AN ILLUSTRATION TO A PAHARI RAMAYANA SERIES: RAMA BEING TESTED BY KING JANAKA
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTOR
Kangra, Pahari Hills, Northern India, 19th century

Opaque pigments, ink, silver, and gold on paper, the horizontal-format composition depicting a crucial scene in Valmiki's Ramayana epic preceding the breaking of Lord Shiva's bow by Rama at King Janaka's court officially manifesting his superhuman powers; the illustration portraying King Janaka, ruler of Mithila and father of Sita, seated across from Rama, flanked by two high-rank crowned courtiers, possibly his brother Kushdhwaja and a personal advisor, on the opposite side Rama, his brother Lakshmana, and three more princes, all seated on lavish pearl and gem-set gold thrones, portrayed between Rama and King Janaka a half-clad sadhu with a long beard and snow leopard skin, possibly a humanised form of Lord Shiva, explaining to Rama the conditions of his next challenge, in the middle of the scene an attendant presenting Rama with Lord Shiva's bow (Pinaka), in the lower right corner a multi-headed crowned king, most probably Ravana, observing the scene unimpressed, the upper floor of the palace livened by musicians playing in the upper left corner and ladies chatting, the fairest of them all, possibly Sita, portrayed in the upper right corner observing the scene with curiosity, the composition set within white rules and typical Kangra borders with white floral scrolls with gold foliage against a navy blue ground, mounted, glazed and framed, the illustration 20.5cm x 29cm, 41cm x 48cm including the frame.

In the narrative of Valmiki's Ramayana, the present scene plays an instrumental role in the lead of the following events characterising Rama's life and divine manifestation. King Janaka, a once childless king, found Sita in a furrow when he was ploughing a field as part of a yagna and decided to raise her as his own. Following ancient Indian traditions, when Sita reached her adulthood, King Janaka organised her svayamvara, a method of marriage in which the bride chooses a man as her husband from a group of suitors once he has proven himself worthy and has met her sets of conditions or passed her challenges.

In Sita's svayamvara, King Janaka proclaimed that his daughter would only marry the man who could lift and string Lord Shiva's bow, the Pinaka. According to the Hindu epic, the celestial bow of Shiva could not be approached by selfish individuals and was not liftable by ordinary mortals. Therefore, the act of stringing the bow would be a test to distinguish the exceptional strength and virtues of the one who could accomplish the feat. In front of King Janaka and his court, Rama not only effortlessly lifted the bow and strung it, but he also unintentionally broke it, when he started stretching the bowstring to examine its tautness, manifesting his divine nature and superhuman qualities.

In the National Museum's collection in New Delhi, several paintings from a variety of Mughal and Rajput schools present different interpretations of this scene (see inv. no. 56.114/11), proving how popular it was in both Hindu and Muslim contexts. The roundness and stylisation of some characters' facial details in the present lot show an affinity with Pahari paintings realised in the post-Sansar Chand (r. 1775 – 1824) period, indicating a dating to the second half of the 19th century. For further reference, please see Karl J. Khandalavala, Pahari Miniature Painting, 1958. Nevertheless, the well-balanced, garish colours; the characters' liveliness; and the engaging use of different spatial levels in the architecture are still aligned with the 'Golden Age' period of Pahari paintings, spurred and fostered by the enlightened and art-loving genius of Kangra school's greatest patron, Sansar Chand.