In the Realm of Gods and Kings: Arts of India Selections from the Polsky Collections and The Metropolitan Museum of Art Asia Society
The Realm of Kings The Temple and Sacred Text Krishna Rama Devi Shiva Saints and Sadhus The Realm of Gods
Ravana converses with a demon by the sea
Ravana converses with a demon by the sea
Illustration to a dispersed Ramayana series
Kangra, Punjab Hills; ca. 1780
Opaque watercolor on paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky (MMA-1985.398.14)

 

 

Rama and Lakshmana on Mount Prasravana
Rama and Lakshmana on Mount Prasravana
Folio from the dispersed Shangri Ramayana series, Book IV (Kishkindhakanda)
Possibly Nurpur or Bahu, Punjab Hills, early 18th century
Opaque watercolor with silver on paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Cynthia Hazen Polsky Gift (MMA-1999.400)

Rama

Probably originating as a historic chieftain of the Ganges valley, the god-king Rama (literally, pleasing) is the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. Rama is the divine personification of the ideal, righteous ruler and the vanquisher of evil. The Rama story, an epic recounted in verse in the Ramayana, treats as its subject Prince Rama, who, though unjustly banished from court, follows the path of duty. After exile and long battles, Rama finally triumphs and gains his rightful position as king. The story has become an enduring, integral element of Indian culture expressed through the visual and dramatic arts. Rama is an appealing figure who symbolizes the ideal ruler, son, and husband, and rulers often commissioned artists to cast Rama in their own image.