Rama kills the demon warrior Makaraksha in combat, from a manuscript of the Ramayana

The Ramayana, the epic that inspired this scene, is the story of Rama, a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. A significant portion of the text details Rama's battle against the demon-king Ravana, who has abducted Rama's wife. The blue-skinned Rama here readies his bow against a group of demons. In the painting's distance and in the left foreground, troops of loyal monkeys and bears rally to his aid. Ravana, identified by his multiple heads and arms, sits in the citadel pictured in the upper-right corner.

The Yuddha Kanda (Book of the Battle), the sixth section of the Ramayana, describes the great clash between Rama and Ravana, along with their respective armies, on the island fortress of Lanka:

"Thereafter a furious struggle ensued between the monkeys and the demons, and those redoubtable warriors of ferocious aspect sought to bring about each other's destruction. . . . Trees, stones, and javelins clashed with tremendous noise, striking terror in the hearts of the listeners, and the appalling clatter of chariot wheels, the twanging of bowstrings, the blare of trumpets, the roll of drums, and the booming of gongs created an indescribable uproar."

- Quotation adapted from The Ramayana of Valmiki, translated by Hari Prasad Shastri, 1970.