JOIN USThe wedding of Rama and Sita, the abduction of the latter by Ravana, the
ferocious battle between Rama and Ravana and everything between are episodes from the Ramayana which are often narrated just ahead of Dusshera. In short, an epic is unveiled.
As the calender nears the eventful festival of Diwali, these episodes are once again coming to life through miniature paintings displayed at the National Museum’s Special Exhibition Gallery. “These have to travel to the Royal Museum of Arts and History, Brussels. But before sending them abroad we wanted our people to see them,” shares
Dr VK Mathur, the curator.
The 101 paintings displayed in the exhibition ‘Rama-Katha: The Story of Rama through Indian Miniatures’ are curated in a chronological and narrative order. So the viewer starts the journey from the episode where sage Narada requests Valmiki to write the story of Rama. This miniature painting in Kangra-style was created in the 19th century and infact the Pahari-style is predominant in the exhibition which otherwise comprises 22 schools of paintings.
Standing true to the tradition of Rama-Katha, the artworks that follow depict Lord Rama’s life-story. One such painting shows a family scene where Rama along with his brothers is shown the company of Raja Dasaratha and three mothers. Painted in bright colours, the miniature work is done in Kotah-style of Rajasthan in the late 18th
century and is peculiar to the region with Dasaratha shown wearing a typical Rajasthani pagari.
As Rama grows and attains a marriageable age, he is shown breaking Lord Shiva’s bow in the court of king Janak. This Mughal-style painting from Bundelkhand is from early 17th century. But soon after, the wedding of Rama and Sita is depicted in a Mandi-style painting with the holy fire in centre and the musicians as well as the guard
included in the picture.
One of the most exquisite pieces is a painting which portrays the returning of Bharata to Ayodhya with Rama’s padukas placed on an elephant’s back. Done in Jaipur-style, this 18th century miniature shows the skill of the artist with a lot of people drawn on one canvas yet with perfect figures looking at the procession from the palace galleries.
In contrast to its sublime white-and-black, a stark use of bright green is seen in the Chamba-style paintings which show the abduction of Sita by Ravana and Jatayu informing Rama about the abduction. These are done in Pahari-style. Even the painting which shows Hanuman with Dronagiri mountain has bright colours. Done in Raghogarh-style, it has distinct lines and basic drawings.
Then comes the battle between Rama and Ravana which is depicted in more than one styles such as Guler and Raghogarh-styles. Though the battle ends but the artists seemed to have kept drawing for there are also miniature paintings showing Luv-Kush and Sita’s going back to Mother Earth. The exhibition is on display at the National Museum till October 13.