AN ILLUSTRATION TO A RAMAYANA SERIES: RAMA AND LAKSHMANA DEFEATING THE EVIL KING RAVANA
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTION
Hyderabad, Deccan, Central India, first half 18th century

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the vertical composition depicting the hero Rama and his brother Lakshmana attempting to kill the semi-divine King of Lanka, Ravana, in the final battle of the epic poem Ramayana, Rama shooting multiple arrows at the ten-headed Demon King, cutting off an eleventh head of blue monster-like appearance, Lakshmana standing behind Rama ready to shoot his arrows, the ten-headed and twenty-armed Ravana holding a full military arsenal in his hands, such as tulwars (swords), khanjars (daggers), katars (push daggers), ankus (elephant goad), dhal (shield), tabar (axe) and gurz (mace), his size larger than Rama and Lakshmana's as often the case in Ramayana series illustrations, in the foreground two purple rocky formations with trees, inspired by earlier Persian paintings, within gold, black, white and red rules, the recto plain, 22cm x 15.5cm.

This illustration encapsulates a pivotal moment in the unfolding of events narrated in Valmiki's Ramayana. The painting illustrates the final battle between Rama and Ravana, described in the Yuddha Kanda (the final book of the epic). According to the poem, Rama pursues Ravana in his chariot and starts firing golden arrows at him, which turn into snakes as they reach the Demon King. The arrows cut off Ravana's many heads but they immediately grow back again. After days and nights of this endless battle, Rama decides to shoot the dreaded arrow of Brahma, given to him by Agastya, which pierces Ravana in the heart and kills him. A slightly earlier illustration (ca. 1652) with analogous composition is part of the British Library collection (shelfmark Add.15297(1) f.166).