List of Ramayana: How many types of Ramayana are prevalent worldwide.
It is said that the story of Shri Ram was first narrated by Lord Shri Shankar to Mother Parvatiji. A story was also heard by a crow. The same crow was reborn as Kagbhusundi. Kakabhusundi heard from Lord Shankar’s face in his previous life, he had complete memory of Ramakatha Puri. He narrated this story to his disciples. In this way, the Ramakatha was propagated. This holy story of Shri Ram originated from the mouth of Lord Shankar is known as
Adhyatma Ramayana.
First Ramakatha was written by Hanumanji and then by Maharishi Valmiki. Valmiki was a sage of Rama’s time. He saw Rama and his life. He knew very well what Ram was and who? But when the question of writing came up, Narada Muni assisted him.
After the Ramayana, thousands of stories related to Rama came into vogue and in all there is a slight change in the story of Rama, as well as in some Ramayana there are references which are not mentioned inValmiki Ramayana.After Valmiki wrote the story of Rama, the South Indian people wrote differently. Rama has great importance in the lives of South Indian people. Rama formed his army in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Sri Ram establishedRameshwaram Jyotirlingain Tamil Nadu itself.
Ramakatha is commonly recited to tell. The number of Ramayana and their influence in South and South-East Asia for the last 2500 or so years is very wide. You will get tired of making a list of the languages in which Ramkatha is found – Annami, Bali, Bangla, Cambodian, Chinese, Gujarati, Javai, Kannada, Kashmiri, Khotani, Laosi, Malaysian, Marathi, Odia, Prakrit, Sanskrit, Santhali , Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Kavi etc. Many changes have taken place in thousands of languages due to translation in that period and then in Krishna period, Charit Ramayana in Buddhist period, but the original story remains the same today.
Poets and litterateurs did not tamper with the original story to make the Ramayana more interesting, but they embellished the story with a different look and color. The stories were also written according to the dance-dramas and the story of Rama and Ravana was made into a cosmic according to both classical and folk traditions. In this way the number of Ramayanas increases even more. Some of these changes must have taken place during centuries of travel. But due to this journey of centuries, people forget and sin to consider it as mere poetry. The war between Rama and Ravana in South and South-East Asian countries and cultures was taken in different contexts. Ravana had great fame and respect among the island nations of South India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali etc. Therefore Ramakatha was written differently in the said countries.
Hanumannataka:
Also a legend and prevalent. It is said that the first Ramkatha was written by Hanumanji and that too on the rock. This Ramkatha was written even before Valmiki’s Ramayana and is famous as ‘Hanumannataka’.
The Adbhut Ramayana is a special poem of 27 cantos composed in Sanskrit language. It is said that the pioneer of this book was also Valmiki. But according to the researchers, it seems from its language and composition that it has been practiced by some later poet, that is, it is no longer Valmiki’s work.
Different Types of Ramayana:
1. Adhyatma Ramayana
2. Valmiki’s ‘Ramayana’ (Sanskrit)
3. Anand Ramayana
4. ‘Amazing Ramayana’
5. Ranganath Ramayana (Telugu)
6. Poetry Molda composed by Molda Ramayana (Telugu)
7. Ruipadakatenapadi Ramayana (Oriya)
8. Ramkare (Cambodia)
9. Tulsidas’s ‘Ramcharit Manas’ (Awadhi)
10. Kamban’s ‘Eramavataram’ (Tamil)
11. ‘Janaki Haran’ (Sanskrit) of Kumar Das
12. Maleraj Kathav (Sinhalese)
13. ‘Poetry’ (Tibetan) of kirs-puns-pa
14. Ramayana Kakavin (Indonesian Kavi)
15. Hikayat Seriram (Malaysian language)
16. Ramavathu (Burma)
17. Ramkarti-Riamkare (Kampuchea Khmer)
18. Tayrano Yesuyori’s ‘Hobutsushu’ (Japanese)
19. Frlak-Fralam-Ramjatak (Laos)
20. Bhanubhakta Ramayana (Nepal)
21. Amazing Ramayana
22. Ramkien (Thailand)
23. Khotani Ramayana (Turkistan)
24. Jeevak Jataka (Mongolian language)
25. Christian Ramayana (Persian)
26. Sheikh Saad (or Saadi ???) Christ’s ‘Dastane Ram and Sita’.
27. Mahaladia Laban (Maranav language, Philippines)
28. Dashrath Kathanam (China)
29. Search in progress
