Lord Rama with arrows.jpg Devanagari राम Sanskrit transliteration Rāma Affiliation Seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu Abode Ayodhya and Santanaka Mantra Om Shri Ramaya Namah, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, and Ram Naam Saatyam Hai Weapon Bow (Kodandam) Consort Sita Parents Dasharatha (father) Kaushalya (mother) Children Lava and Kuśa Texts Ramayana Region Indian Subcontinent Festivals Rama Navami, Deepavali, Dussehra Ram(/ˈrɑːmə/;[1] Sanskrit: राम Rāma) or Srī Rāmachandra (Sanskrit : श्री रामचन्द्र) is the seventh avatar of the god Vishnu. He is the central figure of the Hindu epic Ramayana, which is the principal narration of the events connected to his incarnation on Earth, his ideals, and his greatness. Rama is one of the many deities in Hinduism and especially of the various sects of Vaishnavism. Religious texts and scriptures based on his life have been a formative component in numerous cultures of South Asia and Southeast Asia.[2] Along with Krishna, Rama is considered to be one of the most important avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric sects, he is considered the Supreme Being, rather than an avatar. Born as the son of Kaushalya and Dasharatha, ruler of the Kingdom of Kosala (now in Uttar Pradesh), Rama is referred as Maryada Purushottama[3] within Hinduism, which literally means the Perfect Man or Lord of Self-Control or Lord of Virtue. His wife Sita is considered by Hindus to be an avatar of Lakshmi and the embodiment of a great woman.