Storybook Topics

1. Possible Topic: Temples/Sacred Sites of India. The spiritual aspects of the Ramayana are some of the most interesting characteristics of the story because they give a deeper insight into the complex belief system of Hinduism. This storybook would focus on multiple major temples and sacred sites across India and the stories surrounding their histories. I think this would be an interesting and different way of looking at the stories.
Research so far: I've started going through the wikipedia article on Hindu pilgrimage sites, and I've been looking around for other articles on the more major locations like the Ganges. I need to find and pick the specific stories for the more minor sites and temples.

Kandariya Mahadeo Temple; Source: Wikimedia commons

2. Possible Topic: Gurus, yogis, and wisemen. The character of the "warrior-sage" is a really interesting trope and again, the role of these characters is really important in the stories and in Indian society. I think I could do some really creative things by re-imagining the characters in the epics in different contexts. The storybook I'm thinking of doing would be composed of different stories of various sages.
Research so far: I've read through some of the broader wikipedia pages talking about gurus and yogis in general, but I've not yet started going through the stories of specific characters. I know there is a pretty good list on the blog, and I'll see where that takes me to get ideas for specific stories.

3. Possible Topic: Ravana and the Rakshasas. The Rakshasa as a whole seem to be very interesting and unique monsters when compared to the more familiar creatures of Western mythology. Moreover, they seem to be more complicated and multifaceted: someone can be cursed to be a Rakshasa and sometimes these Rakshasa aren't necessarily evil. There's a lot of different stories involving the Rakshasa so I think there would be more than enough material to make a really great storybook.
Research so far: Again, I've looked at the information on wikipedia about Rakshasa as whole, but I've not yet looked through the specific stories for those who are not directly mentioned in the Ramayana. I feel like I'm fairly familiar with Ravana and his family, but I'd really like to learn more about the others, specifically those who weren't evil.

4. Possible Topic: Epic Battles. If the Ramayana is any indication, the mythology of India is filled with a number of breath-taking battles. These scenes are some of the most interesting sections for me, as they always involve two larger-than-life characters fighting for good or evil. In reinterpreting these scenes and the characters involved, or just in expanding the scope of these battles by exploring the backgrounds of the characters or the "what-happens-next" I think I could  come up with some very interesting takes on these stories.
Research so far:This is probably the one that I've done the least research on. I'm familiar with all of the battles we've seen thus far in the readings, but I feel like I need to look more into the mythology to find other great examples of big battles. It feels like each of these battles might refer to some lesson or moral, or just some kind of bigger message at all, so maybe that would be an interesting take on these stories.