Sarama (Ramayana)

In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Sarama (Sanskrit: सरमा, Saramā) is the wife of Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana, the demon (rakshasa) king of Lanka.

All accounts agree that Sarama was friendly to Sita, the consort of Rama (the prince of Ayodhya and an avatar of the god Vishnu), who was kidnapped by Ravana and imprisoned in Lanka.

Sita tells him that the wife of Vibhishana – who sides with Rama in the war – sent her daughter Kala (In other recensions of the Ramayana, called Nanda or Anala) to give information of Ravana's intentions about not surrendering Sita to Rama, despite the advice of Vibhishana and Ravana's old and wise minister Avindhya.

Over time in later Rama-centric literature, Sarama was identified as Vibhishana's wife while Trijata was regarded his daughter.

[5] Sarama's identification with Vibhishana's wife is introduced quite early, in the Uttra Kanda, the last Book of the Ramayana itself, which is regarded as a later addition to the original text.

[5] It mentions that Ravana obtained Sarama, the daughter of the gandharva Sailusa, to be his brother Vibhishana's wife.

[7] However, the Krittivasi Ramayana portrays Trijata in bad light appealing to Sita to wed Ravana and rule as the queen of Lanka.

[10] In the Telugu Sita Puranamu, Ramaswami Chaudari portrays Sarama negatively as the Aryan (gandharva) wife of the Dravidian Vibhishana, who sways her husband's opinion towards Rama and forces him to betray his just brother Ravana.

Vibhishana depicted with his consort Sarama.