Persian versions of the Ramayana did not tell one uniform story. Akbar’s court commissioned a relatively close Persian prose translation of Valmiki’s seven-book epic; later poets reshaped the tale as either a romance centered on Rama and Sita or a heroic account centered on Rama. The phrase “without Sita” describes some opening summaries and Rama-first framing—not the full narratives, which include her story.
How the Ramayana reached Persian
In the late sixteenth century, Akbar’s court commissioned a Persian translation of Valmiki’s Sanskrit Ramayana. It was collaborative rather than a direct, word-for-word transfer: Sanskrit-literate Brahmans conveyed the text orally in Hindi, and Persian-speaking Mughal elites turned that material into written Persian. Audrey Truschke identifies Naqib Khan, Sultan Thanisari and Bada’uni among the court’s translators, and Deva Mishra as one known Brahman participant. Truschke’s account of the Persian Ramayanas
The Akbari translation is relatively close to Valmiki’s epic: it contains all seven books and preserves many Sanskrit names and details, while also reflecting the interpretive steps involved in transmission. For example, Sanskrit Rāma appears as Rām and Daśaratha as Jasrat, forms shaped by vernacular pronunciation. In another case, Agastya is rendered as Suhayl, the Persian name for Canopus. These choices show translation as cultural mediation, not mechanical substitution. Truschke, “The Persian Text of the Doha Ramayana” (2020)
A manuscript’s journey
Truschke dates completion of the court translation to the late 1580s at Lahore. The Doha manuscript she studies was associated with Hamida Banu Begum’s library; a note by Jahangir records its arrival in his royal collection in 1605. Truschke described it as the second-oldest surviving copy then known and the oldest then available to scholars. This is the provenance of that particular copy, not a history shared by every surviving manuscript. Truschke, “The Persian Text of the Doha Ramayana” (2020)
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The Doha copy also illustrates how a Persian rendering could include Islamic language without replacing the epic’s Hindu cosmology. In one passage it adds a curse in the name of khudā, or God, absent from the Jaipur and Freer copies discussed by Truschke; Hindu deities remain central to the narrative. That is a manuscript-level variation, not a feature to attribute to every Persian copy.
How later poets made different Ramayanas
After the court translation, Persian writers adapted the story to other literary forms and interests. Sad Allah Masih Panipati and Giridhardas both dedicated works to Jahangir, though Truschke notes that it is unclear whether the emperor received them. Their poems are not simply two versions distinguished by whether Sita appears. They differ chiefly in genre, emphasis and how they frame the tale.
| Work | Form and emphasis | Sita in the account |
|---|---|---|
| Akbari Ramayana | Persian prose translation of Valmiki’s Sanskrit epic; all seven books are included. | Present in the full epic; the opening synopsis names Rama’s adventures without naming Sita. |
| Dastan-i Ram u Sita, also called Ramayan-i Masih | Versified Indo-Persian romance dedicated to Jahangir; foregrounds love. | Named in the title and central to the romance. |
| Giridhardas’s Ramayan | Heroic poem dated 1623–24 by Truschke; centers Rama’s character, exile, conflict with Ravana and victorious return. | Not named in the opening table of contents, but her story appears in the full poem. |
Masih Panipati: Rama and Sita as lovers
Masih Panipati’s poem recasts the relationship of Rama and Sita through Persianate romance conventions, making ishq—love—the central lens. He presents the tale not as a mere legend but as history. In the opening, as translated and quoted by Truschke, Masih writes:
I must speak eloquently of Hindustan
because the dust of this land is infused with love [ishq].
From that I spoke the tradition [ḥadis] of Ram and Sita.
It is not a legend [afsanah] but history [tarikh] here.Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
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The poem’s title itself names both Ram and Sita, making it a clear example of a Persian Ramayana shaped as a love story rather than a Rama-only heroic frame. Truschke’s discussion of Masih Panipati
Giridhardas: Rama as hero
Giridhardas’s poem takes a heroic route. Its focus is Rama’s character and deeds: exile, the struggle against Ravana and the return to victory. The opening contents do not list Sita, a framing choice that can make the work appear to omit her if a reader encounters only its summary. But the full poem follows Valmiki closely and includes her story. The Akbari translation has a similar distinction between a Rama-centered synopsis and a fuller narrative. Truschke’s discussion of Giridhardas
What “without Sita” actually means
The phrase points to a difference between a text’s framing and its complete contents. The Akbari synopsis calls the work “an account of the adventures of Ramchand from the time of his birth until his death,” as translated and quoted by Truschke. Likewise, Giridhardas’s opening table of contents does not name Sita. Neither omission proves she is absent from the full work: the Akbari translation includes Valmiki’s seven books, and Giridhardas’s poem contains her story.
- In the Akbari translation: Sita is part of the full epic, although the synopsis emphasizes Rama.
- In Masih Panipati’s romance: Rama and Sita are both named and their love is foregrounded.
- In Giridhardas’s heroic poem: the opening contents center Rama, while the full poem includes Sita’s story.
Persian Ramayanas were not one lineage
Persian retellings continued beyond Akbar’s court and were still being produced into the nineteenth century. Truschke’s 2020 study estimates around two dozen distinct Persian Ramayanas; that is a scholarly estimate, not a complete census. Later writers could draw on Sanskrit or vernacular versions and oral knowledge, so they should not all be treated as descendants of the Akbari translation. The variety reflects a continuing literary tradition, not a single Persian text with one fixed treatment of Sita. Truschke, “The Persian Text of the Doha Ramayana” (2020)
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