Ayodhya marks Valmiki Jayanti with a Sundarkand recital

Uttar Pradesh marked Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti on Monday, 26 October 2026, with recitals, local performances and community gatherings across all 75 districts, UNI reported. Students joined saints at Ayodhya's Shrimad Valmiki Ramayana Bhawan for a programme honouring Maharishi Valmiki, the sage who composed the Ramayana.

According to UNI, the Culture Department and district administration's programme began at 8 am with worship of Maharishi Valmiki, followed by a recital of Sundarkand from the Valmiki Ramayana. UNI also reported devotional performances at his Lalapur taposthali in Chitrakoot and a procession through Aligarh.

Organiser reported on 22 October that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust planned an Abhishek and Shodashopachara Puja at the Maharishi Valmiki Mandir in the Ram Janmabhoomi complex on 26 October.

Humility carries the tradition forward

In the opening of the Ramcharitmanas, Goswami Tulsidas bows to the poet who came before him:

बंदउँ मुनि पद कंजु रामायन जेहिं निरमयउ। सखर सुकोमल मंजु दोष रहित दूषन सहित॥

Bal Kand, Soratha 1.14 (gha)

He bows to the sage's lotus feet. The Ramayana contains Khar yet is tender, and Dushan yet is without flaw. Khar also means harsh, while dushan means fault. The names of two demons thus carry a second meaning, praising the poem's tenderness and freedom from fault.

Humility is how the tradition is handed on. Read one sarga of Sundara Kanda and offer thanks to those who carried the text to us.