This is a story about Prince Rama, the great warrior, who was married to the beautiful Sita. Rama and Sita were really the god Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi in human form.

Prince Rama was heir to a great kingdom, but his stepmother had tricked his father into banishing him into the forest. With him went his wife, Sita, and his half-brother, Lakshmana. Rama had begged Sita to stay safely in the palace while he was in exile, but she declared it was a thousand times better to be in the forest with Rama than in the richest palace without him. Rama's loyal half-brother Lakshmana also refused to stay behind. He was almost exactly the same age as Rama, and the two had grown up together.

So the three of them went to live in the forest together. They lived a simple, peaceful life in a small cottage, learning how to worship from the holy men who lived in the forest.

But, before long, their peace was disturbed. A female demon saw Rama and wanted to marry him. She made herself look like a beautiful girl, and tried to get Rama to leave Sita. But when Rama took no notice of her, out of sheer envy she attacked Sita. Lakshmana could see that she was a demon, and he cut off her nose and ears. In rage, the demoness turned to her brother for help.

Now, her brother was the most terrible demon of all, the demon king Ravana, who lived on the island of Lanka. Ravana had twenty arms and ten heads, with eyes as red as coal fires and a mouthful of yellow fangs. When Ravana heard about the three exiles, and about Sita's beauty, he came up with a plan to have her for himself.

One day, when the three exiles were walking in the forest, they saw the most beautiful deer you can imagine. Its golden hide was as bright as the sun, its silver antlers as bright as the moon, its hooves shone as black as night, and its eyes were as blue as sapphires.

So delighted was Sita when she saw the deer that she begged Rama to catch it for her. Lakshmana was worried that this was some demon trick to try and split them up, but Sita pleaded with Rama, until he agreed to try and catch the deer for her. However, just to be sure that Sita was safe, he told Lakshmana to stay with her until he came back with the deer.

Sita and Lakshmana waited and waited for Rama to return and then just as they were beginning to worry, they heard Rama's voice cry, "Lakshmana... help me!"

"Go quickly, Lakshmana", said Sita. Lakshmana did not want to leave her alone, but Sita turned on him in fury and accused him of not caring for Rama. So off Lakshmana ran to find Rama. As soon as Sita was alone, the demon Ravana swooped down and swept Sita up into his chariot pulled by winged fiends. Sita hid her eyes at the sight of the terrible king, and even the flowers sank into the ground with fright. The deer had been a demon in disguise sent by Ravana - the voice of Rama just an illusion. Both were tricks to ensure Sita would be left alone and unprotected. As the chariot soared through the sky, the ancient king of the vultures heard Sita's cries and called to the demon to release her.

When Ravana only laughed, the brave old vulture attacked the demon king. His mighty talons destroyed the fiendish chariot and ripped off Ravana's ten left arms. But these grew back instantly and struck out at the vulture king with their ten swords. The noble bird fell to the ground, dying, and Ravana flew on with Sita under his arms. Despite her terror Sita thought quickly and scattered her jewellery piece by piece - first her golden anklets, then her earrings, then her glittering scarf - as a trail for Rama to follow. Far below a white monkey looked up and, seeing the glittering jewelry, thought the stars were falling.

It was a long time before Lakshmana found Rama beside the dead demon, who had been made to look like the beautiful deer. Realising that they had been tricked the two brothers ran back to their cottage as fast as they could, their hearts filled with dread. Finding Sita gone, they searched frantically until they came upon the vulture king. With his dying words the vulture told them what had happened, and showed them the direction that the demon Ravana had taken Sita.

It wasn't long before they found the trail of jewellery that Sita had left. They followed this until they met Hanuman, the white monkey, who had seen Sita's jewellery fall. Hanuman was a very special monkey because he was the son of the wind god. Hanuman took the brothers to the monkey city, that lay under the hills in a giant cavern. All the monkeys of the city were called to the marble square in the centre of the city, and messages were sent out to monkeys all over the world. They came in their millions from the woods and caves, and with them came their friends the bears. Twenty-three million animals filled the city and covered the hills like a great shaggy sea. After they had heard what had happened, they spread out to search the world for Sita.

It was the monkey, Hanuman, who came at last to the demon island of Lanka, where Sita was now a captive. The monkeys and bears with him stared in despair at the giant crashing waves that surrounded the island, but Hanuman, the son of the wind god, climbed to the highest hill, took a mighty breath and leapt into the clouds, and over the crashing waves. He landed in Lanka and quickly found Sita in a grove of trees near the palace. There she sat refusing to marry the evil Ravana.

Sita was overjoyed when she found out who Hanuman was and she gave him a pearl from her hair to take to Rama. Then, Hanuman bounded away to fetch Rama and Lakshmana, and the great army of monkeys and bears.

But still the giant ocean waves kept Rama and his army away from the island. In frustration Rama cursed the ocean that kept them from Sita. But the Ocean said his heart was as vast as his waters, and he would keep afloat anything they laid upon him. And so the army began to build a bridge of rocks and grass and sand.

The squirrels came running out of the woods to help, every animal - large and small - contributed to the building, and soon the bridge stretched one hundred leagues to the island, and the animals poured across their bridge.

Long and terrible was the battle, as the animals fought the evil demons. Many great deeds were done, until at last Rama faced the demon Ravana on the battlefield. With his arrows Rama struck again and again at the heads of Ravana but, each time he chopped one off, a new one grew.

Then Rama took up his special bow and arrow that had been made by the sky god. He chanted a fire mantra, and his golden arrows blazed as they shot toward Ravana. But Ravana chanted a rain mantra so the clouds flocked into the skies and drenched the fire arrows with their rain. Then Rama spoke a wind mantra and the seven winds swept across the sky, blowing the rain clouds beyond the horizon. Once more Rama put an arrow to his bow and shot. The wind and fire gods flew with it as it pierced Ravana's breast in a blinding flash. Ravana fell dead in an instant.

All the world rejoiced. The reign of the demons was over and Rama and Sita returned to their own country to rule. In celebration the gods showered flowers from the sky, and the people lined the streets with flags and garlands. In every home, an oil lamp was put in the window to welcome back the three exiles and their great army. And Rama and Sita ruled happily for many years until it was time for them to leave their life on earth and return to heaven.

This information is taken from 'A Tapestry of Tales' by Sanda Palmer.