Vālmīki (Encyclopedia of the Ancient World)
Life
Vālmīki (vawl-MEE-kee) is a largely legendary figure credited with composing the Rāmāyana (c. 500 b.c.e., some material added later; English translation, 1870-1889). He is said to have been a contemporary of its hero Rāma, who—while also a product of legend—may have been drawn from a historical personage who ruled the kingdom of Kośala in Northern India in the sixth century b.c.e. According to legend, Vālmīki was born the son of a forest sage but eventually turned to robbery to support his large family. After an encounter with the sage Narada, however,...
[The entire page is 626 words long]
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