What is the Ramayana?

Ramayana is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of

ancient India and an important text of Hinduism,
the other being the Mahabharata. The epic is
ascribed to Maharishi Valmiki, which narrates the
life of Rama, a legendary prince of Ayodhya city in
the kingdom of Kosala, in North India. The epic
follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest urged
by his father King Dasharatha, on the request of
Rama's stepmother Kaikeyi; his travels across
forests in the Indian subcontinent with his
wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, the kidnapping of
Sita by Ravana – the king of Lanka, that resulted in
war; and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya to be
crowned king amidst jubilation and celebration.
Rama is considered to be an ideal prince and an
embodiment of all virtues and his wife Sita the
epitome of conjugal love and fidelity.

An epic story

The Ramayana is one of the largest ancient epics in

world literature. The narrative of
the Ramayana took place during a period of time
known as Treta Yuga in 5301 BC. It consists of
nearly 24,000 verses, set in
the Shloka/Anustubh metre, divided into
seven kandas, Balakaṇḍa, Ayodhyakanda,
Araṇyakanda, Kiṣkindakanda, Sundarakanda,
Yuddhakanda, and about 500 sargas (chapters),
the first and the seventh being later additions. It
belongs to the genre of Itihasa, narratives of past
events puravrtta, interspersed with teachings
on the goals of human life. Scholars' estimates for
the earliest stage of the text range from the 7th to
4th centuries BC with later stages extending up to
the 3rd century CE.

Cultural impact

he Ramayana was an important influence on

Sanskrit poetry and Hindu life and culture. The
haracters Rama, Sita, Lakshmana,
Bharat, Hanuman, and Ravana are all fundamental to the
ultural consciousness of the South Asian nations
f India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the South-East
Asian countries Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Rama is worshipped as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The
pic has been adapted into plays and films; it is also enacted
very year by local troupes in North India during the
Dussehra festival of the present times.

Di!erent adaptations

Multiple modern, English-language adaptations of

the epic exist. There are many versions
of Ramayana in Bengali, Malayalam, Telegu,
Kannada, and other Indian languages,
besides Buddhist, Sikh and Jain adaptations. It has
also inspired secondary literature in various
languages. The Ramavataram, composed by the
Tamil poet Kamban in the 12th century CE, is
popular in the southern parts of India. In the north,
the Ram Charit Manas, composed by the Awadhi
poet Tulsidas, is extremely popular.

Ramayana in A"

Ramayana has been depicted in many paintings,

notably by Indian and the Indonesian (Balinese)
artists. The story and episodes of Ramayana have
been captured on various media like textile, rock,
stone, terracotta, and wood, ivory and in miniature
paintings from different Schools of India. There is a
Ramayana panel on the staircase at Kailasa temple,
Ellora, Maharashtra, intricately carved. There is
stone panel at Nagarjunakonda in Telangana
depicting Bharata's meeting
with Rama at Chitrakuta (3rd century CE). Scenes
from the epic can be seen on the walls of some of
the oldest temples across Asia.The epic has
captured the imagination of modern artists as well.

The Salar Jung Museum

collection

The museum has an interesting collection on

depiction of episodes from the various parts of the
Ramayana. The media are also various and include,
textile, terracotta, metal, wood, ivory, miniatures
and modern paintings on paper. There are also
dispersed pages pages of illustrated manuscripts
depicting the epic.

Let us take a journey through select artworks on

the Ramayana in the museum’s collection!

A folio from a Ramayana manuscript

The illustration is in three panels, lady

a'endants guiding two sages, three young
princes si'ing inside the palace, waiting to
learn. In the second panel two sages and a
young prince, probably Rama, standing before
a seated king, painting from Jodhpur, dated to
circa 1790.

Sita Swayamvaram

A carved wooden panel of Sita Swayamvaram.

The right po"ion represents Janaka, Sita with
garland, Rama bending the bow and Laxmana.
The le# side po"ion shows four $gures; Sage
Vishwamitra, Rama, Lakshmana and demoness
Thataki, from India, dated to the 19th century.

Scene from Ramayana

Arya Sumantra, prime minister of Ayodhya

meeting Rama. Rama and Sita under a canopy,
Lakshmana behind them. They are seen also
near the entrance. In 2nd panel, Rama and
Laxmana are outside on a chariot, in 3rd panel
they are seen entering the gate, in the last
panel they are seen touching the feet of their
father, probably taking leave. People including
sages and few others with folded hands are
also depicted. This painting is from Jaipur,
dated to the 19th century.

Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana going to the

forest

Painting representing Rama going to the forest

with Sita and Lakshmana with trees, mountains
and birds in the background with trees on
either side, from Jaipur, dated to the 19th
century.

Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Guha the

boatman

Ivory group of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and the

boatman Guha who takes them across the
Ganges, depicted on a wooden boat having an
ebonite sail, on a wooden base, a"efact
from India, dated to the 20th century.

Scene from the Ramayana

Decorative panel with ten Hindu mythical

$gures and &oral designs worked out in
repousse depicting a scene from the
Ramayana. Hanuman, Sugriva along with Rama
and others with a varadhi (bridge) are shown,