The Ramayana,

Ramayana. Many peoples cultural

Indias Prized Novel

context of the epic poem. Also, many

lives are influenced by the religious

dramas and stories are inspired by
The Ramayana, such as: Lakshmana-

Reviewed by: Karen Alpuche

The Ramayana is an epic

poem written by the saint Valmiki
during the 4th century BC, but it
popularized during the Gupta
Empire period. The story is about
Ravana, who in times of war, became
egotistical and angry and therefore
lost the aid of the Gods.KA16 At first,
the Gods aided Ravana but as he
started becoming unreasonable and
angry, they no longer offered their
help.KA17 Thousands of years later an
incarnation of Vishnu was born,
named Rama. Rama later married
Sita, who was later stolen away by
Ravana.KA18 This led to a battle
between Ravana and Rama and they
fought on their carriages as they
circled the world.KA19
The Ramayana is a very
influential book, both for the
Classical Indian culture and also
other cultures at the time. Most
regional traditions stem from the

jati orKotrabaina-Ramela.KA20 The

Ramayana has influenced people
through literature, architecture,
politics, and even their everyday
lives. The former Indian
Ambassador, KM Kannampilly
wrote, For over fourteen centuries
now, the Ramayana has continued to
be a living force among the people of
Southeast Asia influencing their
hearts and thoughts, inspiring their
artistic creations and forming the
mainspring of their cultural life. To
them the hero and heroine of the
Ramayana have always been models
of chivalry, nobility and faithfulness,
characters of great spiritual beauty.
KA21

Many people argue that the

Ramayana began the third phase of

Hinduism in India, binding together
people from different castes and
backgrounds.KA22
The Ramayana has also
influenced other cultures. The
Ramayana helped create The Wajan

Kulit, the shadow or puppet theatre.

This is a very popular form of drama

in Indonesia. KA23 It greatly impacted
the Thai community also, many
people there know the story by heart,
and have known it since they were
children.
This novel is a classic for
many people around the world. Its a
novel with high action, deep
messages, and many other things
that led me to rate it five stars out of
five. This book came out from the
Gupta Empire, and if its still popular
today, thats how you know its a
good book.

Join us in watching Kalidasas new play, Shakuntala- a story about forbidden love.
Entry fee: 2 gold coins!
Tomorrow in Pataliputras local stage

ACTORS FROM ANCIENT TIMES

Written by: Karen Alpuche

rahba Khan was thirteen

when he attended his first
play. It was the year 375,
and the whole village was bustling with
life at the presence of the creative
genius, Kalidasa. Kalidasas play, the
Shakuntala, was being performed in
Prahbas village. Prahba and his entire
family were going to see it at the local
stage, and Prahba ran to the stage,
skipping with joy. He couldnt believe he
was seeing the famous Kalidasa in flesh.
Classical India was very

Sanskrit literature.KA4 Kalidasa has

seven surviving pieces: three plays, two
epic poems, and two lyrical poems.KA5
One of Kalidasas most well-known
pieces is the play Abhijhanasakuntala.
This play deals with love, more
specifically
forbidden love as
the king fails to
recognize
Sakuntala because
of the curse a sage
put on her. KA6
Kalidasa
portrayed many

advanced in art and drama. They also

themes and

loved poetry and epics. Their literature,

provided

art, and plays were all very intertwined

allegories to the

with nature and mythology. In South

human life. KA7

India, many travelling acting groups

would travel throughout cities
performing plays. KA1 Most actors
werent highly regarded at the time, but
in the Gupta Empire they were. Guptan
kings encouraged literature and loved
drama.KA2 In fact, Kalidasa, a famous
figure at the time, was the contemporary
of Chandragupta II.KA3
Kalidasa was very important in
the both literature and drama aspects of
the Gupta Empire. He is often regarded
as the greatest figure in classical

The Ramayana is a piece that

continues to be highly influential.
Written by the saint Valmiki in the 4th
century, it continues to be very famous
throughout South Asia. Inspiring people
on how to act morally for centuries, its
been a model for many people. (see page
___)
Another famous piece is the
Mahabharata, which is one of the
greatest epics of India. This epic has to
do with the suffering of the Aryan people
as they moved south. With 106,000

verses it is the longest poem in the

person, bad things will carry on to their

world, and for several hundred years it

next life. Because of the belief of karma,

survived through oral storytelling. KA8

most classical Indian plays and

The Mahabharata had a huge impact on

literature are centered around love and

society at the time, and it continues to

royalty. KA12

impact society in India. The

Mahabharata has been translated into
nearly every language in India and also
popular entertainments like folk theatre
and Indonesian shadow-puppet
theatre.KA9 This novel urges people to
follow the path of dharma, or
righteousness, in order to achieve a
happy life.KA10Although literature played
a huge role in Indian society, drama was
also highly regarded as a big part of their
culture at the time.

that time expressed the people whose

lives are tuned [with] the rhythms of
nature. Also art at the time used a lot of
symbolism and tended to represent
Gods and legends as everyday images
and forms. The Bhimbetaka caves are
very famous for their collection of rock
paintings. KA13 These collections of
prehistoric art in India. This art spans 7
different periods: the upper Paleolithic,

either

the Mesolithic, the Chaleolithic, early

Sanskrit or

historic, and the medieval periods. KA14

Also, in
Indian
drama there
are no
tragedies
because of
the belief of
karma. They

India

paintings or cave paintings. The art from

written in

Prakrit. KA11

In Madhya Pradesh,

Empire, many people made rock

paintings are the largest collection of

At the time, most plays were

The Bhimbetaka Caves

During the times of the Gupta

believe that
if someone
does wrong
to another

The Gupta Empire puts a lot of

effort and attention into the arts, and it
shows through the novels, poems, epics,
and plays. These pieces continue to
affect society in India today. Not only do
many of the plays continue to be
adapted today, but also many Indians
regard the Mahabharata as the Hindu
bible. KA15 This is because the
Mahabharata continues to be an
inspiration to many civilians on how to
act morally. The literature and drama

has brought along new ideas and

transformed our society.

Karen Alpuche

KA22 (Trafford)
KA23 (Bharati)

KA1

(Black 178)

KA2 (Literature

During Gupta Age)

KA3 (Literature

During Gupta Age)

KA4 (Morris)
KA5 (Maurer)
KA6 (Kalidasa)
KA7 (A

study into).

KA8 (MAHABARAT)
KA9 (

World Literature 459)

KA10 (MAHABARAT)
KA11 (Gupta

Empire)

KA12 (Walker)
KA13 (Arora)
KA14 (Arora)
KA15 (Mahabharata)
KA16 (
KA17 (

World Literature 488)

World Literature 489)

KA18 (
KA19 (

World Literature 489)

World Literature 492)

KA20 (Mishra)
KA21 (Bharati)