Indian Rulers
Valmiki
the Adikavi
Valmiki was an Indian poet active in the 5th c. BC during the Vedic Age period from the state of Kosala. Died of natural causes.
Historical Note
The Adikavi, 'first poet'. A robber transformed into a sage when a hunter killed a mating bird before his eyes — his lament emerged as the world's first śloka, and he composed the Ramayana from it.