Themes from the epic have remained a favourite subject in works of
art over the centuries, writes Kanwarjit Singh Kang

THE Ramayana has had tremendous influence on the Indian culture. Themes related to Rama have inspired innumerable poets, bards, dramatists, painters, sculptors, muralists and craftsmen through the ages, not only in India but also in several countries of South-East Asia.

The Ramayana tradition found visual representation in art since an early time. Although a complete sequential representation of the Ramayana is rare, collectively taken, the whole of Ramayana is covered. There is, however, a decided precedence for themes having dramatic content as we see in popular folk drama, the Ram Lila. Nevertheless, Rama is invariably seen as a god and themes about him are always suggestive of divinity.

A second-century terracotta from the archaeological site of Kausambi, preserved in Allahabad Museum, depicting the abduction of Sita by Ravana, is considered the earliest representation of a Ramayana theme in art. From about the 4th century, sculptural depiction of popular episodes of the Ramayana have been found in abundance. Terracotta plaques from Shravasti and Chandraketugarh show scenes from the Ramayana and several panels from the earliest temple at Deogarh pertain to this epic. A stone sculpture of the 4th-5th century in the Archaeological Museum, Mathura, shows Ravana shaking Mount Kailash.

Sculpted panels in numerous temples throughout India depict various episodes of the epic, notably in the temples at Pattadakal, Aihole, Ellora, Badami, Nachna, Khajuraho, Bhubaneshwar, Helebid and Belur.

The Ramayana theme has remained a favourite subject in miniature paintings, which are scattered in several museums and libraries in India and abroad, as well as in private collections. A significant illustrated Ramayana manuscript of the Rajasthani school was executed in the 17th century at Udaipur during the reign of Rana Jagat Singh and his successor Rana Raj Singh. Four of its seven volumes are in the British Library, London, having been given by Maharaja Bhim Singh to James Tod, the famed author of the Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. The painting work is ascribed to Sahib Din, the principal artist working in the Udaipur court-studio in the 17^th century.

Mughal emperor Akbar had the epic translated into Persian and one of its outstanding illustrated manuscript is to be seen in Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum at Jaipur. In Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, there is another Persian Ramayana with 130 paintings and this copy of the epic was made for Akbar’s general Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khana. A profusely painted manuscript of Ramcharitmanas, executed in the 18th century at Mahishadal in Midnapore is preserved in the Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art, Kolkata. The Guler set of the same period by painter Pandit Seu in the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, is of equal significance. The National Museum, New Delhi, possesses a group of Ramayana paintings done in Kulu bearing the influence of Basohli style. In Bharat Kala Bhavan at Varanasi is a unique set of the early 19^th century Ramayana drawings drawn by a Kashmiri painter named Sudarshana. The list of such works is too numerous to mention here.

Mural paintings depicting themes from the Ramayana can be seen throughout India. Although regional variations in style and technique are apparent in these murals but so far as the themes are concerned, there is complete homogeneity. Most popular themes illustrate Rama killing ogress Taraka; breaking the bow at Sita’s svayamvara; going in pursuit of the golden deer; fighting with Ravana and killing him and assuming his position as the king of Ayodhya. As compared to other themes the scene of fierce fighting between Rama and Ravana in the murals cover more space on the walls and the painters, at different places, had conceived differently the vast armies engaged in the dreadful combat. There are several edifices in Punjab and Haryana, where murals, based on the Ramayana themes, were painted in the 19th century. Some of these have obliterated due to natural causes and very many due to coats of whitewash on the walls.

Prominent edifices where murals related to the epic stories were painted include the temple of Palkiana Sahib in district Tarn Taran; thakurdwara of Daryana Mall in Katra Mohar Singh and the temple of Maya Nath in Katra Doolo, both at Amritsar; temple of Raja Sahib Dayal at Kishankot and Dera of Baba Lal Ji at Dhianpur, both in Gurdaspur district; Bairagi thakurdwara at Ram Tatwali in district Hoshiarpur; Samadhs of Lala Balak Ram and Jamuna Das at Jagadhri and Haveli of Rani Chand Kaur at Pehowa.

The Ramayana and the visual arts depicting themes from the epic, transcended the geographical limits of India to reach Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. In these countries, each culture has interpreted the Ramayana slightly differently and this process is referred to ‘indigenisation of Ramayana’, but the core of Rama legend remains unaltered.

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