57 Facts About Rama

Rama is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu.

Rama's birth is celebrated every year on Rama Navami, which falls on the ninth day of the bright half of the lunar cycle of Chaitra, the first month in the Hindu calendar.

The most notable story involving Rama is the kidnapping of Sita by the demon-king Ravana, followed by Rama and Lakshmana's journey to rescue her.

Rama legends are found in the texts of Jainism and Buddhism, though he is sometimes called Pauma or Padma in these texts, and their details vary significantly from the Hindu versions.

In Sikhism, Rama is mentioned as twentieth of the twenty-four divine avatars of Vishnu in the Chaubis Avtar in Dasam Granth.

Rama is a Vedic Sanskrit word with two contextual meanings.

The word Rama appears in ancient literature in reverential terms for three individuals:.

The name Rama appears repeatedly in Hindu texts, for many different scholars and kings in mythical stories.

The Vishnu avatar named Rama is known by other names.

In some Advaita Vedanta inspired texts, Rama connotes the metaphysical concept of Supreme Brahman who is the eternally blissful spiritual Self in whom yogis delight nondualistically.

The root of the word Rama is ram- which means "stop, stand still, rest, rejoice, be pleased".

When demigods went to Brahma to seek liberation from Ravana's menace on the Earth, Vishnu himself appeared and said he will incarnate as Rama and kill Ravana.

Rama is portrayed as a polite, self-controlled, virtuous youth always ready to help others.

Rama's education included the Vedas, the Vedangas as well as the martial arts.

The template is similar to those found for Krishna, but in the poems of Tulsidas, Rama is milder and reserved introvert, rather than the prank-playing extrovert personality of Krishna.

When Rama obliged him with success, Parashurama acknowledged the former to be a form of Vishnu and departed to perform penance at the mountain Mahendra.

Thereafter, Rama lived happily with Sita for twelve years.

Rama informs of his decision to his wife and tells everyone that time passes quickly.

Rama understood her devotion and ate all the half-eaten bers given by her.

The region has numerous Rama temples and is an important Vaishnava pilgrimage site.

The texts describe nearby hermitages of Vedic rishis such as Atri, and that Rama roamed through forests, lived a humble simple life, provided protection and relief to ascetics in the forest being harassed and persecuted by demons, as they stayed at different ashrams.

One day, a demoness called Shurpanakha saw Rama, became enamored of him, and tried to seduce him.

Ravana gets enraged and ultimately reaches Lanka, fights in a war that has many ups and downs, but ultimately Rama prevails, kills Ravana and forces of evil, and rescues his wife Sita.

Rama responds to public gossip by renouncing his wife and asking her to prove her chastity in front of Agni.

Rama's legends vary significantly by the region and across manuscripts.

In some Hindu texts, Rama is stated to have lived in the Treta Yuga that their authors estimate existed before about 5000 BCE.

Historians often highlight that Rama's narrative reflects not only religious beliefs but societal ideals and moral principles.

Rama has two hands, holds a bana in his right hand, while he holds the dhanus in his left.

Rama is shown black, blue or dark color, typically wearing reddish color clothes.

Rama is often accompanied with his brother Lakshmana on his left side while his consort Sita always on his right, both of golden-yellow complexion.

Rama has broad shoulders, mighty arms, a conch-shaped neck, a charming countenance, and coppery eyes;.

Rama has his clavicle concealed and is known by the people as Rama.

Rama has a voice like the sound of a kettledrum and glossy skin,.

Rama's life is more complex than the Western template for the battle between the good and the evil, where there is a clear distinction between immortal powerful gods or heroes and mortal struggling humans.

Rama had within him all the desirable virtues that any individual would seek to aspire, and he fulfils all his moral obligations.

Rama is considered a maryada purushottama or the best of upholders of Dharma.

The views of Rama combine "reason with emotions" to create a "thinking hearts" approach.

Third, Rama's life combines the ethics with the aesthetics of living.

Rama appears in the Puranas namely the Vishnu Purana and Padma Purana, the Matsya Purana, the Linga Purana, the Kurma Purana, Agni Purana, Garuda Purana, the Skanda Purana and the Shiva Purana.

Vedanta Desika's Hamsa-Sandesha, is a love poem which describes Rama sending message to Sita through a swan.

Rama Navami is a spring festival that celebrates the birthday of Rama.

Temples dedicated to Rama are found all over India and in places where Indian migrant communities have resided.

In most temples, the iconography of Rama is accompanied by that of his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana.

Hindu temples dedicated to Rama were built by the early 5th century, according to copper plate inscription evidence, but these have not survived.

The oldest surviving Rama temple is near Raipur, called the Rajiva-locana temple at Rajim near the Mahanadi river.

In Jainism, the earliest known version of Rama story is variously dated from the 1st to 5th century CE.

Rama, Lakshmana and evil Ravana are the eighth triad, with Rama being the reborn Baladeva, and Lakshmana as the reborn Vasudeva.

Rama is described to have lived long before the 22nd Jain Tirthankara called Neminatha.

Towards the end of his life, Rama becomes a Jaina monk then successfully attains siddha followed by moksha.

The 2nd-century BCE stone relief carvings on Bharhut stupa, as told in the Dasaratha-Jataka, is the earliest known non-textual evidence of Rama story being prevalent in ancient India.

Rama is mentioned as one of twenty four divine incarnations of Vishnu in the Chaubis Avtar, a composition in Dasam Granth traditionally and historically attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

The name of Rama is mentioned more than 2,500 times in the Guru Granth Sahib and is considered as avatar along with the Krishna.

Rama's story has had a major socio-cultural and inspirational influence across South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Rama is a primary figure in Maithili music, of the Mithila region.

Rama was one of many ideas and cultural themes adopted, others being the Buddha, the Shiva and host of other Brahmanic and Buddhist ideas and stories.

The story of Rama's life has been popular in Southeast Asia.

Rama has been depicted in many films, television shows and plays.