काण्ड

The seven kāṇḍas

The seven books of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa.

• बालकाण्डम्

  Bāla Kāṇḍa

  Birth, education and marriage. The young princes meet sages, demons and divine weapons.

• अयोध्याकाण्डम्

  Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa

  A coronation becomes an exile. The most intimate and painful book of the epic.

• अरण्यकाण्डम्

  Araṇya Kāṇḍa

  Years in the forest among the sages, and then the abduction.

• किष्किन्धाकाण्डम्

  Kiṣkindhā Kāṇḍa

  An alliance with the vānaras, a killing that is still debated, and a great search.

• सुन्दरकाण्डम्

  Sundara Kāṇḍa

  Hanumān's book. The leap, the search of Laṅkā, and the meeting with Sītā.

• युद्धकाण्डम्

  Yuddha Kāṇḍa

  The bridge, the siege, the duels, the fire and the return. The longest book.

• उत्तरकाण्डम्

  Uttara Kāṇḍa

  Origins of Rāvaṇa, the reign of Rāma, Sītā's second exile and the end. Its place is debated within the tradition.