There are three main scenes in this painting arranged in three horizontal registers. The top sections show Hanuman fighting against a small group of demons. The warrior in the chariot is probably Akshakumara, Ravana’s youngest son.In the epic poem, Ramacharitmanas, after Hanuman found Sita in the gardens (Ashokavatika) and received her blessing, he was hungry and began to eat fruits growing in the garden. Hearing that there was a monkey disturbing his garden, Ravana sent Akshakumara with an army of demons to capture it. Akshakumara was a brave warrior who fought valiantly but was killed by Hanuman.The middle section shows Indrajit seeking Ravana’s blessing to avenge his younger brother’s death. The last section shows Indrajit setting off in his chariot to capture Hanuman. Note also the drummers beating war drums and a demoness reporting the news to Queen Mandodari, Indrajit’s mother.The use of bright red background is characteristic of the Cherial paintings where mostly primary colours are employed. Each band is distinctively drawn with a floral band separating the sections very intelligently.
