The Ramayana mentions many women, but very few of them truly have a voice. Although most of the story is told in the third person narrative, it tends to emphasize the male point of view. This is very interesting, as many of the women are key to the plot. Without these women, the story of the Ramayana would cease to exist. Their thoughts and actions further develop the Ramayana into the epic tale that it is.

To begin with, we have Kooni, the jaded maid who convinces the Queen, Kaikeyi, that Rama should not be crowned as the next King.

Then, we have Kausalya, Rama’s biological mother. She brought Rama into the world. In doing so, she laid the foundation for the Ramayana. Without Rama, there would be no Ramayana.

Next, we have Kaikeyi. Kaikeyi's mind is manipulated by Kooni, who convinces her to use the two boons that Dasharatha gave her for saving his life. With her first boon, she commands Dasharatha to make Bharata king. With her second, she exploits Dasharatha into sending Rama into exile. While Kaikeyi's actions are infuriating, without them the epic of the Ramayana would cease to exist.

Of course, there is also Sita. She is the daughter of King Janaka and Rama’s wife. She is by far the most prominent female character in the story. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also very strong-willed. Her constant love and devotion to Rama is her most prominent character trait. This devotion to Rama incites the jealous actions of Ravana, which develop the rest of the plot for the Ramayana.

These are just a few examples of pivotal women throughout the Ramayana. Other important women in the Ramayana include Soorpanaka, the demon sister of Ravana, who encourages Ravana to capture Sita in the first place, and Mandodari, Ravana’s head wife.

The purpose of this storybook is to re-tell the stories of Kooni, Kausalya, and Sita. Each story is a diary entry detailing the character’s perspective on her own story. Hopefully this will give these female characters more of a voice, as well as provide the reader with more understanding and empathy towards them as characters. I also hope that this storybook will inspire people to learn more about the women throughout the great Indian Epics!

Over to the side is a lithograph image from Wikipedia of "Panchakanya", which are the five virgins or maidens. The Panchakanya include Ahalya, Draupadi, Sita, Tara and Mandodari. Four of the five women arefrom the Ramayana, and Sita is part of my storybook!