Ramayana

A selection of scenes from the Ramayana have been depicted on the east facing wall of Shilpa Kuteer, the craftsmen’s residence at the Museum. This is patachitra art from Odisha, traditionally done on palm leaf, later on canvas.Patachitra is a a very fine detailed art form done in ink, nowadays in acrylics, but here the artists were encouraged to work on much larger scale and with waterproof synthetic paint. While at first somewhat diffident and hesitant to to take up the challenge, the artists managed to produce a grand work, and have given new expression to their skills and tradition.

Going from the far left of the wall towards the right, the scenes depicted are Anant Syana, Rishi Shrunga, Birth of Four Sons, Lessons in Archery, Rama breaking Shiva’s Bow, Marriage of Rama and Sita, Manthara conspiring with Kaikeyi asking Dasaratha for two promises, Lakshman Rekha and Rama's exile to the forest, Bharat worshipping Rama’s Paduka, Rama going to hunt deer, Sita ordering Lakshman to go with his brother Rama, Ravana kidnapping Sita and taking her to Ashok Vatika in his flying chariot, Hanuman carrying the whole mountain with him, and other scenes.