Rama

Rama, one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities, the embodiment of chivalry and virtue. Although there are three Ramas mentioned in Indian tradition—Parashurama, Balarama, and Ramachandra—the name is specifically associated with Ramachandra, the seventh incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu. His story is told briefly in the Mahabharata (“Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”) and at great length in the Ramayana (“Rama’s Journey”).

References to Rama as an incarnation of Vishnu appear in the early centuries CE. There was, however, probably no special worship of him before the 11th century, and it was not until the 14th and 15th centuries that distinct sects appeared venerating him as the supreme god (notably that of the followers of the Brahman Ramananda). Rama’s popularity was increased greatly by the retelling of the Sanskrit epics in the vernaculars, such as Tulsidas’s celebrated Hindi version, the Ramcharitmanas (“Sacred Lake of the Acts of Rama”), and the Tamil Ramayana by Kampan as well as innumerable oral variants and dance dramas.

Rama and Krishna (also an incarnation of Vishnu) were the two most-popular recipients of adoration from the bhakti (devotional) groups that swept the country during that time. Whereas Krishna is adored for his mischievous pranks and amorous dalliances, Rama is conceived as a model of reason, right action, and desirable virtues. Temples to Rama faced by shrines to his monkey devotee Hanuman are widespread throughout India. Rama’s name is a popular form of greeting among friends (“Ram! Ram!”), and Rama is the deity most invoked at death.

In sculpture, Rama is represented as a standing figure, holding an arrow in his right hand and a bow in his left. His image in a shrine or temple is almost invariably attended by figures of his wife, Sita, his favourite half brother, Lakshmana, and Hanuman. In painting, he is depicted dark in colour (indicating his affinity with Vishnu), with princely adornments and the kirita-makuta (tall conical cap) on his head indicating his royal status. Rama’s exploits were depicted with great sympathy by the Rajasthani and Pahari schools of painting in the 17th and 18th centuries.