The characters in Ramayana mirror a myriad of human emotions. The saga of Ramayana revolves around its hero, Rama and his beloved wife, Sita. While these two major characters at the centre symbolizing the central force there are several major and minor characters that revolve around them. Each character has its own significant part irrespective of the fact how small it is. Besides Rama and Sita, King Dasaratha, King Ravana, Lakshman, Hanuman, Bharata, Kaikeyi, Bibhishana and several others are have a major roles to play in this great Hindu epic.

Originally Ramayana was written in Sanskrit but in contemporary India this epic has been translated into various languages. Ramayana has a lot of theological significance too. This is the reason why certain characters in Ramayana are worshipped throughout the subcontinent. Ramayana tells the tale of the victory of good over evil. As the story gradually unfolds Lord Rama defeats and slays Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

The characters in Ramayana symbolise the human virtues and vices. The entire tale represents family and life in a macrocosm. As a result the characters in Ramayana are very much drawn from the real life though the tale is told in a true epic style. This accounts for the acceptability of the characters in Ramayana and the epic as a whole even in contemporary India.