Today is the — last day of the Week of the Ancient Indian Epic «Ramayana».
The plot of «Ramayana» is:
Prince Rama, the son of King Dasharatha, heir to the throne, handsome and smart, achieves the hand of the beautiful Sita in a fair duel of the strongest. However, the younger wife of the elderly monarch forces him to change the original decision: the heir will not be Rama, but her son Bharata. A distressed Rama leaves his father's house with Sita and younger brother Lakshmana.
Dasharatha dies of grief. Bharata dares not accept the throne and begs Rama to return, but he is adamant: after all, his father has not changed his mind. In the forest where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana lived, a demonic beauty appears trying to seduce Rama. She fails and angrily demands vengeance from her brother, the demon leader Ravana, seducing him with Sita's beauty.
Ravana kidnaps Sita, Rama searches for her. He is helped by animals and spirits, including the son of a monkey and the wind god Hanuman. Hanuman easily flies across the strait separating India from Ceylon, and in the kingdom of Ravana on the island of Lanka he finds a sad Sita hidden from people. Rama, at the head of an army of monkeys and bears, arrives in Lanka and overpowers the rakshas demons in a mighty battle. In single combat with Ravana, Rama wins, frees his Sita, but doubts her. The offended Sita ascends to the fire, «no in the flame of fire she reappears in the arms of the god Agni: the flame did not touch Sita, she is innocent!».
Rama returns to his kingdom and Bharata gives him the throne. True, thin rumors about Sita arise again among the people: she is unclean, the hands of a demon touched her. Sita moves away, away from Rama she gives birth to his twin sons. But the people demand proof of her innocence. Sita swears, and the earth, confirming her oath, accepts her into its bosom. Rama is left alone and connects with Sita only after death.
So, Rama — is a hero, a noble husband and warrior, a skillful monarch and a loving husband. His Sita — personifies female fidelity and devotion, love and nobility, she is the — standard of an Indian wife. Her death is also symbolic: the purity of her wife is so holy that only death washes away suspicion. And although Sita's death destroys Rama's happiness, «Ramayana» as a whole is not perceived as a tragedy by anyone in India. On the contrary, the forces of good triumph, because King Rama receives by law the throne due to him, his sons subsequently inherit everything. And the fate of Sita (Rama’s wife) is not at all tragic: she loved her husband, remained faithful to him, gave birth to his children...
In short, «Ramayana» and Rama himself eminently reflect the national spirit of Hindus, their way of life and thoughts, their ethical and cultural standards. It is not surprising that Rama was deified in the minds of the people. The beloved hero has become one of the avatars (avatar — divine incarnation) of the divine Vishnu, and in his honor in India every year, lush and colorful — Ram-lila festivals are held in large squares, and dramas based on the Ramayana plot are played.