Vibhishana pays homage to Rama

Ravana's half brother Vibhishana was a great devotee of Vishnu. At the time when Ravana asked Brahma for a boon to die only at the hands of monkeys and men, Vibhishana, who was also doing severe penance asked for pure love at the lotus feet of the Lord (Rama). According to Tulsidasa in the Sundarkanda, Hanuman first meets Vibhishana when he enters Lanka in search of Sita. He saw a bow and arrow, attributes of Rama inscribed on the wall of a house. On entering the house he found Vibhishana commemorating the name of Rama. He instantly recognised him as his devotee and sought his help in discovering Sita. It was Vibhishana who had revealed on Hanuman that she was in Ravana's captivity at Ashoka-vatika. Later, Ravana banished Vibhishana from Lanka when he kept requesting him to return Sita back to Rama. Vibhishana then left Lanka, crosses the ocean with his mystic powers and joins the camp of Rama. Later, Vibhishana proved the most effective instrument in his war against Ravana. When he saw Rama, whom he had been describing to Ravana earlier as the Lord of the Universe, the all pervading, invincible unborn, and an ocean of compassion, he was overwhelmed with joy. The folio represents Rama and his younger brother Lakshmana dressed like princes with crowns. Vibhishana is shown paying homage to Rama, who is blessing him. Hanuman stands behind the two brothers with a fly whisk. Division of space in this painting is not horizontal but vertical. The ocean on the left side with strokes of black lines to depict the waves substantiates the long journey that Vibhishana has made from Lanka after being thrown out by his brother. A dark green background has four flowering plants as a depiction of the landscape.