R A M 



II A M 



Bala Rama ranks as the eighth. Mtifali is a name of the third 

 Rama, under which word fome notice is taken of him. And 

 of Paru/a or Pariifia Ramtt, fee under that article. The name 

 of Rama, or perhaps more corredlly of Rami, is one of the 

 many names of Parvati, confort of Siva. The name is ajfo 

 ufed, beyond the pale of his own feiftaries, ni fiipplicatioii 

 and praifc. Ram-Ram is a ufual falutation, like our good 

 morrow, between friends at meeting or parting, and is ufed 

 by both Vailhnavas and Saivas ; and it is reverently reiter- 

 ated in times, and in aid, of abllraftion (fee Jap) ; and 

 under the operation of feelings of enthufiafm or didrefs. 



The hiilory of the Ramas mixes itfelf with that of fo 

 many others of Hindoo mythological perfons, thjft in many 

 of our accounts of fuch perfons, &c. particulars occur 

 refpefting them. Thofe dcfirous of farther notice of the 

 Ramas are, therefore, referred, in addition, to the following 

 articles: Ceyi.ok, Java, KAiHN.';iLyA, Lakshiman, 

 Lanka, Makuty, Ravena, Ramayana, Runeka, 

 SlTA, &c. from which other references point to articles on 

 fubjefts connefted lierewith. 



RAMADA, or Nan Sala/ujnca, in Geography, a town 

 of South America, in the province of St. Martha ; 90 

 miles E. of St. Martha. N. lat. 1 1° 10'. W. long. 72'-" 20'. 



RAMADAN, a fort of lent obferved by the Maho- 

 metans, in obedience to the cxprefs command of the Koran, 

 during which they fait the whole day, from the time the 

 new moon firft appears, till tlie appearance of the next new 

 moon, with fuch extreme fuperftition, that tliey not only 

 abftain from eating, drinking, and women, but dare not 

 wafli their mouth, nor even fwallow their fpittle, from day- 

 break till night, or fun-fet. 



The men, indeed, are allowed to bathe themfelves ; but 

 it is on condition they do not plunge the head under 

 water, left iome drops enter by the mouth or ears, &c. 

 But as for the women they are ftriftly forbidden bathing. 

 Some are fo cautious, that they will not open their mouth, 

 to fpeak, lell they (liovild breathe the air too freely. The 

 faft is alfo deemed void if they kifs or touch a woman. 

 To make amends, they feaft all night till day -break ; 

 though the more rigid begin the faft again at midnight ; 

 and ufually fpend more in this month than in fix others. 



The Ramadan happens at different ieafons of the year ; 

 and when it is in the fummer it is very hard on the la- 

 bourers. This month once in thirty-three years is in every 

 feafon of the year, the Turkifh month being lunar, and 

 they beginning at the day they can fee the moon ; whereas 

 the Jews begin their account from tlie day the moon makes, 

 which is a day before the Turks. 



The reafon given why the month of Ramadan was fixed 

 upon for this purpofe is, that on this month the Koran was 

 fent down from heaven. From this faft of Ramadan none 

 are excufed, except travellers and fiek perfons, under which 

 latter denomination are included all thofe whofe health 

 would be manifeftly injured by keeping the faft ; but then 

 they are obliged, fo loon as the impediment is removed, to 

 faft an equal number of other days ; and breaking of the faft 

 is ordered to be expiated by giving alms to the poor. 



RAMAG, a word ufed by fome of the chemical writers 

 to expi"efs afhes. 



RAMAGE, a term ufed for the boughs or branches of 

 trees. Hence, 



RAMAGE-//«'Zi'^, or Falcon, one that is wild and coy, as 

 having been long among the boughs, preying for itfelf. 

 All falcons retain this name till they have left the aery ; 

 being fo called in May, June, July, and Auguft. Thefe 

 are very rarely reclaimed. See Br.^kcher, pAiCON, and 

 Hawking. 



Ramaoe Velvet. See Velvet, 



RAMAGURRY, in Geography, a town of Hmdixjftan, 

 in the Carnatic ; 30 miles W. of Tritchinopoly. 



RAMAH, a town of Arabia, in the province of Neds- 

 jed ; 120 miles N.W. of Jamama. 



Ramaii, or Ramalla, Rainola, Ramula, Ratnha, Ruma, 

 or Rtmphtij, a city W. of Jerufalem, between Lydda and 

 Joppa, according to St. Jtiom ; or between Joppa and 

 Jerufalem, as modern travellers defcribe it. This is the 

 place which Eufebius and St. Jerom took for Arimathea, 

 the country of Joleph. Matt, xxvii. 57. 



RAMAI, in Natural Hiflory, a name given by many old 

 writers to bole armenic. , 



RAMAK, in Ichthyology, a fpecies of Scimna ; which 

 fee. 



RAMALINGA, in Geography, a town of Hindooftan, 

 in Coimbctore ; 16 miles S.S.W. of Erroad. 



RAMALIS Vena, a name given by fome anatomical 

 authors to the vena porta;. 



RAMANUJ, the name of a religious feft of Hin- 

 doos, of the great fubdivifion of Vaiftinava, who worfttip 

 Vilhnu, the pcrfonification of the preferving power of 

 the deity, in his incarnation of Rama. Of this feft fome 

 wordiip Rama only, fome his fpoufe Sita, and fome both 

 Rama and Sita conjointly. (See Rama.) Among the 

 Ramanuj none are addidted to the indecent, or left-handed, 

 mode of worftiip noticed under the article R.vdiia as 

 difgracing her votaries. (See farther under Sakt.\, and 

 Sects of Hindoos.) The different fefts of Hindoos are 

 diflinguifhable by a variety of marks on their foreheads ; 

 of which a great many arc reprefented m the fecond plate, 

 with copious explanations in page 404, of the Hindu Pan- 

 theon. The feft of Ramanuj are known by a duuble up- 

 right white line on the forehead, with a red line between, 

 or fometimes a circlet or dot. Sometimes the lines are 

 red and the circlet black. 



RAMAS, Cape, in Geography, a cape on the W. coaft 

 of Hindooftan ; 21 miles S. of Goa. 



RAMASSERAM, a town of Hindooftan, in the cir- 

 car of Rajamundry ; 35 miles S.S.E. of Rajamundry. 



RAMAYAN.-i, the title of a poem in the Sanfcrit 

 language, of great celebrity in India, and regarded as facred 

 by fome feels of Hindoos, and greatly venerated by all. 

 Its fubjeft is the exploits of three perions named Rama ; 

 but more efpecially the wars condufted by one of them, 

 named Rama Chandra, for the conqueft of Lanka or Cey- 

 lon, from its powerful fovercign Ravena, or rather, indeed, 

 for the refcue of his wife from the hands of that tyrant. 

 It is comprifed in feven kandas, or books, containing 24,000 

 ftilokas, or metrical ftanzas ; named thus: i. Adi-kanda, 

 containing 64 fedlions, and 2850 ftanzas; 2. Ayodhya- 

 kanda, 80 fections, and 41 70 ftanzas ; 3. Aranyaka-kanda, 

 114 feftious, and 4150 ftanzas ; 4. Keftikinda-kanda, 64 

 > feftions, 2925 ftanzas ; 5. Sundara-kanda, 43 feftions, 2045 

 ftanzas ; 6. Yudha-kanda, 105 feftions, 4500 ftanzas ; 

 7. Uttara-kanda, 90 fedlions, 3360 ftanzas. The Ra- 

 mayana may be called an epic poem, as it is on one conti- 

 nued, interefting, and heroic action. It is fecond in celebrity 

 only to the Mahabarat, and perhaps fupcrior to it in reputa- 

 tion for hohnefs. (See Mahabarat.) We have the au- 

 thority of fir William Jones for faying, that this great epic 

 poem, in unity of action, magnificence of imagery, and ele- 

 gance of diction, far furpaiTes the elaborate workof Nonnus, 

 in forty -eight books, entitled Dionyfiaca ; and for believing 

 that the heroes of the poems Rama (patronimically diftin- 

 guifhed by the name of Dafrat Rama) and Dionyfos are the 

 fame. 



A curious 



