Ramayana Tales Retold

The epic of Ramayana has been told and retold down the ages. It has inspired many works of art and literature in its wake. Tales from the Ramayana have been described in texts & graphically. This is a folio from one such Ramayana series.

When the great demon hordes, incensed by the disfigurement of Shurpanakha advance menacingly upon Rama, the great hero picks up his arms in self defense & single handedly take the whole horde on. Donning a coat of snail and a pointed helmet (Which is the artist's invention, not what the text describes), Rama ravages the enemy's rank and file, his unnerving arrows killing and maiming many.

The artist lavishes a great attention upon the figures of the demons, taking meticulous care in not repeating exactly the colours or appearance of even one demon. We see them coloured green & red & white & brown & smokey grey; their horns rise straight or curl inwards or fall back from their heads, their fangs are angled differently, their snouts appear subtly varied. But one sees all of them bird toed and concentric rings are especially noticeable on their knees. The pitiable state to which they are reduced - decapitated, dying stricken with arrows, fleeing out of terror - is boldly juxtaposed with the energetic, self-assured form of Rama.

The scene is set by the painter against a rich yellow background with a strip of the curving horizon visible at the top .The ground is marked with sparse sprigs of grass, all the attention being focused on the fierceness of the action. The grouping is exquisite, the colouring strong and brilliant and the energy in the picture remarkable.

This description by Kiranjyot.

Related Interest:

Rama The Ideal Man: The Epic Adventure of a Hero (Article)

Thus Spake Sri Rama (Book)

The Sons Of Rama (Comic Book)

Jai Shri Rama (Prayer Shawl)

Rama, the Seventh Incarnation of Vishnu (Madhubani Painting on Hand Made Paper treated with Cow Dung)

Lord Rama (White Marble Sculpture)

Rama and Lakshmana wash the Wounds of Jatayu (Painting on Silk)

Rama Yantra (Tantra Painting)

Ram Durbar (Stuffed Doll)