(right) In this reproduction of a miniature painting that depicts a scene from the Ramayana, Lord Rama has been summoned by the gods, headed by Brahma, at the end of his earthly incarnation. At the top we see the gods in their heavenly vehicles gathering to greet Rama. In the Sarayu River and on its banks are the citizens of Ayodhya. Rama is wearing a crown, and in front of him, with his four heads (three are visible), is the god Brahma. The Ramayana's account of Rama and his quest to save his kingdom has been an ongoing source of inspiration for anticolonial and religious nationalism in India.

Both illustrations are reproductions of miniature paintings in the Mewar idiom taken from the densely illuminated manuscript called the Jagat Singh Ramayana (ca. 1650 C.E.). (By permission of the British Library.) Back to Goldman essay

(above) In this painting, the great monkey hero Hanuman, son of the Wind God, has been selected by his companions to leap across the ocean in search of the abducted princess Sita, who is being held captive by the Demon King Ravana in his island fortress of Lanka. The monkey hero is shown in whole or in part five times as he sails through the sky, entering and emerging from the clouds. These events are described in the opening chapter of the fifth book of the Valmiki Ramayana, the "Sundara Kanda."

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