Rama meets Sugreeva, Hanuman and others

Wandering through the forest desperately looking for the whereabouts of Sita, Rama and his brother Lakshmana are sighted by Sugreeva, the simian king from the top of the Rishyamuka mountain in the forest.

Sugreeva who was in hiding after he had been vanquished and his kingdom and wife seized by his brother Bali, was wary of the intent of the two strangers near his hideaway. Sugreeva sent his trusted friend and able minister Hanuman to ascertain the identity of the two intruders. Assured that the two princes were not spies sent by Sugreeva’s estranged brother Bali, Hanuman invited the two brothers to meet Sugreeva.

Rama and Lakshmana befriended Sugreeva, and the two parties pledged to support and help each other - Rama pledged to help reinstate Sugreeva on to the throne of Kishkindha by killing his brother Bali, and Sugreeva, and his army of monkeys would in turn, assist Rama in his search for Sita, and aid in securing her release from her captivity.

The artist narrates the scene of the meeting between the two parties with visual compactness, eschewing all but the essential details necessary for the account. The meeting of the two factions is set among cursorily rendered hillocks, their undulating darkened rims of green forming a wave-like motion, echoing the swirling eddies rendered as fine wisps of grey in the foreground. Against the pale blue mountains, the colours of the figures are brightly contrasted. Rama’s dark blue skin flashes against the bright yellow dhoti he wears and the strings of pearls that adorn his body or the painted designs that ornament his body. Sitting next to him is his brother Lakshmana whose fair skin is effectively contrasted by his orange dhoti and the gold and rudraksha ornaments that he dons.

The simian king is distinguished from his courtiers by his red face, his assertive stance and his gesture of presenting Sita’s jewels bundled in a cloth as a token of friendship to Rama. The setting of his eyes near his brows gives him an alert look, his gaze steady and assessing while he narrates his story, while Rama responds to his account by a gesture suggesting his astonished interest. Other monkeys accompanying Sugriva are depicted in attitudes and gestures of supplication, their gazes adoring, details of their jewellery, the crowns, textiles, and hair striking against their bright colouring.