The Story:

Ram was the Prince of Ayodhya, born to King Dasarath and Queen Kaushalya. Despite being a very generous person born into a royal family, he was faced many unexpected challenges. At a young age, Ram was sent into 14 years of exile, upon the request of the King's third wife Queen Kaikeyi who exercised the two boons King Dasarath had granted her for once saving his life in battle.

The life of Lord Ram forms the basis for one of ancient India's greatest epics – the Ramayan.

According to the epic, after 10 years of exile, Lord Ram, accompanied by his wife Sita and younger brother Lakshman reaches the forest of Panchavati on the banks of the river Godavari. Even though the area had numerous demons, they decided to stay there for a while. One day, the demoness Shurpanakha saw Ram in the forest, and tried to seduce him. Ram did not fall for the demoness' overtures and, enraged, she threatened to kill Sita. Lakshman, in an effort to protect the family, retaliated by cutting off Shurpanakha's nose.

The news of the attack on Shurpanakha reaches the ears of her brother Ravan, the Asura King and Lord of Lanka (believed to be modern day Sri Lanka). Ravan, who had amassed great knowledge and power through years of penance, decided to take revenge and travelled to Panchavati. Upon seeing Sita, and he is enamoured by her beauty, kidnaps her and escapes to Lanka.

Ram and Lakshman, who were away at the time, learn of the kidnapping and travel south in pursuit. On the way, they marshal an army of monkeys and accompanied by dedicated commanders like Sugriv and Hanuman, reach Rameswaram (in modern day Tamil Nadu). Here, with the help of animals, they build a bridge over the sea to reach the island of Lanka.

After a long and a bloody battle, that saw many ups and downs, Ram triumphs, killing the demon Ravan and the forces of evil. He then returns to Ayodhya after 14 long years where he was finally crowned King.

The story of Ram, Sita and their companions are a commentary on the duties, rights and responsibilities of an individual in society. In Indian tradition, Ram is considered to be the ideal human – one who always does his duty and follows the path of Dharm.

At VR Chennai:

Lord Ram's avatar is represented in an inspired, hand-carved interpretation of the main door of the Ramaswamy Temple in Kumbakonam and can be found at the Kannadi Gopuram. The iconic Ramaswamy Temple was constructed by Govinda Dikshitar, Prime Minister to the Nayak rulers, during the 16th Century.