India, Nov. 13 -- Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana has been a roaring success at the box office in its opening week. After a subpar start for a film of its scale, Ramayana took off in the post-Diwali break in India, soaring to Rs.1000 crore in eight days. However, while the performance in India was always expected to be big, Ramayana has hit it out of the park in many Asian territories where the epic is part of culture and history.

The Ramayana originated in India, with Valmiki's version being the most popular and among the first to descend from the original oral traditions. But worldwide, there are 300 versions of the epic, including localised versions in parts of Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. Valmiki's Ramayana and Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas are...