to which the Kosala assembly and
his subjects express their support.On the eve of the great event, Kaikeyi—her
jealousy aroused by Manthara, a wicked maidservant—claims two boons that
Dasharatha had long ago granted her. Kaikeyi demands Rama to be exiled into
wilderness for fourteen years, while the succession passes to her son Bharata.
The heartbroken king, constrained by his rigid devotion to his given word,
accedes to Kaikeyi's demands.Rama accepts his father's reluctant decree with
absolute submission and calm self-control which characterises him throughout
the story. He is joined by Sita and Lakshmana. When he asks Sita not to follow
him, she says,"the forest where you dwell is Ayodhya for me and Ayodhya
without you is a veritable hell for me." After Rama's departure, King
Dasharatha, unable to bear the grief, passes away. Meanwhile, Bharata who was
on a visit to his maternal uncle, learns about the events in Ayodhya. Bharata
refuses to profit from his mother's wicked scheming and visits Rama in the
forest. He requests Rama to return and rule. But Rama, determined to carry out
his father's orders to the letter, refuses to return before the period of
exile. However, Bharata carries Rama's sandals,and keeps them on the throne,
while he rules as Rama's regent.
Aranya kanda-abduction of Sita
Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana journey southward along the banks of river
Godavari, where they build cottages and live off the land. At the
Panchavatiforest they are visited by a rakshasa woman, Surpanakha, the sister
of Ravana. She attempts to seduce the brothers and, failing in this, attempts
to kill Sita. Lakshmana stops her by cutting off her nose and ears. Hearing of
this, her demon brother, Khara, organises an attack against the princes. Rama
annihilates Khara and his demons.
When news of these events reaches Ravana, he resolves to destroy Rama
by capturing Sita with the aid of the rakshasa Maricha. Maricha, assuming the
form of a golden deer,
captivates Sita's attention. Entranced by the beauty of the deer, Sita
pleads with Rama to capture it. Lord Rama, aware that this is the ploy of the
demons, cannot dissuade Sita from her desire and chases the deer into the
forest, leaving Sita under Lakshmana's guard. After some time, Sita hears Rama
calling out to her; afraid for his life, she insists that Lakshmana rush to his
aid. Lakshmana tries to assure her that Rama is invincible and that it is best
if he continues to follow Rama's
orders to protect her. On the verge of hysterics, Sita insists that it
is not she but Rama who needs Lakshmana's help. He obeys her wish but
stipulates that she is not to leave the cottage or entertain any strangers. He
draws a chalk outline, the Lakshmana rekha, around the cottage and casts a
spell on it that prevents anyone from entering the boundary but allows people
to exit. With the coast finally clear, Ravana appears in the guise of an
ascetic requesting Sita's hospitality.
Unaware of the devious plan of her guest, Sita is tricked into leaving
the rekha and is then forcibly carried away by the evil Ravana.
Jatayu, a vulture, tries to rescue Sita, but is mortally wounded. At
Lanka, Sita is kept under the heavy guard of rakshasis. Ravana demands Sita
marry him, but Sita, eternally devoted to Rama, refuses.
Rama and Lakshmana learn about Sita's abduction from Jatayu and
immediately set out to save her.During their search, they meet the demon
Kabandha and the ascetic Shabari, who direct them towards Sugriva and Hanuman.
Kishkindha kanda-Rama's alliance with Sugriva
The kishkindha kanda is set in the monkey citadel Kishkindha. Rama and
Lakshmana meet Hanuman, the greatest of monkey heroes and an adherent of
Sugriva, the banished pretender to the throne of kishkindha.
Rama befriends Sugriva and helps him by killing his elder brotherVali
thus regaining the kingdom of Kiskindha, in exchange for helping Rama to
recover Sita.
However Sugriva soon forgets his promise and spends his time in debauchery.
The clever monkey queen Tara, second wife of Sugriva (initially wife of Vali),
calmly intervenes to prevent an enraged Lakshmana from destroying the monkey
citadel. She then eloquently convinces Sugriva to honour his pledge.
Sugriva then sends search parties to the four corners of the earth,
only to return without success from north, east and west.
The southern search party under the leadership of Angad and Hanuman
learns from a vulture named Sampati that Sita was taken to Lanka.
Sundara kanda-Hanuman in Lanka
The sundara kanda forms the heart of Valmiki's Ramayana[52] and
consists of a detailed, vivid account of Hanuman's adventures.
After learning about Sita, Hanuman assumes a gargantuan form and makes
a colossal leap across the ocean to Lanka. Here, Hanuman explores the demon's
city and spies on Ravana.
He locates Sita in ashoka grove, who is wooed and threatened by Ravana
and his rakshasis to marry Ravana. He reassures her, giving Rama's signet ring
as a sign of good faith. He offers to carry Sita back to Rama, however she
refuses, reluctant to allow herself to be touched by a male other than her
husband. She says that Rama himself must come and avenge the insult of her
abduction.
Hanuman then wreaks havoc in Lanka by destroying trees and buildings,
and killing Ravana's warriors. He allows himself to be captured and produced
before Ravana. He gives a bold lecture to Ravana to release Sita. He is
condemned and his tail is set on fire, but he escapes his bonds and, leaping
from roof to roof, sets fire to Ravana's citadel and makes the giant leap back
from the island. The joyous search party returns to Kishkindha with the news
Lanka kanda -Hanuman in Lanka
Also known as Yudhdha kand, this book describes the battle between the
army of Rama, constructed with the help of Sugriva, and Ravana. Having received
Hanuman's report on Sita, Rama and Lakshmana proceed with their allies towards
the shore of the southern sea. There they are joined by Ravana's renegade
brother Vibhishana.
The monkeys named Nala and Nila construct a floating bridge (known as
Rama Setu) across the ocean, and the princes and their army cross over to
Lanka. A lengthy battle ensues and Rama kills Ravana. Rama then installs
Vibhishana on the throne of Lanka.
On meeting Sita, Rama asks her to undergo an "agni pariksha"
(test of fire) to prove her purity, as he wants to get rid of the rumours
surrounding Sita's purity.
When Sita plunges into the sacrificial fire, Agni the lord of fire
raises Sita, unharmed, to the throne, attesting to her purity. The episode of
agni pariksha varies in the versions of Ramayana by Valmiki and Tulsidas. The
above version is from Valmiki Ramayana.
In Tulsidas's Ramacharitamanas Sita was under the protection of Agni
(see Maya Sita) so it was necessary to bring her out before reuniting with
Rama. At the expiration of his term of exile, Rama returns to Ayodhya with Sita
and Lakshmana, where the coronation is performed. This is the beginning of Ram
Rajya, which implies an ideal state with good morals.
Uttara kanda - Rama's reign in Ayodhya
The uttara kanda is regarded to be a later addition to the original
story by Valmiki
and concerns the final years of Rama, Sita, and Rama's brothers. After
being crowned king, many years passed pleasantly with Sita. However, despite
the agni pariksha (fire ordeal) of Sita, rumours about her purity are spreading
among the populace of Ayodhya.
Rama yields to public opinion and reluctantly banishes Sita to the
forest, where the sage Valmiki provides shelter in his ashrama (hermitage).
Here she gives birth to twin boys, Lava and Kusha, who become pupils of Valmiki
and are brought up in ignorance of their identity.
Valmiki composes the Ramayana and teaches Lava and Kusha to sing it.
Later, Rama holds a ceremony during Ashwamedha yagna, which the sage Valmiki,
with Lava and Kusha, attends. Lava and Kusha sing the Ramayana in the presence
of Rama and his vast audience. When Lava and Kusha recite about Sita's exile,
Rama becomes grief-stricken, and Valmiki produces Sita. Sita calls upon the
earth, her mother, to receive her and as the ground opens, she vanishes into
it.
Rama then learns that Lava and Kusha are his children. Later a
messenger from the gods appears and informs Rama that the mission of Hanuman
_________________________________________________________________________
RAMAYANA AND IT’S FINDINGS
Valmiki's Ramayana, is the oldest edition of Ramayana and is the
source of all Ramayana’s that is relevant in various cultures. This text
survives in numerous complete and partial manuscripts; the oldest existing is
dated from the eleventh century AD. The current text of Valmiki Ramayana has
come down to us in two local versions from north and south of India. Valmiki
Ramayana has been traditionally divided into seven books, dealing with the life
of Rama from his birth to death.
Ramayana is undoubtedly the most popular and timeless Indian epic read
and loved by all. The term "Ramayana", literally means "the
march of Rama" in search of human values. As a literary work, it combines
"the inner bliss of Vedic literature with the outer richness of
delightfully profound story telling." This story of Sri Rama by the great
sage Valmiki is referred to as the "Adi Kavya" (Original Epic). About
the Valmiki Ramayana, Swami Vivekananda has said: "No language can be
purer, none chaste, none more beautiful, and at the same time simpler, than the
language in which the great poet has depicted the life of Rama."
Valmiki universally acclaimed and accepted as the first among Sanskrit
poets, was the first to discover a musical expression of epic dimension and
vision to match the emotional ecstasy of the story of Rama. According to a
legend, Valmiki was known as Ratnakar a robber who one day met a hermit who
with good advice on human values transformed him to a virtuous being.
Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom was believed to have assured this hermit to
stand by his side and guide him to visualize the events of Ramayana, and honour
them with epic dignity and worldly simplicity.
It is important to know that there is not one Ramayana in India. In
reality, the original composition in Sanskrit by Valmiki is left over with the
elderly citizens and rarely read these days. The most common Ramayana’s are in
the vernacular Indian languages. For example, the Ramayana of Kamban, written
in Tamil in the eleventh century win through in south India; in north India
it’s the Ramayana of Tulsidas, called the Ramacharitamanasa is been celebrated.
Even among the Hindus living in far-flung places of the Indian Diaspora, such
as Fiji and Trinidad, the Ramacharitamanasa is the devotional text of Hinduism
par excellence.
In the Bengali version of the story, Rawana is turned into the hero;
and this description was again taken up by the nineteenth century Bengali
writer, Michael Madhusudan Dutt (1824-73), whose own epic retelling of the
Ramayana portrays Rama as a weak and womanish figure representing an earlier
stage of innocence. It is no surprise that one American scholar, Paula Richman,
has written of the "many Ramayana’s" in a book by the same title.
The Ramayana, originally authored by Valmiki, consists of 24,001
verses in six cantos; some say seven including the Uttarakhanda. Ramayana tells
the story of Rama a prince of Ayodhya, whose wife Seetha is abducted by the
King of Lanka, Rawana. The Valmiki Ramayana is not dated precisely but from 500
BC to 100 BC. As with most traditional epics, since it has gone through a long
process of interruptions it is impossible to date it correctly.
In the original Valmiki Ramayana, Valmiki wrote that Rama was nothing
more than an ideal human being. However, Brahmanical rewriting of Ramayana
finally introduced Rama as a supreme deity.
* The first stage includes the composition of books 2 - 6 sometime in
the fifth century BCE and their oral transmission up to and including the
fourth century BCE. Rama is presented as an basically human hero.
* The second stage extends from the third century BCE to the first
century CE, during which time those five books were reworked and expanded. This
period brings greater status for the king. For most of this period, Rama is
viewed as a principled human.
* The third stage extends from the first to the third century CE,
bringing with it the addition of book 1 (‘the book of childhood’) and the
somewhat later book 7 was an epilogue. This stage is marked by the presentation
of Rama as an avatar of Vishnu. This stage also produced a pronounced emphasis
on Varna- Dharma (Caste System). It also classifies the caste differences.
i.e. Sambuka, the Sudra ascetic, is
killed by Rama in order to bring a Brahmin boy back to life.
The epic contains the following books:
* Bala Kanda – the boyhood and adolescence of Rama
* Ayodhya Kanda – the court of Dasaratha, and the scenes that set the
stage for the unfolding of the story, including the exchange between Dasaratha
and Kaikeyi, and the exile of Rama
* Aranya Kanda – life in the forest and the abduction of Seetha by
Rawana
* Kishkindha Kanda – Rama’s residence in Kishkindha, the quest for
Seetha, and the slaying of Bali
* Sundara Kanda – description of the landscapes over which Rama roams,
and the arrival of Rama and his allies in Lanka; Sundara means beautiful, and
this portion of the book has passages of lyrical beauty
* Yuddha Kanda – also known as the Lanka-Kanda: the book of war: the
defeat of Rawana, the recovery of Seetha, the return to Ayodhya, and the
coronation of Rama
* Uttarakhanda – details Rama’s life in Ayodhya, the banishment of
Seetha, the birth of Lava and Kusa, the reconciliation of Rama and Seetha, her
death or return to the earth, and Rama’s ascent into heaven.
Ramayana’s narration operates at many levels:
It depict the society of the time: vast empires, the life of a prince
destined to become the next king, the contest between mothers and stepmothers,
the bond of love and faithfulness among brothers, contest to win the hand of a
princess, male chauvinism, etc.
It describes how a just human being and a leader of men behave himself
at all times, facing circumstances with calmness, raise to occurrences to lead
his people independent of his own personal calamities and limits, humanizing
love and admiration of his people.
It is a story of the seventh manifestation of Lord Vishnu, incarnating
as a human this time, fighting evil, bring back justice in the land, fully
aware of his divinity and yet resorting to using his superhuman powers when it
was absolutely needed.
By tradition, Ramayana is attributed to a solitary author, Valmiki.
Textual scholar Robert P. Goldman conclude that, in the face of undisputed
Indian custom and the consistent character of much of the work, there is no
reason doubt that Valmiki wrote the main
portion of the Ramayana. However, the work now known is believed that many have
added on a much later date than the original kernel of the work. The Ramayana
was "grew with centuries, but the basic is the creation of one mind."
The primary source of the life and journey of Rama is described in the
epic Ramayana as composed by the Rishi Valmiki. However, other scriptures in
Sanskrit reflect the life of Ramayana. For example, the Vishnu Purana also
narrates Rama as Vishnu's seventh avatar and in the Vayu Purana; a Rama is
mentioned among the seven Rishis of the 8th Manvantara. Additionally, the tales
of Rama are respectfully spoken of in the later epic, the Mahabharata. Another
significant shortened account of the epic in Sanskrit is portrayed in the
Aadhyaatma Ramayana.
The epic had many versions across India's regions. For example,
vernacular versions of the Ramayana which include the life, deeds and divine
philosophies of Rama are elaborated in the epic poem Kambaramayanam by the 12th
century poet, Kamban in Tamil and Ramacharitamanasa, a Hindi version of the
Ramayana by the 16th century Tulsidas. Other dialect versions also exist in
most major Indian languages. Contemporary versions of the Ramayana include Sri
Ramayana Darshanam by Kuvempu in Kannada and Ramayana Kalpavrikshamu by
Viswanatha Satyanarayana in Telugu, both of which have been awarded the
Janapith Award. The epic has transformed across the varied regions of India,
which boast their own unique languages and cultural traditions.
The essential tale of Rama has also spread across South East Asia, and
evolves into unique interpretations of the epic - incorporating local history,
folktales, religious values as well as unique features from the languages and
literary discourse. The Kakawin Ramayana of Java, Indonesia, the Ramakavaca of
Bali, Hikayat Seri Rama of Malaysia, Maradia Lawana of the Philippines,
Ramakien of Thailand (which calls him Phra Ram) are great works with many
unique characteristics and differences in accounts and portrayals of the legend
of Rama. The legends of Rama are witnessed in elaborate illustration at the Wat
Phra Kaew Buddhist temple in Bangkok. The national epic of Myanmar, Yama Zatdaw
is essentially the Burmese Ramayana, where Rama is named Yama. In the Reamker
of Cambodia, Rama is known as Preah Ream. In the Pra Lak Pra Lam of Laos,
Buddha is regarded as an incarnation of Rama.
The Ramayana speaks of how the Goddess Bhumidevi, came to the Lord
Creator, Brahma begging to be rescued from evil kings who were greedy of her
possessions and destroying life through bloody wars and evil behaviour. The
Devas also came to Brahma terrified of the rule of Rawana, Emperor of Lanka.
Rawana had overpowered the Devas and now ruled the heavens, the earth and the
netherworlds. Being a powerful monarch but was arrogant, destructive and a
supporter of evil doers. He had boons that gave him immense strength and was
invulnerable to all celestial beings, except man and animals.
Brahma, Bhumidevi and the Devas worshipped Vishnu, the Preserver, for
liberation from Rawana's tyrannical rule. Vishnu promised to kill Rawana by
incarnating as a man - the eldest son of king Dasaratha. His eternal consort,
Lakshmi took birth as Seetha and was found by king Janaka of Mithila while he
was ploughing a field. Throughout his life, no one, except him and a few select
sages as Vasishta, Sharabhanga, Agastya and Vishwamitra knew of his destiny.
Rama was continuously revered by the many sages as he encounters through his
life but only the most learned and exalted knew of his true identity. At the
end of the war between Rama and Rawana just as Seetha passes her Agni Pariksha,
Lord Brahma, Indra and the Devas, the celestial sages and Lord Shiva appear out
of the sky. They affirm Seetha's purity and ask him to end this terrible test.
Thanking the Avatara for delivering the universe from the grips of evil, they
reveal Rama's divine identity upon the conclusion of his mission.
Foreigners authored Vishnu Purana, Skanda Purana, and Ramayana. Vishnu
Purana states that Vishnu waged war with the Sri Lankan Kings Iraniya and
Makuta, and describes its populace as greatly civilised which is confirmed in
the Skanda Purana and Ramayana. According to the Uttarakhanda Ramayana
Malyavantha, Sumali and Sukesha of the Raksha clan governed Sri Lanka. However,
according to Vishnu Purana and Buddhavansha it was Iraniya who governed Sri
Lanka.
The ones referred in Ramayana headed the first inhabitants of this
Island. Malyavantha had seven sons: Vajramushti, Virupaksha, Dhurmuka,
Supthagna, Yangnakopa, Maththa, Unmaththa, and the daughter were Anala. Sumali
had ten sons, Prahastha, Akampana, Vikata, Kalimukha, Dhumaraksha, Dhanda,
Suparshva, Sangradhi, Pragasa, Basakarna, and were Sumali’s ten sons and the
daughters were Rakha, Pushpothkata, Kaikesi and Kumbinasi and Mali’s sons were,
Anala, Anila, Hara and Sampathi.
These three brothers and their sons crossed over to India and began to
harass the Deva clan. Vishnu listening to the woes of the Deva clan agreed to
help them and defeat the Raksha clan invaders. Mali was killed in the battle.
Malyavantha and Sumali went into the underworld. This ousted the Raksha rulers
in Sri Lanka.
Vaisrawana who was residing in Vishvagiriya [present Vessagiriya] made
this the opportunity to overrun the Raksha Dynasty in Lankapura. The
inscription located in a cave in Mihintale as ‘Diparakdha’ would be referring
to King Malyavantha the pre – historic ruler of Sri Lanka. The inscription
‘Dhammarakdha’ at Bowaththegala, Ruhuna has to be explored as it may be
referring to the descendents of King Sumali.
Ramayana is based on a factual occurrence but consist literary
exaggerations. Can it be classified as a legend because it carries literary
exaggerations? Isn’t it more fitting to note the facts that bond the oral and
recorded history? Emperor governed vast
part of the globe but it lacks significant proofs, as most historians have not
researched into the pre-history. Archaeological evidences are always not
available as it would have been erased, buried or not explored. An attempt is
made to produce the available data to answer most questions that had been
debated before.
Sri Lankans are much interested of the Rama Rawana trails; its
dealings pertaining to Sri Lanka and it has become a part of their national
consciousness. The certainty of it is spotlighted by the huge number of places
in Sri Lanka linked with it either through name, legend or tale. It would be
useful for the interested people to know where these locations are and as to
how they connect the incident.
However, it should be taken into serious consideration that most tales
pertaining to Rama Rawana sites have sprung up in the recent past and most of
them have no connection to it whatsoever. Presently it has become a tradition
connect geographical locations as Rama Rawana sites just because the names of
these places begins with Rawana, Rama and Seetha for which many examples can be
quoted.
Indian pre history is based on Ramayana and Mahabharata. Though the
origin of Ramayana is India, it accounts mainly of an invasion of Lanka by Rama
and plays a vital part in the national awareness of India. However, it’s a pity
to note that most researches on Ramayana still not have identified that Rawana
was a Brahmin. This gives us an indication that most of them are of them are
narrow-minded of Rawana.
