The common story in Southeast Asia

Posted by noelbynature under Exhibitions, Museums/Heritage Galleries
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If there’s ever a story that cuts through Southeast Asian borders, it would be the Hindu epic of Ramayana, a classic tale of good versus evil originating from India, but has been adapter many times over in Southeast Asia. The Ramayana and its many forms are revisited at the Peranakan Museum until August this year, and Jerome blogs about the exhibition and how this epic has come to touch so many Asian cultures.

Jerome writes:

The Ramayana as most of us would know, is an epic tale revolving around the universal theme of the triumph of good over evil, that has its roots in Hinduism, which has spread in various forms and interpretations throughout much of Asia. The storyline in itself, revolving around the central characters of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata and the monkey god Hanuman who participate in a struggle against Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, which includes stories of love and conquest, is fascinating enough to keep the audiences enthralled. The message brought by the epic tale has served as a powerful means to impart values onto the societies that have embraced Hinduism and Buddhism at some point in their history, and the tales have kept generations of young and old captivated both through the creative means by which the story is related throughout Asia, puppetry and other forms of live performances being commonly used as a means.

Southeast Asia as a region is also mentioned in the texts of the Ramayana through the names Suvarnabhumi and Suvarnadvipa which mean the ‘Golden land’ or ‘Golden Peninsula’ respectively. So perhaps it’s not so surprising that the Ramayana has played such a prominent position in this part of the world. You can read about Jerome’s visit to the exhibition here, and find our more about the exhibition here.

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