Ram is the eldest son of King Dasharath and Queen Kausalya. He is loved by his people and admired by his brothers Bharat, Lakshman, and Shatrughn. He marries Sita, the daughter of King Janak and an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi.
Ram’s stepmother Kaikeyi, influenced by her maid Manthara, demands that Dasharath banish Ram to the forest for 14 years and make Bharat the heir to the throne. Dasharath reluctantly agrees, but dies of grief soon after. Ram accepts his fate and leaves for the forest with Sita and Lakshman. Bharat refuses to take the throne and goes to the forest to persuade Ram to return, but Ram insists on fulfilling his father’s promise. Bharat then takes Ram’s sandals and places them on the throne as a symbol of Ram’s authority.