Adam's BridgeAdam's Bridge, also known as Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu, is a chain of natural limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka. Geological evidence suggests that this bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka. The feature is long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast).
ValmikiValmiki (vɑːlˈmiːki; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ISO ʋɑːlmiːki) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as Ādi Kavi, the first poet, author of Ramayana, the first epic poem. The Ramayana, originally written by Valmiki, consists of 24,000 shlokas and seven cantos (kaṇḍas). The is composed of about 480,002 words, being a quarter of the length of the full text of the Mahabharata or about four times the length of the Iliad.
ShabariSabari (, शबरी) is an elderly woman ascetic in the Hindu epic Ramayana. She is described as an ardently devoted woman who received Rama's blessing due to her bhakti towards him. Shabari was a woman from a village. According to Krishna Dutt, she was a seeker of knowledge and wanted to know the meaning of Dharma. After days of travel, she met Sage Matanga at the foot of Mount Rishyamukha. She accepted him as guru, serving him with devotion for many years.
KaikeyiKaikeyi (Sanskrit: कैकेयी, IAST: Kaikeyī) According to Valmiki Ramayana, Kaikeyi is the second consort of King Dasharatha, and a queen of Ayodhya in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Out of Dasharatha's three wives, Kaikeyi exerts the most influence. Formerly the princess of Kekeya, she is described to have served as an able counsellor to her husband during times of war. She is the mother of Bharata. Initially loving and motherly towards her stepson, Prince Rama, Kaikeyi's mind is poisoned by Manthara, her maid.
SampatiSampati (संपाती; IAST: ) is a demigod in Hinduism. He is the elder son of Aruṇa and Shyeni. He is the elder brother of Jatayu. He has the form of either a vulture or an eagle. Sampati loses his wings when he is a child. According to the Brahma Purana, Sampati has a swift and well-known son Babhru. During their youth, Samapati and his younger brother, Jatayu, in order to test their powers, flew towards Surya, the solar deity. Jatayu, careless due to his youthfulness, outflew his brother, and entered the Sūryamaṇḍala, the orbit of the sun, during noon.
JatayuJatayu (जटायुः, IAST: ) is a demigod in the Hindu epic Ramayana, who has the form of either an eagle or a vulture. He is the younger son of Aruṇa and his wife Shyeni, the brother of Sampati, as well as the nephew of Garuda. He is also an old friend of King Dasharatha, Rama's father. During their youth, Jatayu and his elder brother, Sampati, under a wager, flew towards Surya, the solar deity. Jatayu, careless due to his youthfulness, outflew his brother, and entered the Sūryamaṇḍala, the orbit of the sun, during noon.
Arti (Hinduism)Arti (आरती) or Arati (आरति) is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, often part of a puja, in which light (usually from a flame) is ritually waved for the veneration of deities. Arti(s) also refers to the songs sung in praise of the deity, when the light is being offered. Sikhs also perform Aarti in the form of Aarti Kirtan which involves only devotional singing but Nihang Sikhs specifically perform Aarta which uses light as well. Arti is derived from the Sanskrit word आरात्रिक (ISO) which means something that removes ISO, darkness (or light waved in darkness before an icon).
DasharathaDasharatha (दशरथ, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of the Kosala kingdom and a scion of the Ikshvaku Dynasty in Hinduism. He ruled from his capital at Ayodhyā. Dasharatha had three primary consorts: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra, and from these unions were born Shanta, Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna. He is mentioned in the Rāmāyana epic and the Vishnu Purana. King Dasharatha was believed to be an incarnation of Svayambhuva Manu, the son of the Hindu creator god, Brahma.
AshramAn ashram (आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions. The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< PIE *ḱremh2) with the prefix 'towards.' An ashram is a place where one strives towards a goal in a disciplined manner. Such a goal could be ascetic, spiritual, yogic or any other. An ashram would traditionally, but not necessarily in contemporary times, be located far from human habitation, in forests or mountainous regions, amidst refreshing natural surroundings conducive to spiritual instruction and meditation.
VanaraIn Hinduism, Vanara () are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people. In the epic the Ramayana, the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human-like beings. There are three main theories about the etymology of the word "Vanara": Aiyanar suggests that vanara means "monkey" derived from the word vana ("forest"), Literally meaning "belonging to the forest" Monier-Williams says it is probably derived from vanar (lit. "wandering in the forest") and means "forest-animal" or monkey.
