Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic poem that tells the story of Prince Rama and his quest to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana with the help of the monkey-god Hanuman. It is considered one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, and is written by the sage Valmiki. The tale, which is over 24,000 verses long, is regarded as a cultural and religious text and is widely popular in India, as well as Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia, and Thailand. The Ramayana is considered a symbol of Hindu dharma, the moral and ethical values of Hinduism, and is used as a guide for individual and societal behavior.