Posted on: 24 September 2013

Folio from the Ramayana of Valmiki (The Freer Ramayana), Vol. 1, folio 131; recto: Ravana seizes Sita by the hair to abduct her to Lanka; verso: text
1597-1605

Painted by Shyam Sundar
Mughal dynasty

Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
H: 26.4 W: 14.3 cm
Northern India

The Freer Ramayana, an illustrated manuscript of the great Hindu epic painted for a Mughal nobleman is in the possession of the Smithsonian Institution.

Copyright © Smithsonian Institution


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Could someone translate the Persian script?

"Ramchand will be scared. The amount of power that he wields compared to my own is well known," said Ravan and he pulled on the hair of Sita's head and with his right hand lifted her off the ground. The deities of the desert that Lachman had left to protect Sita fled from Ravan in fear, and Ravan..."

رامچند خواهی ترسانید. معلوم است که پیش من او چه قدر زور داشته باشد. راون این گفت و سر سیتا را کشیده و بدست راست او را از زمین برداشت. دوتهای صحرای را که لچمن برای نگهبانی سیتا گذاشته بود از ترس راون گریخ شد و راون سیتا را ...

"Deities of the desert"... very unusual. Also interesting, the three separate fingers touching his mouth, which makes him look as though he's doubting himself.

And we thought this episode took place in a forest.

Sadly people from diff dynasties don't research and put anything they feel is creative that's creative freedom right ? Total interpolation

Thank you Ali Gibran Siddiqui... that was most interesting. Would you be kind enough to translate the other image too: http://on.fb.me/15T1VKZ