Kodanda Rama · कोदण्डराम
Rama as the supreme archer wielding the bow Kodanda; the warrior aspect who vanquishes adharma, especially venerated at Vontimitta and in South Indian tradition.
Dharma, righteous kingship, and the ideal moral order - the perfected man who upholds duty, truth, and virtue.
Who Rama is
Rama is the seventh avatara of Vishnu, born as the eldest son of King Dasharatha of the Ikshvaku (Suryavamsha) dynasty in Ayodhya, and the central hero of Valmiki's Ramayana. Revered as Maryada Purushottama, the supreme upholder of righteous conduct, he is the divine king whose life models perfect dharma in the roles of son, husband, brother, friend, and sovereign. His consort is Sita (an incarnation of Lakshmi), and his story culminates in the slaying of the rakshasa-king Ravana.
What Rama embodies
Rama embodies dharma itself made flesh - "Ramo vigrahavan dharmah," dharma in bodily form. As an avatara he represents the descent of the unmanifest Vishnu (Para-Brahman) into human limitation, voluntarily accepting human grief and constraint to re-establish cosmic order (dharma-samsthapana). In Vedanta and the bhakti traditions, his very name (Rama-nama, the Taraka mantra) is held to be the supreme means of liberation, equal to and even surpassing the deity it signifies.
Birth & origin
Rama is born in Treta Yuga to Dasharatha and his eldest queen Kaushalya, in Ayodhya. The classic account (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda) holds that the childless Dasharatha performs the Putrakameshti / Ashvamedha sacrifice under sage Rishyashringa; from the sacrificial fire a divine being emerges bearing a vessel of payasa (sacred pudding), which the three queens consume - Kaushalya bearing Rama, Kaikeyi bearing Bharata, and Sumitra bearing the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Concurrently, the Devas petition Vishnu to incarnate and destroy Ravana, who is invulnerable to gods and demons but contemptuously omitted humans from his boon; Vishnu thus takes human birth as the four sons, the fullest portion as Rama. Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas frames the descent devotionally through the curses and boons (e.g., Jaya-Vijaya, Manu and Satarupa's tapas) that necessitate the Lord's appearance, and a notable bhakti theme is that Brahman takes saguna form out of love for his devotees.
When: Treta Yuga; as an amsha of the eternal Vishnu, Rama is anadi (beginningless), manifesting in time to restore dharma.
Family & vahana
Parents
Father: Dasharatha (king of Ayodhya); mother: Kaushalya. Foster-mothers: Kaikeyi and Sumitra.
Consort
Sita (Janaki, Vaidehi), daughter of King Janaka of Mithila and an incarnation of Lakshmi.
Children
Lava and Kusha, twin sons born to Sita in Valmiki's ashrama.
Siblings
Bharata (son of Kaikeyi), and the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna (sons of Sumitra).
Vahana (mount)
Rama has no animal vahana; he is borne in war upon his great bow Kodanda and his chariot, and in devotional iconography is carried in the heart of Hanuman, his foremost bhakta.
Iconography
Rama is depicted as a regal youthful warrior, typically shyama (dark blue or green-hued, like Vishnu/Krishna), embodying serene strength. He is most often two-armed and human in form (unlike the four-armed Vishnu), wielding the Kodanda bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right, standing in tribhanga or alert archer's posture. He wears the yellow pitambara and royal ornaments and crown; in the canonical Rama Parivara group he stands with Sita to his right, Lakshmana (bearing a bow) to his left, and Hanuman kneeling in anjali at his feet.
Forms & aspects
Pattabhirama (Rama Pattabhishekam) · पट्टाभिराम
The crowned, enthroned Rama at his coronation in Ayodhya, seated with Sita, surrounded by his brothers and Hanuman - the icon of Rama Rajya, ideal righteous rule.
Rama Parivara / Sita-Rama · सीताराम
The family group of Rama with Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman; the central object of household and temple worship, expressing dharma in relationship.
Vaidehi-Vallabha / Raghunatha · रघुनाथ
Rama as lord of the Raghu line and beloved of Sita; the dynastic and devotional aspect invoked in the Ramcharitmanas and Ramanandi sampradaya.
Rama as Para-Brahman · परब्रह्म राम
The Vedantic aspect (e.g., Adhyatma Ramayana, Rama-purvatapaniya Upanishad) in which Rama is the supreme Self and his name the Taraka that ferries souls across samsara.
Key stories
The Breaking of Shiva's Bow and the Marriage to Sita
At King Janaka's svayamvara in Mithila, the test is to string the mighty bow of Shiva (Pinaka/Haradhanu), which no king can even lift. The youthful Rama, accompanying sage Vishvamitra, lifts and bends it until it snaps in two, winning the hand of Sita. The wedding of Sita-Rama is celebrated as the archetype of sacred union and is re-enacted annually as Vivaha Panchami.
The Exile, the Abduction of Sita, and the War at Lanka
On the eve of his coronation, Rama is exiled to the forest for fourteen years to honour a boon Dasharatha granted Kaikeyi; he departs without complaint, accompanied by Sita and Lakshmana, exemplifying maryada. In the forest the rakshasa-king Ravana abducts Sita; allying with Sugriva and the vanaras, and served by Hanuman who leaps to Lanka and finds her, Rama builds the Setu bridge, lays siege to Lanka, and slays Ravana, restoring dharma.
Hanuman and the Triumph of Devotion
Hanuman, the vanara son of Vayu, becomes Rama's perfect devotee: he crosses the ocean, burns Lanka, and later carries the entire Sanjivani mountain to revive the fallen Lakshmana. His selfless service makes him the paradigm of bhakti and dasya-bhava, and Rama declares his debt to Hanuman can never be repaid - a bond celebrated wherever Rama is worshipped.
Mantras
श्री राम जय राम जय जय राम
Shri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama
The Rama Taraka Mantra, a thirteen-syllable (trayodashakshari) mahamantra held to ferry the devotee across the ocean of samsara; popularised by saints such as Samartha Ramdas and chanted universally as nama-japa.
श्रीराम राम रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे । सहस्रनाम तत्तुल्यं रामनाम वरानने ॥
Shri Rama Rama Rameti rame Rame manorame | sahasranama tat-tulyam Rama-nama varanane ||
The celebrated concluding verse (38) of the Shri Rama Raksha Stotra of Budha Kaushika; traditionally voiced as Shiva's counsel that the name 'Rama' uttered thrice equals the entire Vishnu Sahasranama. Widely recited daily by devotees.
Major temples
Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) - the traditional birthplace of Rama and foremost kshetraRamanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) - where Rama is said to have worshipped Shiva before crossing to Lanka; a Jyotirlinga and Char Dham siteBhadrachalam Sita Ramachandraswamy Temple (Telangana) - major Rama kshetra on the Godavari, linked to the saint Bhakta RamadasuKodandarama Temple, Vontimitta (Andhra Pradesh) - renowned Kodanda Rama shrine and Vijayanagara-era monumentKalaram Temple, Nashik / Panchavati (Maharashtra) - set in the forest region of Rama's exile where Sita was abductedSri Rama Temple, Triprayar (Kerala) - venerable Triprayar Thevar shrine associated with the Ramayana circuit
Festivals
Rama Navami - the celebration of Rama's birth on the ninth (navami) of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, marked by fasting, recitation of the Ramayana, and the birth ceremony at noonVivaha Panchami - the anniversary of the wedding of Sita and Rama, on Margashirsha shukla panchami, especially observed at Janakpur and AyodhyaDussehra / Vijayadashami - the tenth day commemorating Rama's victory over Ravana, observed with Ramlila enactments and the burning of Ravana effigiesDiwali - the festival of lights celebrating Rama's triumphant return to Ayodhya with Sita and Lakshmana after the fourteen-year exile and the coronation (Pattabhishekam)
How Rama is worshipped
Rama is worshipped through nama-japa and nama-sankirtana (repetition and singing of the divine name), recitation of the Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas, Sundarakanda, Ram Raksha Stotra, and the Ramanama-likhita (writing the name "Rama"). He is most often venerated together as Sita-Rama with Lakshmana and Hanuman. Favoured offerings are simple and sattvic - tulasi leaves, sandal paste, yellow flowers, fruit, and especially panakam and naivedya prepared on Rama Navami; devotional service to and through Hanuman is considered the surest path to his grace.
The teaching
Rama's life teaches that the highest spirituality is the unwavering performance of one's dharma, however costly - truth, duty, and self-restraint (maryada) embodied without exception. He demonstrates that divinity is realised not by escaping the human condition but by perfecting it: bearing exile, loss, and sorrow with equanimity for the sake of righteousness and the welfare of all (Rama Rajya). For the devotee, his name is itself the bridge across samsara, teaching that surrender (sharanagati) and remembrance of the Lord's name accomplish what works and knowledge alone cannot.