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I was curious as to why the Raamaayan seems to have been embraced culturally by much of Southeast Asia. If you look at Baali, Cambodia, etc countries, you will find that much of their art, dance, etc., revolves around this Indian epic. How is it that the Raamaayan has taken hold throughout south east Asia while other Indian traditions are not as strong. What is it in the Raamaayan that speaks to such a vast range of people?

The reason why the Raamaayan is present in every Asian country is because the pastimes of Raam took place in each of those countries in different Tretaa Yug. Raam's incarnation takes place in every Tretaa Yug, and in each incarnation the pastimes have slight variations, including the location of Raavan's kingdom. The most recent incarnation of Raam is recorded in the Vaalmeeki Raamaayan, in which Raavan's kingdom was the island of Lankaa.

The ancient island of Lankaa actually has no connection with the present island of Ceylon. According to the Raamaayan of Vaalmeeki, Sri Lanka was located 800 miles (100 Yojan, where 1 Yojan = approximately 8 miles) south of the Indian coast. If we take into account the geography mentioned in various Puraan and ancient histories, we also see that the southern coast of India previously extended much further than it does at present. For example, there were three different cities that had the name Madurai in different periods. As the coast receded, each city became submerged in water, and a new "Madurai" was formed further inland. Thus, the exact location of where Sri Lanka was will be hard to ascertain, but certainly it was a distant land. That island of Lankaa is no longer present, as it was submerged within the ocean.

In another Tretaa Yug, Raavan's kingdom was located in other places, such as Indonesia and China. In Indonesia, Raavan's main form was that of a bear, and in China he utilized the body of a dragon. In Vaalmeeki Raamaayan we find that Raavan had a wife from every species of life, and he assumed suitable bodies to interact with them. But his original form in this Tretaa Yug was human-like. In the other Tretaa Yug his original form was not always human-like, as was the case in China and Indonesia.

In the Puraan, we also find descriptions of Raam Avataar from other Tretaa Yug. There is even a conversation between Seetaa and Raam, where Raam is refusing to allow Seetaa to enter the forest with Him. In response Seetaa says, "If you don't let me come, You will be the first Raam who doesn't allow His wife to accompany Him into the forest." There are several other places where such conversations take place.

The basic reason why the Raamaayan is present in each Asian country is because it is their own ancient history, whereas the Mahaabhaarat and the Puraan are more centered on India. Even in the case of Mahaabhaarat you find Russian tales about a man corresponding to Bheem. This is because Bheem visited Russia while collecting taxes for Yudhishthir's sacrifice.

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