The Ramayana
Characters & Places in the Great Hindu Epic
The most endearing epic of all times - the 'Ramayana' is replete with enchanting people & places. Here's a ready reckoner of characters & locations found in the stories of Ram - from Ahalya to Vibhishana and Ashoka-van to Sarayu.
Character
Description
Ahalya
Wife of sage Gautama, who was turned into a stone and later became free from curse by the touch of Rama
Bharat
Brother of Rama and son of Kaikeyi
Dasharatha
Rama's father and King of Kosala
Dashanan
Ten headed King of Lanka a.k.a. Ravana
Garuda
Eagel; King of winged creatures
Gautam
Sage/Rishi who cursed her wife Ahalya to be a stone for her immoral conduct
Hanuman
Son of the wind God; Devout of Rama and a leading warrior among monkey tribe
Indrajit
Ravana's son who fought with Rama with magical powers
Jambuvan
Leader of bears who found Sita with his supernatural powers
Janaka
King of Mithila; Father of Sita, who found her in a furrow
Jatayu
Great bird who was killed by Ravana while rescuing Sita
Kaikeyi
Dashartha's youngest queen and mother of Bharata who asked for Rama's exile
Kausalya
Dashratha's queen and Rama's mother
Kevat
Boatman who let Rama, Laxman and Sita cross the river in his boat and washes Rama's feet for his fee
Khar
Brother of Ravana and Shurpanakha
Kumbhkarna
Ravan's brother known for sleeping and eating
Kush
Son of Rama and Sita
Laxman
Queen Sumitra's son and Rama's brother
Lava
Son of Ram and Sita; brother of Kush
Mandavi
Bharat's wife & King Janak's daughter
Manthara
Maid servant of Keikeyi who convinced her for Bharat's thorn and exile of Rama
Maricha or Mareech
Who assumed form of suvarna mriga (golden deer) and help abduct Sita
Meghanad
Ravana's son, who made Laxman unconscious in the battlefield with his arrow
Nala - Nil
Son of great builder who helped Rama build bridge to Lanka
Ravana
Ten headed King of Lanka, who abducted Sita; brother of Vibhishana & Surpanakha; father of Indrajit; husband of Mandodari
Sampati
Brother of Jatayu
Shatrughna
Rama's younger borther
Shabari
Devotee of Ram who offered him berry fruit
Shatananda
Head Preist (kul Guru) of Mithila
Shiva
Hindu Lord, whose bow was lifted by Rama in swayamvar
Shravan
Son of blind parents; known as an idol of service to parents
Shrutkirti
Shatrughna's wife and King Janak's daughter
Shurpanakha
Ravan's sister whose ears and nose were cut by Laxman
Sita
Daughter of Janaka and wife of Rama
Sugriva
King of monkey tribe and King of Kiskindha
Sumanta
Charioteer of King Dasharatha
Sumitra
Wife of Dashratha; Mother of Laxman & Shatrughna
Sunayana
Wife of King Janak; Mother of Sita
Sushen
Lankan physician, who advised Sanjivani herbs from Kailas mountain in order to cure Laxman
Tataka
Demoness (rakshasi) killed by Rama; mother of Mareecha
Tulsidas
Sanskrit scholar and poet who created Ramcharitmanas, a version of Valmiki Ramayana in local Avadhi language
Urmila
Laxman's wife; daughter of King Janak and sister of Sita
Vali (Bali) or Vaali
Cousin of Sugriva, who occupied Kiskindha and was killed by Rama
Valmiki
Great Poet and creator of Ramayana; Sage who helped Sita and her two son Lava-Kush stay at her ashram
Vanara
Monkey; A hill tribe of Southern India
Vasistha
Head priest (kul Guru) of Ayodhya
Vibhishana
Ravana's brother who leaves Lanka to join Rama and later become king of Lanka
Vishnu
Hindu Lord; Rama is considered as eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Vishwamitra
Rishi, who took Rama for killing troubling demons
Place
Description
Ayodhya
Capital city of Kosala which was rules by Rama's father, Dashratha
Ashoka van
A place in Lanka where Ravana kept Sita after abduction
Chitrakoot or Chitrakut
Forest place where Rama, Sita and Laxman stayed during exile
Dandakaranya
Forest where Rama, Sita and Laxman traveled during vanvas exile
Godavari
River, crossing which Rama, Sita and Laxman reached Panchavati
Kailasa
Mountain where Hanuman found sanjivani; Abode of Lord Shiva
Kiskindha
Kingdom ruled by Sugriva, leader of monkey tribe
Kosala
Kingdom ruled by Dashratha
Mithila
kingdom ruled by king Janaka, Sita's father
Lanka
Island kingdom ruled by demon king Ravana
Panchavati
Rama, Sita and Laxman's forest hut, from where Sita was abducted by Ravana
Prayag
Confluence of river Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati (presently known as Allahabad)
Sarayu
River on the banks of which Ayodhya is situated
Characters & Places in the Great Hindu Epic
The most endearing epic of all times - the 'Ramayana' is replete with enchanting people & places. Here's a ready reckoner of characters & locations found in the stories of Ram - from Ahalya to Vibhishana and Ashoka-van to Sarayu.
Character
Description
Ahalya
Wife of sage Gautama, who was turned into a stone and later became free from curse by the touch of Rama
Bharat
Brother of Rama and son of Kaikeyi
Dasharatha
Rama's father and King of Kosala
Dashanan
Ten headed King of Lanka a.k.a. Ravana
Garuda
Eagel; King of winged creatures
Gautam
Sage/Rishi who cursed her wife Ahalya to be a stone for her immoral conduct
Hanuman
Son of the wind God; Devout of Rama and a leading warrior among monkey tribe
Indrajit
Ravana's son who fought with Rama with magical powers
Jambuvan
Leader of bears who found Sita with his supernatural powers
Janaka
King of Mithila; Father of Sita, who found her in a furrow
Jatayu
Great bird who was killed by Ravana while rescuing Sita
Kaikeyi
Dashartha's youngest queen and mother of Bharata who asked for Rama's exile
Kausalya
Dashratha's queen and Rama's mother
Kevat
Boatman who let Rama, Laxman and Sita cross the river in his boat and washes Rama's feet for his fee
Khar
Brother of Ravana and Shurpanakha
Kumbhkarna
Ravan's brother known for sleeping and eating
Kush
Son of Rama and Sita
Laxman
Queen Sumitra's son and Rama's brother
Lava
Son of Ram and Sita; brother of Kush
Mandavi
Bharat's wife & King Janak's daughter
Manthara
Maid servant of Keikeyi who convinced her for Bharat's thorn and exile of Rama
Maricha or Mareech
Who assumed form of suvarna mriga (golden deer) and help abduct Sita
Meghanad
Ravana's son, who made Laxman unconscious in the battlefield with his arrow
Nala - Nil
Son of great builder who helped Rama build bridge to Lanka
Ravana
Ten headed King of Lanka, who abducted Sita; brother of Vibhishana & Surpanakha; father of Indrajit; husband of Mandodari
Sampati
Brother of Jatayu
Shatrughna
Rama's younger borther
Shabari
Devotee of Ram who offered him berry fruit
Shatananda
Head Preist (kul Guru) of Mithila
Shiva
Hindu Lord, whose bow was lifted by Rama in swayamvar
Shravan
Son of blind parents; known as an idol of service to parents
Shrutkirti
Shatrughna's wife and King Janak's daughter
Shurpanakha
Ravan's sister whose ears and nose were cut by Laxman
Sita
Daughter of Janaka and wife of Rama
Sugriva
King of monkey tribe and King of Kiskindha
Sumanta
Charioteer of King Dasharatha
Sumitra
Wife of Dashratha; Mother of Laxman & Shatrughna
Sunayana
Wife of King Janak; Mother of Sita
Sushen
Lankan physician, who advised Sanjivani herbs from Kailas mountain in order to cure Laxman
Tataka
Demoness (rakshasi) killed by Rama; mother of Mareecha
Tulsidas
Sanskrit scholar and poet who created Ramcharitmanas, a version of Valmiki Ramayana in local Avadhi language
Urmila
Laxman's wife; daughter of King Janak and sister of Sita
Vali (Bali) or Vaali
Cousin of Sugriva, who occupied Kiskindha and was killed by Rama
Valmiki
Great Poet and creator of Ramayana; Sage who helped Sita and her two son Lava-Kush stay at her ashram
Vanara
Monkey; A hill tribe of Southern India
Vasistha
Head priest (kul Guru) of Ayodhya
Vibhishana
Ravana's brother who leaves Lanka to join Rama and later become king of Lanka
Vishnu
Hindu Lord; Rama is considered as eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Vishwamitra
Rishi, who took Rama for killing troubling demons
Place
Description
Ayodhya
Capital city of Kosala which was rules by Rama's father, Dashratha
Ashoka van
A place in Lanka where Ravana kept Sita after abduction
Chitrakoot or Chitrakut
Forest place where Rama, Sita and Laxman stayed during exile
Dandakaranya
Forest where Rama, Sita and Laxman traveled during vanvas exile
Godavari
River, crossing which Rama, Sita and Laxman reached Panchavati
Kailasa
Mountain where Hanuman found sanjivani; Abode of Lord Shiva
Kiskindha
Kingdom ruled by Sugriva, leader of monkey tribe
Kosala
Kingdom ruled by Dashratha
Mithila
kingdom ruled by king Janaka, Sita's father
Lanka
Island kingdom ruled by demon king Ravana
Panchavati
Rama, Sita and Laxman's forest hut, from where Sita was abducted by Ravana
Prayag
Confluence of river Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati (presently known as Allahabad)
Sarayu
River on the banks of which Ayodhya is situated
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