CANBERRA: National Gallery of Australia (NGA) in Canberra is showcasing “The story of Rama” through 101 Pahari miniature paintings completed between 17th-19th centuries. The exhibition is on till August 23.
The tale of love, loyalty, betrayal and the victory of good over evil, the Ramayana is one of the world’s great epics. It is ubiquitous in Indian life and culture as popular entertainment and moral guidance. The best known form of the story is attributed to a transcription by Valmiki, a poet of the fourth century BCE, but the Ramayana has as many variants as it has narrators.
In the extraordinary exhibition The story of Rama: Indian miniatures from the National Museum, New Delhi, the Ramayana is told through one hundred and one paintings, each illustrating a key moment from the narrative. It begins with a painting of the sage Narada asking Valmiki to write the story.
Beginning with a 19th century Kangra style painting of Narada requesting Valmiki to write the Ramayana story; this exhibition includes 18th century Chamba style painting of Sita abduction by Ravana, 19th century Kangra style painting of Ravana proposing to Sita in the Ashok Vatika, c 1780 Guler style painting of Rama-Ravana battle, c 1730 Basholi style portrait of Rama, c 1800 Mandi style painting of the coronation procession, King Janaka carrying infant Sita, etc.
NGA possesses over 160,000 works of art in its permanent collection, including Hindu art. Dr. Gerard Vaughan is the Director while Allan Myers is the Chairman of NGA Council.
Applauding NGA for exhibiting Rama’s story through Pahari paintings, Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism said in a statement that the art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth.
He pitched that all major art museums of the world, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d’Orsay of Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., to frequently organize Hindu art focused exhibitions, thus sharing the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.
India Post News Service
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