Yunnan Dai Buddhist Ramayana Adaptation Identified as Lanka Sip Ho

Researchers report on Laṅka Sip Ho, a Dai-language adaptation of the Ramayana epic preserved among the Dai people in Yunnan, China. Identified by Chinese scholars in 1956 during a survey of ethnic literature in Yunnan, the text translates to ‘Ten Heads of Laṅka’ in the local Chinese Dai dialect, referring to the ten-headed demon king Ravaṇa. Also known as ‘Kham Khap Lanka Sip Hua’, this tradition is common among ethnic groups including the Tai-Lue, Tai Yuan, and Tai Yai. A published Chinese edition edited by Dao et al. appeared in 1981, while one surviving manuscript carries a date of 1312 CE.

For scholars of folklore and comparative religion, the text demonstrates how epic traditions transform across cultural boundaries. Laṅka Sip Ho presents a Buddhist retelling in which Rama is cast as a Bodhisattva. The epic incorporates Dai, Southeast Asian, and Chinese cultural traditions, departing from the classic Valmiki Ramayana in key plot details. For instance, in this adaptation, the princes are born from bananas and their period of exile lasts for twelve years.