The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and an important part of the Hindu canon. The name Ramayan is a tatpurusha compound of "Ram" and "ayan", which translating to "the travels of Ram".
The Ramayan consists of 24,000 verses in seven cantos and tells the story of Ram (Preah Ream), whose wife Sita (Seda) is abducted by the demon (Ravana or Yeak) king of Lanka.
The Valmiki Ramayan is dated at least from 1000 BC to 500 BCE. The Ramayan had an important influence on Khmer life and culture, primarily through its teachings of the ancient Hindu sages and presents them through allegory in narrative and the interspersion of the philosophical and the devotional. The characters of Ream, Sita, Hanuman and Ravana or Yak (the villain of the piece) are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of Cambodia.
Preah Ream's life and journey is one of perfect adherence to dharma despite harsh tests of life and time. His personal strength and virtue were tested, in a long and arduous search for his wife, Sita, which kidnapped by Ravana (Yeak), the Rakshasa monarch of Lanka. Ream fights a colossal war against Ravana's armies of powerful and magical beings. It ended with Ream slays Ravana in battle and liberates his wife.
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