The great Indian epic The Ramayana was first written down sometime between the 8th and the 5th c, BCE, but its origins are much further back in time. It tells the story of the exile of Rama and his wife Sita, her capture by Ravana, and the battle to rescue her. The Sanskrit poem contains nearly 24,000 verses, and its author is considered to be the first of all poets – but according to legend he began his life not as a poet but as a thief.

The tale is told that while he was young there was a famine, and in order to feed his family he began to steal from travellers in the region. Then it happened that he tried to rob the seven sages known as the Saptarshi. He did not succeed in this, but the sages took pity on him, and one of them taught him a mantra. He began to repeat this, and became so engrossed in it that he lost consciousness of life around him – to such an extent that ants built a nest around him while he continued his practice. When the sages heard his voice coming from within the anthill, they drew him out, blessed him, and said, “You will find fame as ‘Valmiki'” – a word that means from with the anthill.

And so till this day, the world knows and celebrates the great epic poem the Valmiki Ramayana.