Rama — History, Mantras & Temples in Hinduism

Who is Rama?

There is a title given to Rama that no other deity in Hinduism receives: Maryada Purushottam — the supreme upholder of boundaries, the ideal human being. Not just a god, not just a hero — but the model of what a human life, lived with complete integrity, can look like.

Rama (राम) is the seventh avatar of Vishnu, born as the eldest prince of Ayodhya to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya. His name, the tradition says, is composed of the seed syllables of the two greatest mantras — the Ra from the Ashtakshari mantra of Vishnu and the Ma from the Panchakshari mantra of Shiva — making Rama a name that encompasses all of the divine.

The great sage Valmiki, when he asked the celestial sage Narada to name a single human being who possessed every virtue — courage, righteousness, gratitude, truth-telling, kindness, all at once — was told of one person: Rama. From that conversation came the Ramayana, the story of that one life.

Rama is not worshipped from a distance. He is loved the way one loves an older brother — reliable, noble, steady. He is the one who does the hard thing. He keeps his word when it costs him everything.

Iconography and Symbolism

Rama’s form speaks of his nature before a word is said.

Together they form a picture of the ideal household: devoted spouses, faithful companions, principled leadership. This is why Rama’s image graces so many Hindu homes — not just as a deity to pray to, but as a model to live toward.

The Ramayana — The Story of Rama’s Life

The Ramayana of Valmiki is one of the two great epics of India — along with the Mahabharata — and it is among the most beloved stories ever told. Every Hindu child grows up knowing its broad arc. Here it is told as it has been told for three thousand years:

The Birth and Early Years

Rama was born in Ayodhya — the city of no war — as the eldest of four princes. From childhood his character shone: gentle with the weak, fierce with the unjust, truthful even when the truth was inconvenient. As a young man, he accompanied the sage Vishwamitra into the forest, protecting his sacrifices from demons. In the court of King Janaka, he strung the great bow of Shiva that no other man could even lift — and in doing so, won the hand of Sita, the daughter of the earth herself (sita means furrow — she was found in a field).

The Exile

On the eve of Rama’s coronation as king, the court favorite Kaikeyi (his father’s youngest wife) extracted two old promises from King Dasharatha: her son Bharata would be crowned instead, and Rama would be banished to the forest for fourteen years. Dasharatha was shattered. But Rama — without hesitation, without anger — accepted. His father had given his word. That word must be kept.

Sita insisted on following him into the forest. Lakshmana would not be left behind either. So the three went — a prince, his wife, and his brother — into the wild, living as forest hermits for fourteen years.

This is the teaching that has moved millions of hearts: Rama did not rail against injustice done to him. He honored his father’s word as if it were his own.

The Abduction of Sita

The demon-king Ravana — lord of Lanka, possessor of ten heads and great spiritual power — saw Sita in the forest and was consumed by desire. Using deception (a golden deer to lure Rama away, then Lakshmana), he seized Sita and carried her in his flying chariot to his island kingdom of Lanka.

Rama’s grief was immeasurable. But grief was followed by resolve. He would find her. He would bring her home.

The Search and the Bridge

Rama and Lakshmana traveled south, forming an alliance with the monkey-king Sugriva and his army. The great Hanuman — son of the wind god, servant of Rama — leaped across the ocean to Lanka, found Sita imprisoned in the Ashoka grove, spoke with her, and returned with news.

Then came the impossible: an army of monkeys and bears building a bridge across the ocean to Lanka. Stone by stone, they carried rocks inscribed with Rama’s name — and the stones floated. Jai Shri Ram, carved in the rock. This is why that name, to this day, has the quality of something that holds things up.

The Battle of Lanka and the Return

Rama’s army crossed to Lanka. The great battle lasted days. Ravana sent his mightiest warriors: Kumbhakarna, Indrajit, demon after demon. All fell. Finally Rama and Ravana faced each other. Ravana’s heads were cut off one after another — and grew back. Finally Rama fired the divine Brahmastra arrow — blessed by Brahma himself — and it pierced Ravana through the heart.

Lanka fell. Sita was freed. The fourteen years of exile were complete.

Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and all their allies flew back to Ayodhya in the Pushpaka Vimana — the divine flying chariot. The city had lit every lamp in anticipation. The whole kingdom blazed with light.

This is Diwali — the Festival of Lights. The day Rama came home.

Worship and Practice

Ram Navami — the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra (March-April) — is Rama’s birthday. Devotees fast, attend temple, and participate in recitations of the Ramayana. The reading of the Ramcharitmanas — the great Hindi retelling by the poet Tulsidas — is a pious activity especially on this day. In many communities, Ramcharitmanas recitation groups meet year-round, but on Ram Navami they read continuously from beginning to end.

The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, consecrated in January 2024, stands at the site revered by tradition as Rama’s birthplace. Its construction was anticipated for decades by hundreds of millions of devotees, and its opening was one of the most significant events in modern Hindu religious history. Pilgrims travel from across the world to receive darshan there.

Dussehra (Vijayadashami) celebrates Rama’s victory over Ravana. Across India, effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Indrajit are filled with fireworks and burned on this day — a visceral, joyful celebration of the victory of dharma over adharma.

The practice of Ram Naam — the repetition of Rama’s name — is considered by many saints to be the greatest spiritual practice available. The poet-saint Tulsidas wrote that the name Rama contains within it the essence of the entire thousand names of Vishnu. Mahatma Gandhi’s final words, according to those present at his assassination, were He Ram — O Rama. The name was on his lips at the last moment.

It needs no ritual, no preparation, no Sanskrit knowledge, no priest. Ram Ram Ram. Three syllables. The bridge across the ocean, and the ocean itself.