Hero of the Hindu Epic Ramayana, an Avatar of Vishnu
Hindu tradition holds that Rama is the seventh avatar of Vishnu, descended to earth to remove the demon king Ravana. The epic Ramayana records him as prince of Ayodhya, exiled to the forest for fourteen years by palace intrigue; when his wife Sita was carried off by the demon king, he joined the monkey god Hanuman to lead an army across the sea to rescue her, and at last returned in triumph to be crowned — the model of the ideal king and husband in Hinduism. "The reign of Rama" (Ram Rajya) remains a symbolic phrase for "an age of peace and order" in Indian culture to this day.
Rama had already been named crown prince when his stepmother, favoring her own son, invoked a promise the king had made in earlier years to force Rama into fourteen years’ exile in the forest. Rama accepted without complaint, going to the forest with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana — this obedience to his father’s command is seen in Hindu tradition as a model of Dharma (duty, righteous order) above personal gain or loss.
After Sita was carried off to Lanka by the demon king Ravana, Rama joined the monkey king Sugriva and the monkey god Hanuman to lead the monkey army across the sea against Lanka, and after hard fighting at last slew Ravana and recovered Sita. This great battle is one of the legendary origins of the Diwali festival’s "victory of light over darkness."
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
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