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Depiction of a Ramayana scene, Folio Page, Ink and Gouache, Lahore, Pakistan, ca.1780-90.

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY – NON-EXPORTABLE ITEM.

 

Object Detail

 

The Ramayana (Adventures of Rama) narrates the epic saga of the valiant Prince Rama and his dutiful wife, Princess Sita, who Ravana abducted, the arrogant ten-headed King of Lanka (probably modern Sri Lanka), during Rama’s unjust fourteen-year forest exile from his capital of Ayodhya (near Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh). To rescue Sita, Rama and his faithful brother Lakshmana assembled a great army of monkeys and bears led by the Monkey-King Sugriva and his Monkey-General Hanuman. After several magical battles, the princess was freed, and the happy couple triumphantly returned home to rule Ayodhya.

 

This carefully illustrated manuscript leaf showcases the late Mughal miniature style, produced in the late 18th century (1780-90) in Lahore (in present-day Pakistan). It is made in ink and gouache on paper, illustrated with a delicate double border and Persian text written in ornate nasta‘liq script that blends Persian refinement with Indian mythological themes. It likely comes from one of several Persian translations of the Ramayana, such as the Razmnāma, which follows a standard Persian tradition that maintains a balance between text and image, juxtaposing vivid colours, stylised foliage, and elaborate costumes found in Rajput and Deccani miniatures. The elongated eyes and rhythmic outlines of the figures evoke an Indian sensibility while reflecting a Persian compositional order.

 

The scene in the centre of the frame depicts two Vanaras, likely Hanuman and Sugriva, talking in a lush grove that dramatises Kishkindha, the mythological forest kingdom of loyalty and divine duty. The animated gestures and Mughal-inspired attire evoke the way Hindu narratives were adapted for a Persianate audience. This folio encapsulates the syncretic spirit of Indo-Persian art, where Hindu and Muslim artists came together to harmonise sacred epic storytelling with a refined visual tradition of manuscript art that expressed early modern India’s pluralistic and devotional visual culture.

 

The script in this painting is Persian (written in nasta’liq calligraphy), and the painting is a Mughal miniature dating to circa. late 18th century (1780-90). The description in this set is episodes from the Ramayana. In the folios in ‘red’ font, reads ‘Agaz Tarjuma Ramayan’, Baal Kand Aval Masumi, which means ‘Beginning translation of Ramayana’, Baal Kand, first season ( translation of the script provided at the end ).

 

The first Valmiki-Ramayana in Persian was one of the most celebrated manuscript projects of translation and illustration of any Hindu Sanskrit text, after Razmnama (The Book of Wars, the Persian translation of the Mahabharata), commissioned by Emperor Akbar (r.1556-1605), during his later regnal phase from 1580 to 1590 CE. This came after the illustrations of several series of Persian historical texts, tales and memoirs, including the enormous Hamzanama, the Tutinama and the Akbarnama.

 

The Ramayana of Akbar marked the development of a new stylistic genre in the Mughal courtly art under Akbar’s patronage. The splendid illustrations of Akbar’s Ramayana are highly renowned for their acute naturalism, refined execution and the brilliance of surface treatment. A vivid and sophisticated colour palette and distinctive style defining the dynamic conflation of Indo-Persian aesthetic quality values represent the epitome of the classical Mughal idiom that developed during the Akbar period. A proclivity for the Persian classicism and Timurid aesthetic came by inheritance, but the Indianised nature and character were foundational for the Mughal school of paintings.

 

This illustrated manuscript is a classic example of the assimilation of the indigenous culture and religious sentiments in the Mughal court and the excellent workmanship of the artists of the royal atelier. The paintings reflect the extraordinary creative skills of the artists and their technical proficiency in deftly illustrating the narrative of Hindu origin in a different religious milieu by creating a coherent link between the text and the image. They represent visual interpretations of the varied emotive content, temporal spaces and moral dimensions of Rama’s mythology, exuding a variety of metaphorical elements with symbolic values.

 

Provenance

 

From a Private Collection in Mumbai, India.

 

Condition

 

Good Condition.

 

Dimension

 

Text panel 24.5cm x 13.5cm, Folio 34.5cm x 22cm.

 

Literature Comparison

 

1. Hanuman Visits Sita in Lanka and Other Exploits, Folio from a Ramayana (Adventures of Rama)India, Gujarat, circa 1775-1800, Drawings; watercolors, Opaque watercolor and ink on paper 6 1/2 x 12 1/2 in. (16.51 x 31.75 cm). Purchased with funds provided by Christian Humann (M.72.11) https://collections.lacma.org/node/238305

 

2.The Visualisation of Ramayana in the Mughal Paintings under Akbar’s Patronage, By Abira Bhattacharya, 2019, Sahapedia. https://www.sahapedia.org/visualisation-ramayana-mughal-paintings-under-akbars-patronage#:~:text=Introduction,developed%20during%20the%20Akbar%20period

 

3. Mughal Miniature Painting: An Analytical Study of the Akbar’s Ramayana, October 2023, Kupas Seni 11(2):53-66, Ramin Hajianfard, City University Malaysia. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374467105_Mughal_Miniature_Painting_An_Analytical_Study_of_the_Akbar’s_Ramayana

 

4. ILLUSTRATED RAMAYANA MANUSCRIPTS (Published in Vihangama 2003 Vol. I (January – February), By Dr. Virendra Bangroo, https://ignca.gov.in/PDF_data/Illustrated_Ramayana_Manuscripts.pdf

 

 

 

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