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Southeast Asia’s Ramayana Epic Versions.

The Ramayana epic is well known in many parts of Asia as the Homer’s Iliad is to the West. It is a story with many versions of the tale, told throughout South and Southeast Asia and shows the history and influence of Hinduism throughout the Southeast Asian region. Here is a list of the well known versions from different countries in SEA. Some differ and have been adapted to the local culture but all tell the same tale.

1.) Indonesia ~ Kakawin Ramayana

Kakawin Ramayana is an Old Javanese rendering of the Sanskrit Ramayana in kakawin meter. It is believed to have been written in Central Java (modern Indonesia) in approximately 870 AD during the era of Medang Kingdom. Kakawin Rāmâyaṇa is a so-called kakawin, the Javanese form of kāvya, a poem modeled on traditional Sanskrit meters. Among the Javanese, Kakawin Ramayana has always been considered the pinnacle of artistic expression. The large number of preserved manuscripts attest to it popularity and adaptation. It is the lengthiest of all the Old Javanese kakawins of the Hindu-Buddhist period of Java.

2.) Myanmar ~ Yama Zatdaw

Yama Zatdaw is the Burmese version of the Ramayana. There are nine known pieces of the Yama Zatdaw in Myanmar. The Burmese name for the story itself is Yamayana, while zatdaw refers to the acted play or being part of jataka tales of Theravada Buddhism. The Yama Zatdaw was introduced by oral tradition during King Anawratha’s reign although it was not known clearly whether the story was Valmiki’s Sanskrit epic Ramayana or not. In the Nathlaung Temple, the Visnu temple, within the walls of old city Bagan, there are some stone sculptures, one of which is Ramachandra. Based on Burmese literature, at least, Hanuman has been known in Burma definitely before 1527 AD.

3) Thailand ~ Ramakien

The Ramakien (รามเกียรติ์, “Glory of Rama”, sometimes also spelled Ramakien) is Thailand’s national epic, derived from the Hindu epic Ramayana. The word is derived from Sanskrit word Ramakhyan (Ram + Akhyan) where Akhyan means a long story or epic. A number of versions of the epic were lost in the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767. Three versions currently exist, one of which was prepared in 1797 under the supervision of (and partly written by) King Rama I. His son, Rama II, rewrote some parts of his father’s version for khon drama. The work has had an important influence on Thai literature, art and drama (both the khon and nang dramas being derived from it). While the main story is identical to that of the Ramayana, many other aspects were transposed into a Thai context, such as the clothes, weapons, topography, and elements of nature, which are described as being Thai in style. Although Thailand is considered a Theravada Buddhist society, the Hindu mythology latent in the Ramakien serves to provide Thai legends with a creation myth, as well as representations of various spirits which complement beliefs derived from Thai animism. A painted representation of the Ramakian is displayed at Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew, and many of the statues there depict characters from it.

4.) Philippines ~ Darangen

The Philippines is one of the last places in Southeast Asia where most people wouldn’t expect influences of Hinduism & Buddhism in the culture and country. Yet despite heavy colonization and Westernization, many parts of the Philippines were Indianized and practiced a form of Hinduism & Buddhism as the rest of Southeast Asia. Traces of that history can still be found in artifacts recovered and in epics. One such epic is the Darangen of the Maranao. Darangen comes from two root words, meaning “to narrate in song.” The Darangen was first told in the fourteenth century A.D. The Darangen Epic of the Maranaos, including the Maharadia Rawana, is an indigenized version of the Ramayana. Most people believe that the popular traditional Singkil dance  is indigenous to the Maguindanao ethnic group or to the Maranao ethnic group in Mindanao or both. But in fact, the Singkil is a Maguindanao and Maranao interpretation of the Ramayana epic, as retold in the Darangen Epic, where the original polytheistic accounts were restated and transformed to conform to monotheistic Islam to which the Maranaos and Maguindanaos adhere. Note,however, that the Singkil is not religious and it is not Muslim. It is a secular dance of the Maranaos and the Maguindanaos, the majority of whom are Muslims.

5.) Laos ~ Phra Lak Phra Lam

Phra Lak Phra Ram is the national epic of the Lao people, and is adapted from Valmiki’s Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Similar to some Malay versions of the Hikayat Seri Rama, the epic has lost the association with Hinduism and is instead considered a Jataka Story, a previous lifetime of the Buddha. It is also very popular in Northeastern Thailand, or Isan, a region of Thailand mostly populated by ethnic Lao and formerly part of Lanxang.

6.) Malaysia ~ Hikayat Seri Rama

Hikayat Seri Rama is the Malay literary adaptation of the Hindu Ramayana epic. The main story remains the same as the original Sanskrit version but some aspects of it were slightly modified to a local context such as the spelling and pronunciation of names. Numerous branch stories had also been developed as accretions to or extensions of this epic with the upgrading of minor characters to major ones, or the invention of totally new characters. For example, Malay writers and storytellers have produced variations in which Laksmana (Lakshman) plays a larger role, sometimes becoming more important than Rama the elder prince much like the Lao Phra Lak Phra Lam. Rama, although righteous and virtuous, was perceived to be weak and his character is often moved to the background while the younger Laksmana is admired for his courage and willingness to react decisively.

7.) Cambodia ~ Reamker

Reamker is a Cambodian epic poem, based on the Sanskrit’s Ramayana epic. The name means “Glory of Rama”. It adapts the Hindu ideas to Buddhist themes and shows the balance of good and evil in the world. More than just a reordering of the epic tale, the Reamker is a mainstay of the royal ballet’s repertoire. Like the Ramayana, it is a philosophical allegory, exploring the ideals of justice and fidelity as embodied by the protagonists, Prince Rama and Queen Sita. The epic is well known among the Khmer people for its portrayal in Khmer dance theatre, called the Lkhaon, in various festivals across Cambodia. Scenes from the Reamker are painted on the walls of the Royal Palace in Khmer style, and its predecessor is carved into the walls of the Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei temples. It is considered an integral part of Cambodian culture. The Reamker differs from the original Ramayana in some ways, featuring additional scenes and emphasis on Hanuman and Sovanna Maccha. In the Reamker, issues of trust, loyalty, love, and revenge play out in dramatic encounters among princes and giants, monkeys and mermaids, and a forlorn princess. Though it is understood that Preah Ream is an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, his characteristics and those of the others in the story are interpreted in Cambodia as those of mere mortals, not of the gods as is the case in India. The complex interplay of strengths and weaknesses, though couched in episodes lined with magic, nonetheless represents a decidedly human social behavior.

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