Ramayana: Some Facts You Probably Did Not Know About

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.

Hundred Ramayanas

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.

Forest of Exile

The first letter after every 1000 verses of the Ramayan forms the Gayatri Mantra. This mantra is symbolically the essence of the epic Ramayana.

Gayatri Mantra

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.

Ram Setu

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.

Sita Lifted Shiva's Bow

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.

Rama's Brothers are Incarnations

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.  

Lakshman Rekha Issue

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.

No Sleep for Lakshmana