Synopsis The Ramayana was composed first by the sage Valmiki who happens to be the foremost of all the poets in the country, which relates to the story of the Rama, the son of Dasaratha, the Iksvaku king of Ayodhya.  It has seven Kandas starting from Bala-kanda or Adi-kanda and concluding with Uttara-kanda, completing the story from the beginning to the end.  There are various versions of Ramayana popular throughout India.  Not only this, the popularity of the story of Rama also crossed the Indian frontier and reached the countries of the east like Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, China and Tibet.  This book has been compiled from over twenty different Ramayanas and other ancient texts.