The Best Retellings of the Indian epic Ramayana you need to read

R.K. Narayan, India’s most popular author, in his book titled Ramayana, rightly said that the story of Ramayana is not new to Indians.

Every state in India, in fact, every household in India, has read abridged versions of the epic in some or other form or media. But still, new books surrounding the epic are released almost every year.

The novelty, I think, is the perspective of the characters central to the plot but often side-lined, especially the women characters - Sita, Kaikeye, Ahalya, Surpankha, Mandodari, etc.

Every book brings out a new story as yet unknown. A new learning and a new way of looking at the big picture. A fortitude of questions will rise in your mind and yet you will keep reading on.

Over the years, I garnered a list of books exploring this narrative through other central characters, and these are specifically the ones I loved reading and so recommend to you.

Indian Mythology Retellings

Valmiki’s Women by Anand Neelkanthan

Still, you must read this book to understand the perspective of these genuinely influential women in the epic, if you've read the Ramayana or plan to read it soon.

 I absolutely respect, appreciate, and laud the representation of women in this volume. This book comprises five chapters depicting five influential women, Bhoomija, Shanta, Manthara, Meenakshi, and Tataka who you could say in a way were answerable for the epic.

100 Indian Books you must read in this life

Sitayana by Amit Majumdar

What if the characters in Ramayana could tell you their own stories?

And not just Sita or the fallen women from the epic but stories by Hanuman, Indra, Varun, Lakshman and even the little squirrel who contributed in building the bridge across the ocean.

Did you know of how Rama was offered a chariot by Indra that was more magical than the mystical Pushpak of Ravana? Did you know of who abandoned Sita as a baby in a field belonging to the kingdom of king Janaka?

Amit Majumdar tells the story of Ramayana starting from the Ashoka Vatika where Sita has been imprisoned by Ravana. And then he brings a tale that is ingenious and powerful and speaks vibrantly through its numerous characters.

Short Indian Books you must read

The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee

Ramayana is a famous epic in India and worldwide. Everyone knows the story of how Ram and Sita were married. How the evil Kaikeye on the eve of his coronation exiled Ram to 14 years of banishment. How, when wandering the woods of Panchavati, Ravana kidnapped Sita and held her in Lanka. And also how with the aid of a battalion of monkeys and bears, Ram crossed the ocean, defeated the powerful Ravan and brought back Sita, albeit after a trial to establish her innocence after living with an outlander for a time.

But have you read this story through the eyes of the most monumental character – Sita? What were her reflections, sensibilities, dilemmas, and causes behind her conduct? Understanding a story through the viewpoint of a character opens us up to new perspectives and new eventualities, in my belief. And while perusing this book I felt just that. It was an invigorating take on the grand story..

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee

Ramayana Retellings

The Liberation of Sita by Volga

Translated from Telugu by T.Vijay Kumar C. Vijayashree

How many times have we heard the story of the glorious Ramayana? How Rama returned victorious to Ayodhya after 14 years of banishment and after slaying the ferocious demon king- Ravana. And also he continued to rein over the hearts of his citizens with a just and kind rule. Is not that the way the narrative goes?

But what about Sita on whom the whole Ramayana transpired? Was Rama just and kind and fair to her? Or what of the debasement of Surpankha who was the very spark that burned the fire of vengeance and retribution in Ravana's heart and he decided to abduct Sita?

Why did Laxmana's woman not escort him to the banishment as Sita did for Rama?

Did we ever go deep into the mindsets of the women in Ramayana? Not all of their stories turned out as noble and noteworthy as Rama's but they need to heard.

This a short read to put your thinking gears to work.

Translated Indian Books

Kaikeye by Vaishnavi Patel

How would you like to know the true story behind the most vilified queen in all of Bharat Varsha? A queen who decided to ask her husband for what she thought best in the era where dictators were not just men but even gods.

But did you know that before she acted in her famously unpopular event wehre she banned Lord Rama, Kaikeye was brought up a motherless princess. She was not just beautiful, but even intelligent and a brave warrior comparable to any man. There was a reason she became King Dashratha’s favorite queen and advisor in matters of the kingdom. And she also happened to save his life.

This recent release by Vaishnava Patel has become a favorite read for many book bloggers and Booktubers and casts a dazzling light on the once believed to be evil queen.

Ramayana by R.K. Narayan

The Ramayana was penned by Valmiki in Sanskrit, a long time in 1500 B.C. or nearly around that. The entire work ran as long as 24,000 stanzas. Since then numerous authors and bards have created their interpretations and retelling of this versed epic.

This particular volume is based on the Tamil interpretation of the epic written by poet Kamban. Several adjoining sections of the poet’s work have been described by R.K. Narayan. It isn't a translation. Every Indian understands the Ramayana in some or another capacity through some or other tale from the epic. Narayan’s Ramayana is an anthology of these famous stories penned chronologically and starts with the birth of Rama and ends with his coronation.

The vocabulary is simple to follow and is great for a reader looking for the overall story of this accomplished epic in straightforward language.

30+ Books by India's favorite author R.K. Narayan

Uttara by Arshia Sattar

The earliest text of the Ramayana consists of seven books. The foremost and the ultimate books, Bala Kanda and Uttara Kanda, the author believes, were subsequent additions to the remaining five Kandas. The text is narrative and uninspired while the middle five texts have lyrical language and are emotional and creative.

The word Uttara has numerous meanings, among them, ‘ after ’, ‘ epilogue ’, ‘ ultimate ’, and ‘ answer ’. The Uttara Kanda performs the work of all those meanings, the most important of it's to give answers to all the questions that remain unanswered in the antedating texts.

Although the translation seems without errors, the content in itself is unattractive. But the analytics presented by the author of the significant incidents and their aftereffects on all the characters affected feels apt, although the original text doesn't include any reasons whatsoever.