RamayanaUttara Kanda: The last book
Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana (the last book): a summary of the story in plain words, book 7 of 7: Sita in the forest, Lava and Kusha and the end of Rama's reign.
The last book, which many scholars think was added later, tells of the origins of Ravana and the other demons, the reign of Rama and the end of Sita's story. Rama rules justly, but when the people of Ayodhya speak ill of Sita, who had been in Ravana's house, Rama, putting his duty as king before his own feeling, sends her to the forest, where she takes refuge in the hermitage of the sage Valmiki and gives birth to the twins Lava and Kusha. The boys learn the Ramayana from Valmiki and sing it before Rama at his horse sacrifice. Rama calls Sita to return; she calls on the earth, her mother, which opens and takes her. Rama later hands over the kingdom and leaves the world. The Uttara Kanda is not part of the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas in the same form, and many tellers end the story at the coronation.
This is book 7 of the seven books (kandas) of the Ramayana. See all seven and the characters.
Read next
A retelling in our own words of a story that is told in many different ways across India and Asia. Tellers differ on many episodes; where it matters we say so. It is not a scholarly translation.