Tracing thematic evolution in Ramayana through digital space: an AI-driven bibliometric approach

Artificial intelligence plays a crucial role in identifying and analyzing the evolution of themes and research trends in Indian epics, especially the Ramayana. Researchers have sought to expand collaborative study through various themes. This study employs a bibliometric approach by Van Eck and Waltman to map the expanding landscape of Ramayana studies at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the digital humanities. This paper aims to trace the thematic evolution of the Ramayana using image-generation algorithms and articles from the Scopus database. The study analyzed influential authors, journals, countries and collaboration patterns, and conducted keyword analyses of potential articles retrieved through a systematic literature review. The study was supported by the Visualization of Similarities (VOS viewer) and R Studio, tools that facilitated the analysis of Ramayana-related articles. The analysis considered 435 articles from the Scopus database from 2014 to 2025 (as of April). A structured evaluation and analysis of emerging themes related to the epic and their connections to culture and religion across the globe is identified. Keyword co-occurrence, thematic clustering, and a systematic review of the literature reveal dominant research themes in eco-dharma and environmental ethics, performance and visual traditions, gender interpretations, comparative epic studies, and theological readings of Rama. Thus, the study suggests the role of AI in identifying and amplifying the epic in the humanities and in digital space.