Rama and his allies begin the attack on Lanka, by Sahib Din.
From a manuscript of the Ramayana, Udaipur, 1652

It is difficult to exaggerate the influence of the story of Rama and of his quest for Sita on the whole of Indian and South-east Asian culture over more than two millennia, as Rama became identified with Vishnu, the Preserver of the World, in his eighth avatar, come to earth to restore good to the world. Rama's quest for his abducted wife thus became the mechanism by which he was brought to confront, and to destroy, evil. The original Sanskrit epic was translated into all the major languages of this vast area, and the story became the basis of numerous dramatic and poetic versions in both court and popular traditions. Illustrated manuscripts, Hindu images, court and folk paintings, shadow-puppets from Java - all combine in the exhibition to celebrate good's triumph over evil.

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