There are hundreds of versions of Ramayana apart from Valmiki’s original one spread to many Asian countries. Few of these versions are drastically different from the original.
The name of that forest where Ram, Sita and Lakshman went on exile was Dandakaranya which was spread over 35,600 square miles, now parts of present-day Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
The first letter after every 1000 verses of the Ramayan forms the Gayatri Mantra. This mantra is symbolically the essence of the epic Ramayana.
NASA recently discovered a man-made ancient bridge connecting Sri Lanka and India. Many believe this is the bridge the Vanara Army built to cross over to Lanka.
Sita managed to lift the Lord Shiva’s bow (Dhanush) during her childhood, that’s why King Janak put the condition of breaking the bow at Sita’s Swayamvar.
While Ram is considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Lakshmana is considered to be the incarnation of Sheshnag. While Bharata and Shatrughna are believed to be the incarnation of Sudarshan-chakra and conch-shell respectively carried by Lord Vishnu.
There is no mention of Lakshman Rekha in the original Valmiki Ramayana. Even in Ramcharitmanas, by Tulsidas, it doesn’t directly feature in the story.
To safeguard Lord Rama and Sita, the beloved brother of lord Rama, lord Lakshman sacrificed his sleep to which his wife Urmila continued sleeping for 14 years to compensate for the sleep of her husband.