- Title
- The Swooning of Lakshmana, Folio from a Ramayana (Adventures of Rama)
- Date Made
- circa 1775
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 8 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. (22.23 x 32.39 cm); Sheet: 10 1/4 x 14 1/2 in. (26.04 x 36.83 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.81.209
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
The Ramayana (Adventures of Rama) narrates the epic saga of the valiant Prince Rama and his dutiful wife, Princess Sita, who was abducted by Ravana, the arrogant ten-headed King of Lanka (probably modern Sri Lanka), during Rama's unjust fourteen-year forest exile from his capital of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. To rescue Sita, Rama and his faithful brother Lakshmana assembled a great army of monkeys and bears led by the Monkey-King Sugriva and his Monkey-General Hanuman. After several magical battles, the princess was freed, and the happy couple triumphantly returned home to rule their kingdom. Rama and Sita epitomize the ideal ruler and the paragon of fidelity in Hindu culture.
This illustration is from Book 6 (Yuddha kanda). It depicts an incident in the siege of the Lanka when Lakshmana was struck by a javelin thrown by Ravana and lost consciousness. Hanuman then picked up the fallen hero and carried him to Rama. Lakshmana, recalling that he was an incarnation of the great god Vishnu, restored himself to health (Ramayana 6:47:101-115). Here, the crowned Lakshmana lies on the ground wrapped in a shroud and bleeding from the neck. His eyes are half-closed to show he had swooned. The nimbate and crowned Rama, wearing his customary yellow coat, cradles Lakshmana in his arms as he kneels beside him.
- Selected Bibliography
- Pal, Pratapaditya. "Ramayana Pictures from the Hills in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art." In Ramayana: Pahari Paintings, edited by Roy C. Craven, 87-106. Bombay: Marg Publications, 1990.
- Rāmāyana: illustré par les miniatures indiennes du XVIe au XIXe siècle. Paris: Éditions Diane de Selliers, 2024.
