Sage Valmiki is traditionally credited with composing the Ramayana.
The Ramayana is one of Hinduism’s two great Sanskrit epics, alongside the Mahabharata. Its central narrative follows Prince Rama, his wife Sita, and Rama’s ally Hanuman through exile, Sita’s abduction, and the war against Ravana. Valmiki appears within the epic as a sage and as the poet who recounts Rama’s story.
The text is traditionally known as the Adi Kavya, or “first poem,” and Valmiki is therefore also called Adikavi, meaning “first poet.” The Sanskrit Ramayana is commonly organized into seven kandas, or books, although the exact textual history is complex and scholars discuss layers of composition and later additions.
Valmiki should not be confused with Vyasa, who is traditionally associated with the Mahabharata and the Puranic tradition. Many regional Ramayana versions were later composed in languages including Tamil, Awadhi, Bengali, and Thai, but their authors are not the same as the traditional author of the Sanskrit epic.