Valmiki (
Sanskrit; ;
Valmiki) is celebrated as the -
poet in
Sanskrit literature. The epic
Ramayana, dated variously from 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as the
Adi Kavi, which translates to
First Poet, because he is said to have invented
shloka (i.e. first
verse or
epic metre), which set the base and defined the form to
Sanskrit poetry.