This article concentrates on the question of the evolution of the figure of Rām as it is seen in Hindi literature. Rām is viewed in Hindi literature not only as a literary figure but also as a cultural hero, the one who shows others how the proper life should look like. The analysis is based on three works that have been chosen as the most interesting and typical of their own times. The first is the magnum opus of Tulsīdās, the timeless Rāmcaritmānas (1574); the second is Maithilīśaraṇ Gupta’s poem Sāket (1932) as an example of Hindi literature of the times of the national movement, and the third is a novel by Bhagvān Siṁh Apne-apne Rām (1992) that has been the most discussed in contemporary Hindi literary circles, Rāmkathās. It is believed that such an analysis based on literary sources may contribute to our understanding of the significance of Rām in North Indian culture as well as its social and political life.