PROLOGUE

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Om Namah Shivāya

The universe bows to Lord Shiva.

I bow to Lord Shiva.

Rāmarājyavāsī tvam, procchrayasva te śiram

Nyāyārthaṁ yudhyasva, sarveṣu samaṁ cara

Paripālaya durbalam, viddhi dharmaṁ varam

Procchrayasva te śiram,

Rāmarājyavāsī tvam.

You live in Ram's kingdom, hold your head high.

Fight for justice. Treat all as equal.

Protect the weak. Know that dharma is above all.

Hold your head high,

You live in the kingdom of Ram.

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List of Characters and Important Tribes

(In Alphabetical Order)

Arishtanemi: Military chief of the Malayaputras; right-hand man of Vishwamitra

Ashwapati: King of the north-western kingdom of Kekaya; a loyal ally of Dashrath;

father of Kaikeyi

Bharat: Ram's half-brother; son of Dashrath and Kaikeyi

Dashrath: The Chakravarti king of Kosala and emperor of Sapt Sindhu; husband of

Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra; father of Ram, Bharat, Lakshman, and Shatrughan

Janak: King of Mithila; father of Sita and Urmila

Jatayu: A captain of the Malayaputra tribe; a Naga friend of Sita and Ram

Kaikeyi: Daughter of King Ashwapati of Kekaya; second and the favourite wife of

Dashrath; mother of Bharat

Kaushalya: Daughter of King Bhanuman of South Kosala and his wife Maheshwari; the

eldest queen of Dashrath; mother of Ram

Kubaer: Trader and ruler of Lanka before Raavan

Kumbhakarna: Raavan's brother; he is also a Naga (a human being born with

deformities)

Kushadhwaj: King of Sankashya; younger brother of Janak

Lakshman: One of the twin sons of Dashrath; born to Sumitra; faithful to Ram; later

married to Urmila

Malayaputras: The tribe left behind by Lord Parshu Ram, the sixth Vishnu

Manthara: The richest merchant of Sapt Sindhu; an ally of Kaikeyi

Mrigasya: General of Dashrath's army; one of the nobles

of Ayodhya

Nagas: A feared race of human beings born with deformities

Nilanjana: Lady doctor attending to members of the royal family of Ayodhya, she hails

from South Kosala

Raavan: King of Lanka; brother of Vibhishan, Shurpanakha and KumbhakarnaRam: Eldest of four brothers, son of Emperor Dashrath of Ayodhya (the capital city of

Kosala kingdom) and his eldest wife Kaushalya; later married to Sita

Roshni: Daughter of Manthara; a committed doctor and rakhi-sister to the four sons of

Dashrath

Samichi: Police and protocol chief of Mithila

Shatrughan: Twin brother of Lakshman; son of Dashrath and Sumitra

Shurpanakha: Half-sister of Raavan

Sita: Adopted daughter of King Janak of Mithila; also the prime minister of Mithila;

later married to Ram

Sumitra: Daughter of the king of Kashi; the third wife of Dashrath; mother of the twins

Lakshman and Shatrughan

Vashishta: Raj guru, the royal priest of Ayodhya; teacher of the four princes

Vayuputras: The tribe left behind by Lord Rudra, the previous Mahadev

Vibhishan: Half-brother of Raavan

Vishwamitra: Chief of the Malayaputras, the tribe left behind by Lord Parshu Ram, the

sixth Vishnu; also temporary guru of Ram and Lakshman

Urmila: Younger sister of Sita; the blood-daughter of Janak; she is later married to

Lakshman

*Refer map of India in 3400 BCE