Nepal : the great Hindu epic Bhim Prasad Nepal (Chief, National Archive, Kathmandu, Nepal)

Patrons celebrating Ramanavami Devotees paying homage to god (Courtesy of the Ramachandra Mandir Conservation and Promotion Committee, Battisputali, Kathmandu, Nepal) (Courtesy of the Ramachandra Mandir Conservation and Promotion Committee, Battisputali, Kathmandu, Nepal)

he Ramayana is one of the two greatest before, he was helpless. and also festival, devotees pay homage to Lord with Hindu epics of South Asia, the other set out for the forest with Rama. great reverence and respect. The festival of Rama T being the . The Ramayan a, One day Rama and Lakshmana wounded Navami is regarded as one of the !ve Mahavratas authored by Sage , tells the story of a princess, Suparnakha, who tried (great festivals). It is a festival to celebrate the Lord Rama (the seventh incarnation of Lord to seduce Rama. She returned to her performance of righteous duties, as well as , ‘The Preserver’). Rama is referred to as , the ten-headed demon king of being a ritual for marking attributes of victory of Maryada Purushottam (the most superior man who then tricked Rama and Lakshmana as to virtue over vice. It is also a day to mark his divine who embodies both divinity and humanity). abduct Sita. Rama, with the help of the monkey achievements which are an eternal source of ideal The central message of the Ramayana is to king named and his general , attributes for all humanity. demonstrate to worldly individuals how to lead was able to locate Sita and found an opportunity Murals and miniature paintings are some a virtuous life that does not violate any laws of to then attack Lanka. Rama and Lakshmana killed other examples of folk cultures which originated nature. several of and sons. from this epic. Hymns, narrating the deeds of Ramayana begins with the birth of Prince Rama then killed Ravana and rescued Sita. Lord Rama, and folk dances are other examples of Ram and his three brothers, Lakshmana, , Following her rescue, Sita proved her purity living culture that originated from Ramayana . and to King in , by walking through fire, they then returned to . Rama was the eldest and his mother was Ayodhya and Rama became king. Kaushalya. Bharata was the son of Dasharatha's The spiritualistic and religious background second and most favorite wife, Queen . of Ramayana gave birth to several elements The other two siblings were twins, Lakshmana of intangible cultural heritage. One is Vivah and Shatrughna. Panchami , a celebration of the divine couple Rama won the hand of Princess Sita, daughter Rama and Sita, on the fifth day of the light of King of Janakpur, Nepal, in a ceremony fortnight in the month of Agrahan (November to where he not only strung the bow, gifted by Lord December), to remember the marriage between to Janaka, he broke it. A few years later, King Rama and Sita in Nepal. Another well renowned Dasharatha, decided to concede his throne to his and sacred festival is the birth anniversary of eldest son Rama, but Queen Kaikeyi requested Rama, known as . It is a great Hindu that the King crown her biological son Bharata festival which falls on the ninth day of the bright Temple of Rama and banish Rama to the forest for fourteen years. fortnight of Chaitra (March to April) and has (Courtesy of the Ramachandra Mandir Conservation and Due to an Dasharatha made to her years been performed since time immemorial. In this Promotion Committee, Battisputali, Kathmandu, Nepal)

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