The Ramayana Revisited

While the 'standard' version of the Ramayana is a 14th-century Sanskrit text by Valmiki, the diversity and adaptability of this narrative are extraordinary. In this volume, fourteen leading Ramayana scholars examine the epic in its myriad contexts throughout South and Southeast Asia.

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While the 'standard' version of the Ramayana is a 14th-century Sanskrit text by Valmiki, the diversity and adaptability of this narrative are extraordinary. Many regions and languages have their own versions of the tale that they consider authoritative. In addition, the basic tale of the Ramayana is continually adapted to new contexts, forms, and media. It is, in one form or another, read, recited, sung, danced, and acted. Yet the vast majority of scholarship on the Ramayana has dealt exclusively with the textual editions, and mainly with Valmiki's Sanskrit version. In this volume, fourteen leading Ramayana scholars examine the epic in its myriad contexts throughout South and Southeast Asia.