Ramayana and Five Arts

RAMAYANA AND FINE ARTS

By S. N. VYAS, M.A.

The Ramayana of Valmiki has exerted an all-pervasive and abiding influence on the national life of Indians through the ages. Though literature and religion have felt most the influence of the epic, yet its effect on fine arts in the country has been no less significant. The available specimens of ancient and medieval architecture, painting, numismatics and sculpture testify to the vitalising influence of the first national epic of ancient India.

The early architecture of India seems to bear the stamp of the marvellous descriptions of cities and palaces in the Ramayana. Valmiki tells us in his description of Lanka that surrounding the impregnable wall of the city is a large moat (‘parikha’) adorned with lotuses (v. 2. 14),–a detail which is faithfully portrayed in early representations of the moat at Sanchi and elsewhere. Beyond the moat, we are further told, is the ‘prakara’ or surrounding wall, completely covering the mansion of Ravana (v. 4. 25-6), This description is corroborated by the high wall shown in early sculptures, sometimes with a plain top line as at Amaravati. The ‘atta’, ‘prakara’ and ‘torana’ (v. 37.39) of the city of Lanka find an echo in the early sculptures at Sanchi, Amaravati and elsewhere, and are described in the ‘Arthasastras of Kautilya. The ‘toranas’ or gateways of Lanka, decorated with creeper patterns, all of gold (v. 2.18), are imitated in a ‘torana’ from Amaravati showing this creeper decoration, wherein leaves are shown as entwining the ‘stambhas’ or jambs. Actual designs are observable in plenty on the jambs of the ‘toranas’ at Sanchi.

The early representation of Lakshmi bathed by elephants, as seen in Bharhut, Bodhagaya, Amaravati, Udayagiri and other places, are reminiscent of Valmiki’s description of the Pushpaka that Lakshmi on lotus, with a lotus in hand and attended by elephants, was carved it (v. 7.14). On the ‘torana’ gateway of Sanchi, the goddess Lakshmi is very often represented seated as well as standing.

Cave No. 3 of Nasik represents, as supporting the structure, a whole row of goblin figures which are described by Valmiki as supporting the Pushpaka and roaming in the aerial regions (v. 8.7). The ‘ihamrigas’ (or quaint animals, reproductions of variegated sculptural fancy) referred to by Valmiki as decorating the pillars of the Pushpaka (v. 9.13) abound in early sculptures of Bharhut, Sanchi, Bodhagaya, Mathura, Amaravati and a number of other places. The figures of the gentler sex carved on the shaft of the pillar and pilaster, as finely displayed at Bhuteshvara near Mathura, appear almost as if fashioned to answer the description of Valmiki that ‘naripravekas’ or excellent female figures adorned the Pushpaka (v. 7.7). Likewise his description of the Pushpaka appearing to be borne as it were by excellent geese (v. 7.7), seems to be adhered to in an early sculpture from Amaravati wherein, under the pillars and pilasters, the plinth of the palace is decorated with a frieze of geese. Again the presence of ‘vedika’ or rail near the ‘jalavatayana’ or perforated window, which is another feature of early architecture as represented in the Kondane cave, seems to have been hinted long before by Valmiki (v. 9.16). On the strength of these evidences, we may justly assume that the architects of early India undoubtedly drew inspiration from the architectural motifs supplied by Valmiki in his epic.

In India no survivals of Ramayana paintings of the ancient period have been left for our edification, except the consummate manner in which Bhavabhuti introduces them in his ‘Uttara-ramacharita’ to intensify the pathos of the opening Act of his play. Yet specimens of paintings belonging to the medieval period have been fortunately preserved in the different museums of India. Indeed, if we could survey the whole development of Indian painting from beginning to end, we should find the Ramayana (and the Mahabharata) afford its most constantly repeated themes. The India Office possesses several pages of an illustrated Ramayana of considerable interest.¹ Several scenes from the Ramayana have been illustrated in the paintings of the Rajput school, whose period may be taken from the beginning of the 13th century A. D. to the middle of the 19th century A. D. The Jodhpur Museum preserves a collection of 91 paintings on the Ramayana drawn nearly a hundred years ago. Among the collection of paintings by A. Cunningham,² plate LXI depicts the composition of the Ramayana by Valmiki and its teaching to Kuasha and Lava. Plate XXI illustrates the episode of the capture of Shuka and Sarana by Vibbishana and the stern speech of Sri Ramachandra. Another spy episode–that of Shardula and another Rakshasa–is represented on plate XXII. In both these pictures, several of Valmiki’s descriptive passages are vividly realised. The half picture reproduced on plate XXIII illustrates the temptation of Sita by Ravana. Several pictures and drawings follow the course of the many battles of the siege of Lanka. Plate XLII. B reproduces a picture from Kangra depicting a forest scene, while plate LX depicts Lakshmana extracting a thorn from Rama’s foot. A Jammu drawing of the 17th century depicts Hanuman with a tree in hand fighting the Rakshasas of Lanka ³ while another painting from the same locality belonging to 1640 A.D. depicts the siege of Lanka and is preserved at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. ⁴ An extremely familiar subject met with in all localities is that of Rama and Sita enthroned, attended by Lakshmana with a chowry in hand and by Hanuman who kneels at Rama’s feet. An 18th-19th century Jaipur work of this type is reproduced by H. B. Havell. ⁵

How considerable was the influence exerted by the Ramayana on the fine arts of Greater India is proved by the copious evidence available from Kambhoja, the neighbour of Champa. In the Musee Khmer at Phnom-Pen are preserved ten groups of ancient paintings of episodes from the Kambhojan version of the Ramayana, depicting such well-known episodes of the Balakanda as Janaka finding Sita, Rama breaking the bow of Siva and his encounter with Parasurama on his way to Ayodhya after marriage. (See Nilakantha Sastri: Ramayana in Greater India, Jor, Vol. 6, Pt. 2).

It is likely that some of the descriptions of the Ramayana may have been utilized for representation on the face of coins. One of such descriptions is that where the citizens of Ayodhya, on being apprised by Dasaratha of his intention to anoint Rama as ‘Yuvaraja’, exclaim how great is their desire to see the noble and mighty Rama going on the lofty state elephant with his head screened from the sky by the umbrella held aloft (II. 2.22). The elephant-rider type of coin of Kumaragupta I is a splendid example of this lovely theme of an
emperor riding the state elephant in all his glory with a single parasol raised over his head. Plate XV, 16 of the catalogue of coins of the Gupta dynasty (in the Catalogue of Indian Coins) is a gold coin of Kumaragupta I of the 5th century A.D. Its obverse shows the king with sword in the right hand, riding an elephant and advancing left, and behind the king is seated an attendant holding an umbrella over him.

“In India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Rama and Sita, Hanuman and Ravana, Vishnu and Garuda, Krishna and Radha, and the Kauravas and the Pandavas are everywhere in sculptured stones about the temples and on the carved wood-work of houses, on the graven brass and copper of domestic utensils, or painted in fresco on walls, Rama like Vishnu dressed in yellow, the colour of joy, Lakshmana in purple, Bharata in green and Satrughna in red. The figures carved on the ivory combs used by the women and painted on the of their looking-glasses, or wrought in their jewellery and bedcoverings and robes, are all illustrations of characters, scenes and incidents from one or other of these heroic histories.” (George C. M. Birdwood: The Industrial Arts of India Pt. I. p. 26).

Among the extant Indian sculptures depicting scenes from the Ramayana, the most considerable are those in the Dasavatara temple (Gupta) at Deogarh, Halebid (Hoysala), and the Hazara Rama temple (Vijayanagara). Rakshasa faces are found sculptured in the Durga temple, Aihole, and in cave III at Aurangabad. ⁶ The Bharhut sculptures (2nd century B.C.) contain a hermitage scene, supposed by Cunningham to be the hermitage of Rishi Bharadvaja at Prayaga or of Atri at Chitrakuta, showing Rama, Lakshmana and Sita standing before the sage. ⁷ A more elaborate and dramatic representation of Ramayana scenes in their sequence is to be found in four parts of a story-telling panel in a sculpture at Nagarjunakonda (2nd century A.D.) ⁸ The stupendous shrine at Paharpur (Bengal) belonging to the 8th century A.D. contains some panels which can be recognised as having connection with several themes of the Ramayana that have the most popular appeal to the ordinary men and women to this day. (R. C. Majumdar: History of Bengal, Vol. I. p. 526 and plate XLVII. 116.)

Fine bas-reliefs representing scenes from the Ramayana are to be found on the walls of the highest gallery in the tower of the Golden Horn at Cambodia, now known as Ba Puon. Among the Rama reliefs may be mentioned the interview of Rama and Lakshmana with Sugriva, the duel between Sugriva and Vali, the ten-headed Ravana on a chariot drawn by lions facing Rama who is carried by Hanuman, the ordeal of Sita, and Rama enthroned.⁹ Again in the Angkor Vat (originally perhaps a Vishnu temple) of Cambodia, there are reliefs representing eleven episodes from the Ramayana, such as the death of the demon Viradha, Rama pursuing Maricha, the death of the Rakshasa Kabandha, the alliance of Rama with Sugriva, the duel between Sugriva and VaIi, Hanuman finding Sita at Lanka, the Lanka battle-field etc., ending with the return of Rama in the aerial chariot Pushpaka. The first six scenes are also to be found in the Rama reliefs at Prambanan in Central Java, a temple of the 9th century A.D. The Prambanan reliefs are decidedly superior in artistic merit, though they do not follow Valmiki’s Ramayana closely. ¹⁰

¹ A. Coomaraswamy: Rajput Painting, Vol. I, p. 59. f. n. I.
² Ibid, Pp. 59-60 (See Vol. 2 for plates).
³ Coonaraswany: Rajput Painting, Vol. I, p. 71, fig. 7.
⁴ Coomaraswamy: A History of Indian and Indonesian Art, fig. 266.
⁵ Indian Sculpture and Painting, Plate LII.
⁶ A. Coomaraswamy: A History of Indian and Indonesian Art, p. 79.
⁷ See plate XV R. K. Mukerji: Ancient Indian Education, p. 344.
⁸ See plate XLV of Memoir No. 54 of Arch. Dept. Govt. of India.
⁹ B. R. Chatterjee: Indian Cultural Influence in Cambodia, Pp.165-6.
¹⁰ Ibid Pp. 208-9.