Scene from the Ramayana (Epic of Rama): Kumbhakarna battles the monkeys

Kumbhakarna wrought havoc upon the armies of the immensely powerful monkeys. As they were being slaughtered, those heroic monkeys fled. Seeing that the monkeys had broken ranks, the monkey general Angada said “Turn back, leaping monkeys! Stand fast! Let us fight!” Stories from the Indian epic Ramayana have been familiar in Cambodia and other countries of Southeast Asia for well more than a thousand years.

Here is a scene from the later part of the story. The beloved wife of the hero Rama has been abducted by Ravana, the mighty king ofthe demons. Rama, together with his allies the monkeys, lays siege to rescue her. During the ensuing struggle, Ravana’s giant brother Kumbhakarna (the largest figure) takes on the monkey warriors. They attack by the thousands, but for all their wrestling and biting and clawing they cannot overcome him. Kumbhakarna maims hundreds of monkeys and devours hundreds more. Some of the monkeys take fright and begin to run away, but the monkey prince Angada (shown here wearing a helmet-like crown) urges them to marshal their courage and resume the attack. They do so, and the carnage continues without resolution till Rama himself (possibly the figure with the head broken off at left) joins in and, using his most powerful weapons, is finally able to cut Kumbhakarna to pieces.

The unknown artists who created this relief were unusually skilled and effective in conveying the fury and confusion of a great battle. The relief would have been positioned over a door of a temple. The face and head of the central figure were entirely restored before this relief entered the Asian Art Museum’s collection. The restored area has been toned dark to distinguish it from original areas.