Search

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are epics that have been an integral part of the Indian consciousness for the longest time. Many of the Indian theatre forms such as, Pandvani, Ramlila, Krishnalila, Koodiyattam, have originated from them Most of these folk forms or alternative forms of theatre were religious in nature. The audience went to watch them as if they were going to temples for it was a belief that the gods themselves descended into the actors performing them. With the passage of time and presence of other ethnicities the role of such theatre forms changed. Our focus is on the changing nature of these theatre forms, especially the Ramlila which is a folk form that tells the story of Lord Rama. Most of the other theatre forms based on religious stories from the epics developed in separate areas in the country, which explains the regional nature of these folk forms. For instance, Koodiyattam is performed only in the state of Kerala. However, the Ramlila is not bound to an area or region. It is performed all over the country and in different guises, each performance interpreting the religious stories in different ways. The presence of a master manuscript does not mean that one region's Ramlila might not differ from that of another region. Though the Ramlila is religious in nature, the implications attached to its performances have changed through the ages, swinging from religious to being a tool for rebellion and moving beyond that to lose its religious and moral connotations and becoming a 'mere' spectacle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the female characters of Ramayana in the perspective of Ashtanāyika. Indian tradition defines Ramayana as 'Mahākāvya', a category which is akin to the western types of drama and narrative thinking. Its style is decorative, elaborated with similes and metaphors, and along with other features of classical Sanskrit poetry. In Indian epics; karma, dharma, and kāla determine what the hero can do. Curses and boons become a means to elevate the story to mythic heights. Ramayana of Valmiki displays almost all the epic features. The variety of characters, the description of events, the simplicity in words, the values taught in each episode, have indeed added to the popularity of the story. The religious significance which it has acquired has made it into a sacred book. Characters of different emotions and sentiments take the story of Ramayana to great heights. The epic quality of Ramayana is its adaptability to many art forms. The emotional story of Ramayana revolves around the characters expressing different sentiments and values. Rasa is the basis of art. The main aim of any art is to evoke rasa in the mind of the onlooker. Through movements, the artist, the dancer creates the rasa and conveys it to the audience in order to create the right mood. The study of the woman characters lead Ramayana story from one stage to another. The difficulties, sorrows, compassion, love and sacrifices along with the mental states or avasthās of nāyikas with reference to their nāyakas are to be seen and interpreted from the perspective of women characters. The important female characters of Ramayana play a pivotal role to the plot and trigger the discussion on the variables of the emotive elements. The emotional changes they underwent with their nāyakas can be better understood when seen from the perspective of ashtanāyikas as mentioned by Bharata in his classic text the Natyashastra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kol, Bhil and Gond are some of the ancient tribal populations known from the Ramayana, one of the Great epics of India. Though there have been studies about their affinity based on classical and haploid genetic markers, the molecular insights of their relationship with other tribal and caste populations of extant India is expected to give more clarity about the the question of continuity vs. discontinuity. In this study, we scanned >97,000 of single nucleotide polymorphisms among three major ancient tribes mentioned in Ramayana, namely Bhil, Kol and Gond. The results obtained were then compared at inter and intra population levels with neighboring and other world populations. Using various statistical methods, our analysis suggested that the genetic architecture of these tribes (Kol and Gond) was largely similar to their surrounding tribal and caste populations, while Bhil showed closer affinity with Dravidian and Austroasiatic (Munda) speaking tribes. The haplotype based analysis revealed a massive amount of genome sharing among Bhil, Kol, Gond and with other ethnic groups of South Asian descent. On the basis of genetic component sharing among different populations, we anticipate their primary founding over the indigenous Ancestral South Indian (ASI) component has prevailed in the genepool over the last several thousand years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A criticism is presented of the American animated film "Sita Sings the Blues," directed by Nina Paley. Particular focus is given to the film's portrayal and alleged misrepresentation of Hindu goddess Sita in the Hindu epic story "Ramayana," including in regard to feminist critiques of the film and the cultural property associated with "Ramayana."

Kumbhakarna was brother of the evil Raavana in the mythological tale of Ramayana. According the legend, Kumbhakarna had an insatiable appetite and thirst and used to sleep for great lengths of time. He also had an uncontrollable temper, which was feared by many. It is our assessment that Kumbhakarna possibly suffered from hypothalamic obesity. Hypothalamic obesity can be defined as significant polyphagia and weight gain that occurs because of structural or function involvement of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus bilaterally. The characteristic features are obesity associated with polyphagia. Somnolence is present in 40% of cases. Sham rage is a characteristic behavioral abnormality seen in these patients. All these symptoms are described in the mythological text while describing Kumbhakarna. The episodic nature of Kumbhakarna′s symptoms can also be explained by another hypothalamic syndrome called Klein-Levine syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by with periodic episodes of somnolence, hyperphagia and hypersexuality along with other behavioral and cognitive difficulties.

The present paper explores the connection between the topos of the four ages of humankind, and kr̥tayuga in particular, and the way in which Rāma’s rule is described in the Rāmāyaṇa. This topos, commonly found in various literatures of the ancient world, is also attested in this epic, featuring in the account of Rāma’s rule in books one and six. The characteristic elements of kr̥tayuga, such as the earth’s spontaneous abundance and the absence of human miseries and suffering, make it clear that the king whose rule is described in such a way should be regarded as a divine human. The first part of this paper discusses the main problems connected with the Indian idea of king as presented especially by Edward W. Hopkins and Sheldon Pollock (king as a divine human or mortal god). The second part is devoted to the comparison of the descriptions of the world’s four periods in Indian, Greek, and Roman literature, with a focus on the similarities between them. In the third part of the paper emphasis is laid on the kr̥tayuga in particular and the way in which Rāma’s rule is described.

An essay is presented on the three moments of Indian history during which new interpretations of the Hindu epic Ramayana became part of the social movements to democratise political existence. They include E. V. Ramasamy's denunciations of the Hindu epics in the 1950s, Kumaran Asan's 1991 Malayalam poem "Chintavishtayaya Sita" and director Nina Paley's cosmopolitanism in the film "Sita Sings the Blues." The author examines the three conjunctures related to religion and democracy in the country.

Ramayana and Mahabharata are two great epics of the subcontinent of India. Over the generations, these are narrated orally also. Janamejaya, the successor of the Gaurava vamsa (Arjuna's great grandson) asked the sage to tell the story of his predecessors while he was doing the yagna for snakes. So, Vaisampaayanar told the story in the presence of the great Sage Vyasa. Vyasa dictated the story and Lord Ganesha wrote it with one of his tusks. It was in Sanskrit. The stories were written in other Indian languages also. Each Indian language has added some of the incidents according to their culture. So the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha have many interpolations in them. Though Ramayana and Mahabharata have written editions, still there are many stories in oral literature not yet entered in the written version. This paper aims at describing some of the incidents which are related to Mahabharata, but not included in the written literature and still remain part of the oral tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores forms of creativity that arise out of the intersubjective experience of a performance of the Hindu epicRamayanain the context of an Indonesian migrant community in Perth, Western Australia. Three performances are discussed, illustrating a variety of differences between the aims and experiences of the performers and the reactions of their multiple audiences, including the Balinese community members as cultural ‘insiders’ and the Australian audiences approaching the Ramayana as an exotic spectacle. The article follows an attempt by an Indonesian migrant women's dance group (Srikandi) to recreate the Ramayana performance, guided by a five-minute Brazilian fusion soundtrack of Balinese ‘Kecak’ found in Holland. The Ramayana characters were realised according to the dance backgrounds of the performers that included Javanese, Balinese and international belly-dancing styles. Srikandi presented an advertised ‘exotic’ Ramayana dance drama for an Australian audience who were conceptualised by the dancers as potential tourists to Bali. However, the Balinese community believed Srikandi's five-minute performance made a mockery of the importance of Ramayana in their Hindu ritual. Drawing on the various relationships between performers and audiences, this article illuminates the complex ways in which creativity arises from contested experiences within a migrant setting that comprises people from diverse backgrounds and lifestyles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines a few appropriations of the main women characters in the Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, by ordinary women in their folk songs, as well as by women writers and artists in the feminist domain. The appropriations dip into already existing associations about the epic heroines, but rearticulate these to create greater space for the elaboration and positioning of postcolonial Indian feminisms. While the appropriation of the epics carries certain risks, such as unintentional complicity with right-wing conservative projects and the positioning of Indian feminism as exclusive of caste and class concerns, it is contended here that the risk is worth taking because the epics continue to be an important and contested part of the cultural field, and because the feminist appropriations are able to absorb and respond to the critiques to some degree. The appropriations in the folk domain are juxtaposed with those in the feminist domain: those of Sita from the Ramayana are juxtaposed with those of Draupadi from the Mahabharata. In addition, all appropriations are placed within the debate in Indian feminism over the use of traditional narratives in order to garner insight into the potential of the narratives as a resource for feminist projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For 40 years, Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) comics have been synonymous with the Indian comic book industry, and as such have garnered critical attention, including three books and numerous articles. In contrast, other English comics, especially those published since ACK stopped releasing new books in 1990, are the subjects of significantly less discussion. New publishers are now continuing and expanding the ACK tradition in significant ways. One major contribution to the industry is new comics based on theRamayana, which has spawned six series/graphic novels in the last 5 years. In this essay, I will focus on Liquid (previously Virgin) Comic’s series,Ramayan 3392 AD, as one of the heirs to the ACK tradition, specifically one which maintains a perspective sympathetic to Rama. I will discuss how3392ADperpetuates ACK’s use of the feminine Vedic ideal while expanding into diasporic and non-Indian audiences. This expansion allows the series to capitalise on the fear of cultural loss to proscribe gendered normative behaviour.3392 ADcreates a new female archetype, the prodigal woman, and uses this category along with existing archetypes to embody a strict feminine social code and to proscribe bodily consequences for women who reject or transgress this code. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Kiski Kahani project in Pune, India, is a not-for-profit program that compiles stories of the Ramayana, a South Asian epic, and publishes them in English. Kiski Kahani's ideology rejects the Hindu nationalist master narrative of the Ramayana, and privileges an emerging genre that consists of fragmentary, improvised stories of the epics. As a socially-grounded language practice, Kiski Kahani's retellings are rooted in pan-Indian, cosmopolitan modalities that index a sense of belonging to a pluricultural nation: the use of English rather than Hindi or Marathi, and a curation of stories from diverse Indian regions and languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El libro de Fernando Wulff sobre el repertorio griego del Mahabharata es valiente. Empiezo de esta forma tan sincera porque desde 1997 estudio el Ramayana y me he encontrado pocos libros “arriesgados” como éste. La investigación de las épicas indias en las dos últimas décadas ha estado centrada en las diversas representaciones artísticas (ramlilas, krishnalilas, wayang, etcétera), y en el campo de la literatura comparada, en el análisis textual de los many ramayanas y mahabharatas, con un enfoque sociológico, antropológico, semiótico o de género.

The string of territories called Campā, lying in what is today Vietnam, has yielded about two hundred and fifty inscriptions spanning over ten centuries, from ca. 400 well into the fifteenth century CE. These inscriptions have not yet drawn much attention from the point of view of the shared religious history of South and Southeast Asia. In the present contribution, we focus on a group of seven short Sanskrit inscriptions issued by a king named Prakāśadharman-Vikrāntavarman who ruled in the seventh century. A careful reading of these texts, in parallel with related Sanskrit texts from South Asia, reveals something of the intellectual and religious cosmopolis of which the poets behind these inscriptions were a part, suggesting for instance that tantric Śaiva scriptures had reached Camp ā by the late seventh century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares the Sanskrit epic poem, the Rämäyaṇa by legendary Indian poet Valmiki, which is part of Hindu religious texts, with the ancient Greek epic poem the Odyssey by legendary Greek poet Homer. The history of comparison of Hindu epics in Sanskrit with ancient Greek epics is also addressed with an emphasis on implications for understanding of the Odyssey.

The present paper explores the connection between the topos of the four ages of humankind, and kṛtayuga in particular, and the way in which Rāma's rule is described in the Rāmāyaṇa. This topos, commonly found in various literatures of the ancient world, is also attested in this epic, featuring in the account of Rāma's rule in books one and six. The characteristic elements of kṛtayuga, such as the earth's spontaneous abundance and the absence of human miseries and suffering, make it clear that the king whose rule is described in such a way should be regarded as a divine human. The first part of this paper discusses the main problems connected with the Indian idea of king as presented especially by Edward W. Hopkins and Sheldon Pollock (king as a divine human or mortal god). The second part is devoted to the comparison of the descriptions of the world's four periods in Indian, Greek, and Roman literature, with a focus on the similarities between them. In the third part of the paper emphasis is laid on the kṛtayuga in particular and the way in which Rāma's rule is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the diffusion of Sanskrit language. It says that the poems "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata" and the Hindus' sacred book "Vedas" brought fame to the Sanskrit. It outlines how change in the language was brought by the incorporation of foreign idioms and words, and how it started to be called Hindustani by Europeans. It states that the Hindus neglected Sanskrit, but the language had attracted the attention of learned Englishmen when the Asiatic Society of Calcutta was formed.

At the turn of the last century, the Indian poet, novelist, economist, historian, and civil servant Romesh Chunder Dutt published two English-language “condensations” and translations of the authoritative Sanskrit tellings of the ancient epics: the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. This essay argues that, for Dutt, the epics document the past, its social mores and its artefacts, while simultaneously serving as historical artefacts of, as well as living organisms from, that past. The epics are excavated treasures that embody not the dead weight of a now inanimate object but a living, breathing, speaking voice. In transposing the Sanskrit sloka into the English trochaic octametre in his translations, Dutt measures out “India” in verse, transposing the material, metrical, and spoken form of the once-known to the once-again nation. Thus, his translations of the ancient epics simultaneously establish and blur the epochal time of a supposedly historically and geographically stable and singular entity known as “India” and in so doing illustrate the fraught category of “Modern Indian Literature” and the modern Indian nation, which depends on recovering an “authentic” pre-colonial identity to inaugurate its modernity under British colonial rule. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Res Antiquitatis: Journal of Ancient History is the property of Centro de Historia de Alem-Mar and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper traces the paths of literary works that cross linguistic and cultural borders, and have been adopted into the receiving cultures. Their sources may be as far away as India, or as close as Java and the Malay Peninsula, but have spread and later become well-loved local stories and poems as they provide genres and forms to be emulated and enjoyed. From India came the Ramayana, which travelled to Thailand, Cambodia, and Java, and from Java to the Malay Peninsula and Patani. From the Malay Peninsula and/or Sumatra the pantun marched into the other islands of the Archipelago, was brought to Sri Lanka and also South Africa, and in the 19th century to Europe. The romantic Javanese Panji story caught the imagination Malay and Patani performers who took it to Ayuthia. These texts were thus translated, transformed, and adapted in a wide literary area, resulting in not only various literary performances but also in related arts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]