The Ramayana In Modern Media and Performance: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

When it comes to the long tradition of the Ramayana re-expressing itself in myriad forms, I wonder where ancient ends and modern begins. Throughout this long tradition of the Ramayana re-telling itself, it has appeared in many different forms and media. Whether it has been chanted in Sanskrit, expressed in the literary traditions of the vast range of South Asian languages, shown in the dim light of Indonesian shadow puppet plays, or celebrated ritually in an all-night kachak trance dance; whether it has delighted children in a puppet play in Kerala, decorated the royal palace in Thailand in bas-relief, or moved audiences in the many dance dramas of both classical and folk traditions, the sheer number of Ramayana tellings over the last several millennia have been nothing short of astonishing. (Ramanujan, 1991).