In the early 20th century, six incomplete manuscripts containing excerpts of the Ramayana were found in the Mogao caves of Dunhuang, an archaeological site at the eastern end of the Silk Road in Xinjiang province of China. Written in an early Tibetan language, dated to approximately the 8th century, it does not allude to Buddhist Ramayana, and has many plots at variance with Valmiki Ramayana. It belongs to the earlier genre of “royal” Ramyanas, popular with kings of South and Southeast Asia, unlike the later “bhakti” Ramayanas of India.

Here Dasharatha worships Arhats (Buddhist sages?) and is given a flower by the gods, which his chief queen shares with the junior queen. The junior queen delivers a son, Ram, a few days before the senior queen delivers Lakshman. The king dies unable to decide who should be king. Ram, the elder son of the junior queen, is chosen but he abdicates for Lakshman, who in turn, places Ram’s footwear on the throne, and chooses to be minister. We do not hear about Bharata and Shatrughna here, nor anything about the forest exile.