King Dasaratha ruled a land called Koshada in northern India and his capital was Ayodha. He was unhappy however because he had no heirs. The Gods decided to grant him four sons, so that Vishnu could be reborn as a human being.
The Ramayana is an all-popular epic in South and Southeast Asia. It is the story of King Rama who must save his kidnapped wife, Sita. Along the way, it teaches Hindu life lessons. The Ramayana is told and retold orally, through literature (and comic books!), plays, movies and is reference in many other forms of popular culture today.
The Ramayana by the sage Valmiki is one of the great epics of the Sanskrit language, and is dated to approximately 200 B.C.E.
