This Tanjore painting hows Rama and Sita seated as royalty under three canopied arches and courtiers with the saptarshi (seven sages) standing around in ovation. It is decorated with semi-precious stones and gold leaf besides natural colours. Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu who killed Ravana (demon king of Lanka and Rama’s enemy) and established peace and prosperity. Ramayana besides Mahabharata is the greatest epic ever written. This epic has spread beyond India to Southeast Asia where it has been naturalised and adapted to local conventions, practices and beliefs.
