The Ramayana is one of the most important stories in Indian culture, dating back to between 500-100BC. It tells the story of Rama, who was an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. When Rama's father decided to make Rama's brother the new king, Rama willingly went into exile in the forest for 14 years. During his exile, Rama's wife Sita was kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. With the help of the monkey god Hanuman, Rama gathered an army and defeated Ravana, rescuing Sita. The story promotes Hindu beliefs like the eternal fight between good and evil and the importance of duty, love and loyalty.

1. The Ramayana
Level 3/4

2. I can describe the main points of the
story of the Ramayana.

3. Starter Task
Task-
What is happening in this
picture? Where do you think this
story is set?
Explain your answer.

4. The Ramayana
This story dates back
to between 500-
100BC.
The Ramayana is
one of the most
important stories in
Indian culture and
has influenced
Indian culture and
arts for thousands
of years.
The story is often
retold in different ways
such as drama, dance
and song.

5. Brahman
Hindus believe that Brahman, their God has many different forms.
The three main forms are
• Brahma (The Creator)
• Vishnu (The Preserver)
• Shiva (The Destroyer).
Vishnu is said to have visited the earth 12 times in different forms. The
Ramayana is the story of one of these visits to earth when Vishnu took
the form of Rama, a Prince.

6. Task
1. Read the story of the Ramayana, as you are reading the story
annotate it. Use the following as a guide.
Main Events- Yellow
Characters- Green
Places- Pink
Underline any parts you find confusing.
Write down any questions you have as you go through the story.

7. Example
When Rama’s father wanted to stand down from the throne and
hand the reign over to his eldest son Rama, he was reminded of
two promises he had made to his second wife. He had promised
her that their son Barata would succeed as king and that Rama
was to be sent into exile into the forest for fourteen years. To help
his father to make this difficult decision, Rama gave up the throne
and willingly left going into the forest with his wife Sinta and his
half brother Laksmana. Sadly, stricken with grief, Rama’s father
died.

8. Questions
1. Who are the main characters of the story?
2. Are there any parts of the story that you
find confusing?
3. Do you think this is a true story? Explain
your answer.

9. Why do you think this story has been
retold for thousands of years?

10. I can explain the main themes in
the Ramayana.

11. Starter Task
Write down as many examples of Good versus Evil you can think of
- Think about History, Films, Books, Television, News.

12. Discussion
Where is the examples of Good vs. Evil in
the story?
What does this tells Hindus about god?
How might Hindus reflect on this story in
their everyday lives?
Think About…
Rama is one of the avatars
of Vishnu. Vishnu is one of
the main forms of Brahman,
the Hindu God.

13. Task
• Create a Twitter Feed retelling the story of the
Ramayana.
• You will need to design avatars for the main
characters.
• You can use appropriate hashtags.
• Remember you can only use 149 characters.

14. Do you think only Hindus can
learn from this story?

15. I can apply my knowledge of the
Ramayana to the everyday lives
of Hindus both in Scotland and
Globally.

16. Diwali
This festival is celebrated annually in either
October or November. It marks the beginning of
a New Year in Hinduism; as well as Jainism and
Sikhism.
It is the festival of lights - the lights symbolising
the triumph of good over evil.
It is a 5 day festival that involves fireworks,
sweets, gifts and parties.
During the festival the story of Rama and Sita is
retold through songs, dance and drama.

17. Task
In groups,
Create a performance that retells the story of Rama and Sita that could
be performed at a Diwali celebration.
It can be a mime, a dance or a song.
You must highlight the triumph of Good over Evil.

18. How can your community
celebrate Diwali?

19. Lesson 4 -
I can analyse the relationships
between characters and the
main events in the Ramayana.

20. Starter Task
As well as the triumph of Good over Evil what
other themes are there in the Ramayana?

21. Task
Demonstrate your understanding of the characters of
the story of the Ramayana and their relationships by
creating a character map.

22. Alternative Endings
Discuss how the story may have ended if the following things were
changed.
1. Rama refused to go to the forest.
2. Rama never met Hanuman.
3. Rama never defeated Ravana.

23. I can evaluate Hindu beliefs
about humankind through my
knowledge of the Ramayana.

24. Starter Task
Write a word cloud or a
mind map about what you
think Scottish culture is and
what makes Scotland
unique.

25. Messages of the Ramayana and Diwali
•Good always conquers Evil
•There should be Love and Loyalty in families.
•Hindus should show respect for all.
•Hindus should welcome everyone of all
backgrounds.
•Celebrations of Light at New Year.