Ramayan is a highly successful Indian television series created, written, and directed by Ramanand Sagar. The 78-episode series originally aired weekly on Doordarshan from January 25, 1987, to July 31, 1988, on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. IST.
The 78-episode Television software shows rose in popularity of giddy heights when the country’s young generation was silently, unconsciously moving towards the vices of modern age. "RAMAYAN" arrived on the scene when the country’s older generation was gripped with the fear of traditional India moving in the clamps of Kalyug.
During its original broadcast, Ramayan was enormously popular, drawing over 100 million viewers. Its popularity reached a point where the entire nation of India "came to a virtual stop as nearly everyone who could gain access to a television stopped what they were doing to watch the televised adventures of Rama." In a phenomenon that the newsmagazine India Today dubbed "Ramayan fever," religious services (Hindu and non-Hindu) were rescheduled to accommodate the show's broadcast; trains, buses, and inner-city trucks stopped running when the show was on; and, in villages, hundreds of people would gather around a single television set to watch the show.
As a soothing spiritual balm – The entire Nation stopped ….. turned … and looked back with pride at our culture, our traditions and heritage of pure ethics and hallowed principles – RAMAYAN championed the victory of good over evil and boasted of noble virtues. The serial was portrayed in a most aesthetic manner and carried a lot of devotional value for the Indian viewer. Such was the phenomenon of Ramayan that often during the telecasts the streets always wore a deserted look.
All Episodes of Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan TV serial have now been released on 02 Digitally Enhanced DVDs.