IMPACT OF THE RAMAYANA

Ramayana is the fountain source of a great tradition of literature, culture, religion; not only in India, but in the islands, regions and countries as far as in Pacific Ocean as well. There are two main streams which flowed from India, the birth place of the Ramayana; one to the South East Asia (SEA) and the other to the western countries, representing the cultural and literary aspects respectively.

The few works of literature produced in any place at any time have been as popular, influential, imitated and successful as the great and ancient Sanskrit epic poem, the Ramayana. Though India is the home land of the Ramayana, it now belongs to the entire world and is a unique, social, cultural, spiritual, philosophical and literary treasure of the mankind. Differences in the ideological, political and religious setup of the countries influenced by the Ramayana have never been a hindrance in the progress and popularity of the epic. The regions that have come under the sway of this epic constitute mainly the SEA countries like Cambodia, Indonesia, Java, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

EFFECT OF RAMAYANA ON COUNTRIES OTHER THAN SOUTH EAST ASIA(SEA)

Nepal, a close neighbor of India and the only Hindu nation reflects the influence of Ramayana to a great extent. A sculpture of Rama with a bow in one hand and varada mudra with the other is found to the east of the famous Pasupati temple, dating 7th century A.D. One more sculpture of 8th century depicts Rama with Sita and Laksmana and a woman clinging to his feet. This might be Ahalya. Hanuman cult, too, is very popular in Nepal. An image of Valmiki is found on the banks of river Tamasa. The other neighboring countries of India reflect dual influence; that of the Hindu culture, as well as the Buddhist culture. In China and Japan the story of Rama is found through the episodes derived from the Syama Jataka and Dasaratha Jataka in Pali. In Tibet and Mongolia, Rama story comes as the story of Jiwaka. Rama Sita  episode, though very popular in the socio-cultural life of the Srilanka. There were trade relations between India and western Asia from ancient times. Trade relations presuppose cultural relations. Arabs, however, were more interested in medicine, astronomy and mathematics than in cultural and religious treatises.  Imprints of Ramayana have been noticed in the poetry of Peru. Diffusion of Hindu thoughts, myths and practices to ancient America might have taken place through SEA. Tales of Hindu Buddhist influence in Mexico and among the Maya correspond to those cultural elements, which in SEA were introduced by Hindu Buddhist monks. According to Will Durant, eminent American historian, India is the most ancient civilization in the world to have exerted her influence throughout the world, and that Indians were exploring sea routes, reaching out and extending their cultural influence on Mesopotamia, Arabia and Egypt, as early as the 9th century B.C.  Ramayana has reached as far as the freezing Siberia. Siberia is a land where monasteries had the academic traditions of Nalanda, where, the holy Ganga is revered, where Sanskrit names are still prevalent, where mantras ring forth in the immensities of space and silence, where Panini is the model of linguistic development and where Meghaduta is their first lyric.  Truly, "Ramayana tradition is a multi voiced entity, encompassing telling of the Rama story that vary according to historical period, regional, literary tradition, religious affiliation, intended audience, social location and political context.