ABSTRACT
The Indian epic, the Ramayana or the "Rama story", is the most widespread epic story in whole of Asia. It is generally believed that it was first written in approximately 200 BCE – 200 CE by its mythical "original" author, the sage Valmiki. It describes the heroic deeds of Prince Rama, Crown Prince of Ayodhya. It was also embedded in various religious contexts. There exist Buddhist, Jain and even later Islamic interpretations of the text. Ramayana is known, for example in Sri Lanka, Chinese Central Asia, Nepal as well as in various Southeast Asian cultures. During the first millennium CE the Ramayana arrived in various parts of Southeast Asia. The Prambanan reliefs demonstrate the ephemeral nature of the epics. Storytellers assisted the Hindu Brahmans and the Buddhist monks who arrived in Southeast Asia. In mainland Southeast Asia, the earliest evidence of the Ramayana is mainly art-historical.
