- Title
- Rama Visits Bharadvaja's Hermitage, Folio from a Ramayana (Adventures of Rama)
- Date Made
- 1725-1750
- Period
- 18th century
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 7 1/4 x 10 5/8 in. (18.4 x 26.99 cm); Sheet: 8 x 11 1/8 in. (20.32 x 28.26 cm)
- Accession Number
- AC1999.127.39
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
An inscription in Hindi on the back of the painting states that, “Having killed Ravana, Rama goes to the hermitage of Bharadvaja; [thereafter] with his entire army he accepts the hospitality of the sage.” (Translated by Naval Krishna.) This painting depicts the episode in Book 6 of the Ramayana (Adventures of Rama) where Rama and his entourage visit the hermitage of the great sage Bharadvaja in Prayaga at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers. Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana had previously visited Bharadvaja at the start of their fourteen-year exile (narrated in Book 2), but according to the inscription this meeting is at the end of their exile before the protagonists return to Ayodhya.
Rama is the blue-skinned warrior situated in the center of the painting. He is accompanied by his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana. Bharadvaja and his protégé are facing Rama to receive their respected visitors. They stand on a mound of red-painted ground, likely indicating the mountainous region. The monkey general Hanuman and the bear general Angada, Rama’s commanders in the battle against Ravana, stand on the riverbank flanking the central group of figures. A waterfowl and a cow are in the foreground watching the welcoming reception. In the background are Bharadvaja’s pavilion and Rama’s chariot.
- Selected Bibliography
- Pal, Pratapaditya; Markel, Stephen; Leoshko, Janice. Pleasure Gardens of the Mind: Indian Paintings from the Jane Greenough Green Collection. Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd.: Los Angeles, 1993.
