The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Maharishi Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, the legendary Kosala Kingdom. It follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest by his father King Dasharatha, on request of his step-mother Kaikeyi, his travels across forests in India with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, the kidnapping of his wife by Ravana, the great king of Lanka, resulting in a war with him and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned king. This is the culmination point of the epic. It is considered a sacred book, and is read by millions of people every year.