The Ramayana Evolved Across Multiple Eras, Mythologist Posits

Mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik reports that the Ramayana does not originate from a single historical date, but rather evolved across multiple layers and historical periods. According to Pattanaik, the underlying narrative of the epic is approximately 3,000 years old.

This multi-stage evolution is evident in both textual and visual records. Pattanaik estimates that written manuscripts of the Ramayana are roughly 2,000 years old. Furthermore, the earliest artwork related to the Ramayana is estimated to be approximately 1,500 years old, having emerged during the Gupta period. For scholars of folklore and religious history, this timeline demonstrates how ancient epics transition from oral traditions into written texts and material culture across centuries.