Kamban – Tulsidas – Krittibas
How India Sang the Ramayana in Three Voices
There is only one Ramayana — yet there are hundreds.
This is not a contradiction. It is a miracle.
Valmiki gave the world the original epic of Dharma.
But India did something extraordinary: every region rewrote the Ramayana in its own emotional language. Each version is like a different raga played on the same divine theme.
Among these, three stand like luminous pillars:
Kamban Ramayanam (Tamil)
Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas (Awadhi/Hindi)
Krittivasi Ramayana (Bengali)
If Valmiki gave the Ramayana its soul, these poets gave it a heart in every home.
1. Kamban’s Ramayana – The Ramayana of Majesty and Poetry
If Valmiki is the original sun, Kamban is the golden sunrise.
Kamban (12th century Tamil Nadu) did not merely retell the story — he turned it into a symphony of poetry and divine grandeur.
Rama in Kamban’s world
Rama is:
Majestic
Heroic
Cosmic
Radiantly divine
Kamban constantly reminds us:
This is Vishnu walking the earth.
His verses are rich, layered, philosophical and emotionally powerful. Every scene becomes larger than life.
When Rama lifts Shiva’s bow, the moment feels cosmic.
When Hanuman leaps to Lanka, the universe seems to pause.
When Ravana falls, it feels like a titan collapsing.
The emotional tone
Kamban’s Ramayana is dominated by:
Veera rasa (heroism)
Adbhuta rasa (wonder)
Shringara rasa (divine love)
This is the Ramayana of:
Kings
Warriors
Gods
Grand destiny
It is the Ramayana of royal courts and temple halls.
2. Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas – The Ramayana of Bhakti
If Kamban gives us the royal Rama,
Tulsidas gives us the beloved Rama.
Tulsidas (16th century) wrote during the Bhakti movement when devotion became the path for ordinary people. His Ramayana is not an epic to admire — it is a scripture to live by.
Rama in Tulsidas’ world
Rama is:
The Supreme God
Compassion itself
The refuge of the humble
Tulsidas’ greatest transformation: He makes the Ramayana a spiritual path.
The Ramcharitmanas is not just a story; it is:
Sung in homes
Recited in temples
Heard in villages
Wept over by devotees
The emotional tone
Dominant rasa:
Bhakti (devotion)
Karuna (compassion)
In Tulsidas:
Even chanting “Ram” is liberation.
Hanuman becomes the ideal devotee.
The story becomes a path to salvation.
This is the Ramayana of kirtan, satsang and tears of devotion.
3. Krittibas’ Ramayana – The Ramayana of the Heart
If Tulsidas brings Rama to the temple,
Krittibas brings Rama into the home.
Krittibas Ojha (15th century Bengal) transformed the epic into something intimate, tender and deeply human.
Rama in Krittibas’ world
Rama is:
Loving
Emotional
Gentle
Accessible
He laughs, grieves, worries and feels like a member of the family.
This Ramayana feels as if the story is happening in the next village.
Sita becomes a Bengali grihalakshmi
Sita is portrayed like a traditional Bengali wife:
Modest
Shy
Graceful
Deeply emotional
She blushes. She gestures instead of speaking.
The epic enters the world of everyday family life.
Even Ravana becomes a devotee
The most astonishing transformation: Many demons fight Rama to attain liberation from him.
War becomes: Not good vs evil, but
God granting salvation to all souls.
This is the Ramayana of:
Folk songs
Village gatherings
Storytelling nights
It became the living Ramayana of Bengal.
4. Three Ramayanas — Three Rasas
Poet
Region
Rama’s Form
Emotional Tone
Kamban
Tamil Nadu
Majestic Divine King
Heroism & Wonder
Tulsidas
North India
Supreme God & Savior
Devotion & Compassion
Krittibas
Bengal
Beloved Family Lord
Emotion & Intimacy
Together they show something beautiful:
India did not change the story.
India changed the emotion through which Rama is loved.
5. One Rama, Infinite Love
Kamban teaches us to admire Rama.
Tulsidas teaches us to worship Rama.
Krittibas teaches us to love Rama.
This is the genius of Indian civilisation.
We did not ask: Which Ramayana is correct?
We asked: How many ways can the human heart love Rama?
And the answer was: Endless.
Valmiki gave the world the Ramayana.
Kamban crowned it.
Tulsidas sanctified it.
Krittibas humanised it.
And together they made Rama eternal in the hearts of millions.
The Many Faces of Rama Beyond India
If India sang the Ramayana in many languages,
Asia turned it into a civilisational bridge.
Few stories in human history have travelled as far, as gently and as lovingly as the Ramayana. Without armies, without conquest, without force — the story of Rama crossed oceans, mountains and cultures, carried only by traders, monks, poets and storytellers.
And wherever it went, something beautiful happened:
Each land adopted Rama as its own.
The result is a breathtaking cultural map of devotion stretching across Asia.
The journey through these lands where Rama still lives.
1. Thailand – Rama the Ideal King (Ramakien)
In Thailand, the Ramayana became the Ramakien — the “Glory of Rama”.
Here, Rama is not just a divine hero.
He becomes the model of kingship.
Thai kings even adopt the title “Rama”. The current dynasty is called the Chakri dynasty, whose kings are numbered Rama I, Rama II, Rama III… up to the present Rama X.
The Ramakien is painted on the walls of Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew temple, stretching across hundreds of panels — a visual epic of devotion.
Changes in the Thai version:
Hanuman becomes a charming, playful hero.
The story emphasises royal duty and political ethics.
The narrative celebrates loyalty to the king.
Here, the Ramayana became a mirror for governance and kingship.
2. Indonesia – Rama in the Land of Temples and Volcanoes
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, still preserves one of the most vibrant Ramayana traditions.
The story arrived over a thousand years ago and flourished during Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms.
The Indonesian version is called the Kakawin Ramayana.
At the Prambanan Temple in Java, the Ramayana is carved in stone, and every full-moon night the famous Ramayana Ballet is performed against the backdrop of ancient temples and volcanic hills.
Unique features:
Strong influence of Shaiva and Buddhist philosophy.
Emphasis on spiritual symbolism.
Elegant courtly aesthetics.
It is one of the most moving examples of cultural continuity:
Even after religious change, the story was never abandoned.
3. Cambodia – The Ramayana as Sacred Art (Reamker)
In Cambodia, the epic becomes the Reamker — “The Glory of Rama”.
Here, the Ramayana transforms into:
Temple carvings
Classical dance
Royal drama
The walls of Angkor Wat and other Khmer temples carry magnificent Ramayana reliefs.
Cambodian classical dance tells the story through:
Graceful hand gestures
Symbolic movement
Sacred theatre
The Reamker highlights:
Moral conflict
Loyalty
Cosmic balance
It feels mystical and symbolic — almost dreamlike.
4. Laos – The Ramayana as Buddhist Wisdom (Phra Lak Phra Lam)
In Laos, the Ramayana becomes Phra Lak Phra Lam.
Here something fascinating happens: Rama and Lakshmana are treated as Bodhisattva-like figures.
The story is reinterpreted through Buddhist philosophy:
Karma
Compassion
Moral righteousness
The epic becomes less about war and more about ethical living.
5. Myanmar – The Ramayana of Drama (Yama Zatdaw)
In Myanmar, the Ramayana becomes Yama Zatdaw.
This version lives mainly in:
Theatre
Dance
Puppetry
Traditional Burmese puppet theatre still stages the Ramayana.
The epic is vibrant, musical and theatrical — meant to be experienced by the whole community.
6. Malaysia – The Hikayat Seri Rama
In Malaysia, the Ramayana became the Hikayat Seri Rama.
Here the story adapted to an Islamic cultural environment and survived in folk storytelling and shadow puppetry.
Even with religious changes, Rama continued to be respected as a noble and virtuous hero.
This shows the story’s universal appeal beyond religion.
7. Nepal – The Ramayana of Janaki’s Land
Nepal, the land of Janakpur (Sita’s birthplace), holds deep emotional reverence for the epic.
The Nepali Ramayana emphasises:
Sita’s purity
Family values
Devotional living
Here, the story is intertwined with pilgrimage and living tradition.
8. Why the Ramayana Spread So Far
What allowed the Ramayana to cross borders so effortlessly?
Because it speaks of universal human ideals:
Duty
Love
Loyalty
Sacrifice
Righteous leadership
The victory of good over evil
Every culture saw its own values reflected in Rama.
The story was flexible, welcoming and adaptable — yet its moral core never changed.
9. A Civilisation Connected by a Story
Long before modern globalisation, the Ramayana created a cultural commonwealth across Asia.
From India to Indonesia…
From Thailand to Cambodia…
From Laos to Malaysia…
Different languages.
Different religions.
Different customs.
Yet one story.
One hero.
One ideal.
Closing Reflection
India asked: How many ways can we love Rama?
Asia answered: How many cultures can adopt Rama?
The Ramayana is not just a book.
It is a shared civilisational memory of Asia.
And perhaps that is its greatest miracle:
A story that travelled without conquering,
yet conquered every heart it touched.
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