About Ramayana in Laos

In Ramayana in Laos, Sri Ram is Phralam; Nang Sida is Mata Sita; Lakshman is Phralak; Hanuman is Houliman and Ravana is Hapkhanasouane. Alan Potkin, scholar from the Northern Illinois University, US, is digitally replicating lost Ramayana murals from Laos.

Business Standard reports 

As per Ramayana in Laos, Sri Ram was born in the Mekong valley. According to Sachchidanand Sahai, national professor (epigraphy), Archaeological Survey of India, it draws cultural parallels between the Ganges and Mekong.

As per the Laotian version, Ravana was born in Cambodia and the great war was fought on the banks of Mekong. This is a classic example of how the Khmer, Laotian and Thai civilizations made the Ramayana their own.

 Potkin’s project seeks to keep the vibrant renditions of this grand epic intact, ensuring the flow of knowledge from generation to generation. “We should learn a lesson from this project. In India, we keep searching for the ancient. But we forget that even  the modern heritage needs to be conserved. It is these modern masterpieces that remind us of the stories of our past,” says Sahai.