Title
Ramayana painting, Hanuman meets Surasa
Creator
Year/Period
1968
Region
Cherial, Andhra Pradesh, south India
Material
Technique
Dimension
Image size: L:116.9 x W:62.7
Accession No.
1997-00800
Collection of
This is a painting of Hanuman meeting Surasa, an ogress residing in the ocean, who meets Hanuman on way to Lanka and challenges him to fight. It belongs to a group of nine scroll paintings done in a horizontal narrative style. Hanuman’s encounter with Surasa is depicted in six scenes in a continuous narrative using seascape and landscape in three tiers. The important junctures in the episode are enlarged for emphasis. Special details like the under sea creatures lend a special flavour to this painting. The use of bright red background is characteristic of the Cherial paintings where mostly primary colours are employed.
