Rama (Ramachandra)
Epic
Ramayana, attributed to the sage Valmiki (c. 5th-4th century BCE, with later interpolations and expansions). Seven kandas (books), approximately 24,000 shlokas (verses). The Ramayana is one of the two great Sanskrit epics (with the Mahabharata) and has been retold in hundreds of regional versions across South and Southeast Asia, including Kamban's Tamil Ramavataram, Tulsidas's Hindi Ramcharitmanas, and the Thai Ramakien.
Divine Ancestry
The seventh avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, born as the eldest son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya and Queen Kausalya. His divine nature is both concealed (he lives as a mortal prince) and progressively revealed throughout the epic.
The Quest
Rama is exiled from Ayodhya for fourteen years due to a court intrigue by his stepmother Kaikeyi. He retreats to the forest with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. The demon king Ravana abducts Sita and imprisons her in Lanka (Sri Lanka). Rama allies with the monkey king Sugriva and the devoted Hanuman, builds a bridge across the ocean, wages war against Ravana's demonic armies, slays Ravana in single combat, and rescues Sita. After returning to Ayodhya and being crowned king, Rama rules during a golden age (Rama Rajya) but later banishes Sita to the forest due to public suspicion about her chastity -- the most controversial and debated episode in Indian literature.
Key Weapon
The divine bow of Vishnu (Sharanga/Kodanda); also receives celestial weapons (astras) from the sage Vishwamitra, including the Brahmastra.
Companion
Hanuman -- the monkey god, son of Vayu (wind god), the embodiment of selfless devotion (bhakti), superhuman strength, and unwavering loyalty. Hanuman's leap across the ocean to find Sita is one of the most celebrated episodes in world literature. Also Lakshmana, Rama's devoted half-brother who accompanies him throughout the exile.
Antagonist
Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of Lanka -- a complex villain who is also a great scholar, devotee of Shiva, and master of the Vedas. His abduction of Sita is driven by lust and pride, the classic demonic failings. Ravana's complexity deepens in later retellings, especially in South Indian and Sri Lankan traditions.
The Lesson
Dharma (righteous duty) must be upheld even at the cost of personal happiness. Rama is Maryada Purushottama -- the ideal man who sacrifices personal desire for the demands of kingly duty and cosmic order. The epic also explores the tension between dharma and love, duty and compassion, and the costs of ideal kingship.
Fate
After a long and just reign, Rama enters the Sarayu River and returns to his divine form as Vishnu, ascending to Vaikuntha (Vishnu's heavenly abode). His earthly reign becomes the paradigm of the ideal kingdom.