Rumā () is a

vanara In Hinduism, Vanara () are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people. In the epic the ''Ramayana'', the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human-like beings. Etymology There ...

also known as Tara and as the queen of Kishkindha mentioned in the epic ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

''. She is the wife of King Sugrīva, who ruled over the vanara kingdom of Kishkindha.

Legend

Ruma is mentioned in Book IV (Kishkindha Kanda) of

. Sugriva fell in love with her. But Ruma's father did not approve. Hence, Sugriva with the help of Hanuman, abducted Ruma and they married each other. Ruma was taken away from Sugriva by Vāli following the strife of two royal Vānara brothers. Later, the fact of Rumā being withheld by Vāli became the primary justification for

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

's slaying Vāli and helping Sugrīva to become the sovereign of Kishkindha. When accused by Vāli of lowly, treacherous, and unexpected assassination from the shades by Rama's arrow, Rāma says his assassination was a just punishment for the sin Vāli committed when he robbed Sugrīva of Rumā or Tara, his wedded spouse, and used her for his pleasure.Ramayana. William Buck, B. A. van Nooten, Shirley Triest. University of California Press, 2000. , 9780520227033

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruma Characters in the Ramayana Vanara in the Ramayana