India is well-known for its rich culture, traditions, mythological stories, and religious diversity worldwide. Stories like Ramayana are prevalent in the sensibilities of Indian people and play a vital role in preaching the overall ideal way of living in the world. It is an epic that strengthens the importance of brotherhood, sacrifices for loved ones, a sense of righteousness, culture, humbleness, and simple living with a touch of sacredness. Ramayana is much more than a mythological tale that teaches us about our heritage and some of history’s most significant events. Children should be taught these stories from an early age since it helps them understand Indian history much better. The Ramayana story in English is taught in many elementary schools as part of the curriculum. The Ramayana’s full story is of prince Rama’s journey with the help of an army of monkeys to rescue his beloved wife, Sita, from the hands of the great monarch of Lanka, Ravana. Learn more by reading ahead.
Origin And History Of The Ramayana Story
The Ramayana epic was written in Sanskrit by the sage Valmiki many years ago to teach Lord Rama’s sons, Luv and Kush. The Ramayana has been adapted in several Indian languages.
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Story Type Of The Ramayana Story
The Ramayana is a mythological saga and should be taught to kids to make them aware of their history and roots.
Story Characters
The Ramayana story has numerous characters; the most important ones are:
King Dasharatha: King Dasharatha ruled the kingdom of Ayodhya on the banks of the river Sarayu, located in the present-day state of Uttar Pradesh. He had three wives and loved his elder son, Rama, dearly.
Rama: Rama was King Dasharatha’s eldest son and was adored by everyone. He was well-known for his polite nature and fearless attitude.
Lakshmana: Lakshmana was King Dasharatha and his third wife, Sumitra’s son. He had a unique bond with his dear brother Rama and could do anything for him.
Sita: Sita was Raja Janak’s, the king of Mithila’s, daughter and was married to the eldest prince of Ayodhya, i.e., Rama.
Ravana: Ravana was the mighty king of the kingdom of Lanka. He kidnaps Sita from the forest and is later killed by Rama.
Hanuman: Lord Hanuman, son of Anjani, was a big devotee of Lord Rama. He was wise and played an important role in Ravana’s defeat.
The Ramayan Story For Children
A long time ago, there lived a king named Dasharatha, the ruler of the kingdom of Ayodhya. He had three wives: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. The first wife, Kausalya, gave birth to the eldest son, Rama. The second wife, Kaikeyi, gave birth to Bharata, while the third wife, Sumitra, had twins and named them Lakshmana and Satrughna.
In no time, the kids grew up into handsome princes and became well-known across the kingdom for their wisdom and strength. King Dasharatha loved all his kids but had a soft spot in his heart for his eldest son, Rama.
One day, sage Vishwamitra took the young princes to the neighbouring kingdom of Mithila, which King Janaka ruled. He had organised a swayamvar for his daughters, Sita and Urmila.
“Welcome, Princes!” announced King Janaka. “As you all know that I have organised this swayamvar for my two beautiful daughters, and any of you can get married to them. However, the only condition is that you have to string this great bow by Lord Shiva.”
Many princes took turns stringing the bow, but none of them succeeded. In the end, Rama went and strung it in his first attempt to win King Janaka’s elder daughter Sita for marriage. Urmila got married to Lakshmana, and all of them were welcomed back to the kingdom with great pomp and show.
Things were fine until one day, King Dasharatha expressed his willingness to throne Rama as the king.
“My dear Ayodhya citizens. I have served you all for many years now. Now I am growing old and want to appoint my eldest son Rama as the king”, announced King Dasharatha, and the entire kingdom danced with joy.
However, Dasharatha’s second wife, Kaikeyi, was unhappy with the decision as she wanted his son, Bharat, to be the king. She was charmed into thinking so by one of her closest servants Manthara.
She immediately called for the king and asked him to fulfil the two wishes that he had granted him a long time back.
“My dear King. I guess it’s time for you to fulfil the two boons you had given me”, said Kaikeyi. “I want you to make my son, Bharat, to be the king and send Rama to the forest for an exile of fourteen years”.
Poor king had no option but to send Rama to exile. He was accompanied by his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana to the forest.
As soon as Rama left for the forest, Dasharatha could not accept the fact and died within a few days.
Rama, Sita and Lakshmana lived a life full of hardships in the forest. One day, Ravana’s sister, Surpanakha, saw Rama and was mesmerised by his beauty. She wanted to marry him, but Rama refused. Angrily, she went to attack Sita, but Lakshmana cut her nose in rage to protect Sita.
She returned to Lanka and narrated the incident to her brother Ravana, who decided to take revenge on them.
One day, Sita saw a beautiful deer in the forest and asked Rama to get it for her. The deer was nothing else but a trap by Ravana. When Rama did not return after a long time, Sita sent Lakshmana to look for him. Lakshmana was hesitant to go but eventually left after drawing a magic line on the door.
“I urge you not to cross this line in any circumstances”, said Lakshmana and left.
Meanwhile, Ravana came to Sita dressed as a sage and asked her to offer some fruits. As soon as Sita crossed the line, he grabbed Sita and took her to Lanka on his rath.
When Rama and Lakshmana came to know about what had happened, they rushed to rescue Sita. On the way, they met the monkey king Sugreev and Hanuman, who decided to help them to rescue Sita.
Hanuman flew to the kingdom of Lanka in search of Sita and saw her sitting in one of the backyards. She went to her and said, “Mata Sita. I am a messenger of lord Rama, and I am here to give you this ring. Lord Rama has sent this ring and said that he will come to rescue you very soon.”
Later, the guards caught Hanuman and set his tail on fire. He burnt Ravana’s entire palace and returned to Rama.
After that, Rama and the monkey army started their journey to Lanka to rescue Sita. They reached there after many days, and finally, the war began.
Kumbhkarna, Ravana’s mighty brother, Indrajith, Ravana’s son, and other great warriors lost their lives in the battle.
Finally, Lord Rama and Ravana came face to face. Lord Rama killed Ravana, and they took Sita back to the kingdom of Ayodhya, where he was crowned as the king.
Story Summary
Given below is a summary of the Ramayana story-
King Dasharatha, the ruler of Ayodhya, and his three wives had four children: Rama, Lakshmana, Bharat, and Satrughna. The king loved all his children dearly, but his favourite was his eldest son, Rama. He wanted him to be the king. However, the news did not go well with his second wife, Kaikeyi, as she wanted her son, Bharat, to be the king. She asked the king to send Rama to exile and make Bharat the king. Dasharatha agreed half-heartedly, and soon Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita left for exile.
In the forest, Sita was kidnapped by Ravana, the king of Rakshas. While escaping, Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana met Sugreev and Hanuman, who agreed to help them by providing them with their monkey army. With the help of the monkey army, Rama and Lakshmana successfully won over Ravana’s army and killed him, thus rescuing Sita and bringing her back to Ayodhya.
What Lesson Did Your Child Learn From This Story?
The Ramayana story teaches kids the crucial lesson of “Victory of good over evil”.
In the given story, Ravana was a very mighty and powerful king but was eventually killed by Lord Rama because of his bad deeds.
How Can Children Apply The Lesson Of The Story In Their Real Life?
The Ramayana story teaches children the importance of doing good deeds and always helping others. Kids should always follow the path of good as, in the end, good prevails and bad loses. They can get inspired by Rama’s disposition. Even after many hardships, Rama didn’t leave his good nature until the end. He respected his parents, brothers, wife, and friends and always stood up for them. Kids can learn to form the character of Laxmana, Bharat, and Shatrughan on how to nurture sibling love. Kids can learn to be kind, respectful, and virtuous after listening to the story.
The Ramayana story with pictures makes up for an informative read for the children as it allows them to visualise the characters and familiarises them with ancient history. You can read this Ramayana story to them at bedtime and watch them drift off to sleep with a feeling of justness and righteousness.
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