Who is traditionally credited with composing the Ramayana?

Valmiki is traditionally credited with composing the Ramayana.

He is revered in Hindu tradition as Maharishi Valmiki and as the Ādi Kavi, or “first poet.” The Sanskrit epic is commonly called the Valmiki Ramayana to distinguish it from the many later retellings and regional adaptations of Rama’s story.

The epic itself presents Valmiki as a figure within its narrative. Tradition says he sheltered Sita and taught the Ramayana to her sons, Lava and Kusha, who later recited it. A famous origin story also says that Valmiki’s first poetic verse arose from grief after a hunter killed one bird from a mating pair.

The attribution is traditional rather than a modern copyright-style authorship claim. Scholars generally view the Ramayana as a text that developed through oral transmission, additions, and redactions over centuries. Tulsidas wrote the later Awadhi devotional retelling Ramcharitmanas, while Vyasa is traditionally associated with the Mahabharata.