With the progress of Indian Subcontinent's civilization, Ramayan has been the marked Epic in all forms of society in the South East Asia. Irrespective of the borders, casts, creeds, culture and dimensions Ramayan has been a strong force in uniting the subcontinent. There is definitely something that makes the epic Ramayan of such panoramic dimensions. There are diverse regional versions of the Ramayana written by various authors in India and teh subcontinent and some of them differed very significantly from each other altogether with the same base story. Yamayan is the Burmese (Myanmar) edition of Ramayan and a National Epic. Yama Zatdaw is the dance drama and an act play to summarize the life of Sri Ram. Most of the story has been kept the same as in Indian Ramayan by Valmiki however after invasions from Konbaung Dynasty it has spolied the originality to some extent and some elements were take from Ramakien (Thai Ramayan). Rama sa-khyan, is also an another version of Ramayan composed by U Aung Phyo in 1775 which also narrates from Bal Kand to Yuddh Kand.

Yama Zatdaw Characters

The characters of Yama Zatdaw share the same characteristics and features as in the original story of Indian Ramayan. However, in the act, the costumes are a mixture of Thai and Bamar elements. The names of the characters are Burmese transliterations of the Sanskrit names.

Sri Rama - Yama
Sita - Thida
Lakshmana - Lakhana
Hanuman - Hanuman
Parashurama - Pashu-Yama
Ravana - Yawana or Datha-giri
Vali - Bali
Maricha - Marizza
Vibhishana - Bibi-thana