 The Ramayana, holy revered text of Hindus, is a collection of Indian mythological stories concentrating on the work of the gods in the lives of men, and was first written down, as legend states, by the sage Valmiki during the third century BC.Rama actually existed, and there are several holy sites in India that point to the reality of Rama's existence, including his birthplace, his palace, and the route of his journey to Sri Lanka.Nevertheless, the Ramayana came to Southeast Asia by means of Tamils traders and scholars who traded with ancient kingdoms such as Funan, Angkor and Srivijaya with whom the Indians shared close economic and cultural ties.