This Kangra painting depicts three scenes in the form of continual narrative. The scene on the right shows the grief stricken trio, Rama, Lakshmana and Sita, when they learn about the death of King Dasharatha, from Bharata and Shatrughna. King Dasharatha was the father of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna, and father-in-law to Sita.On the left, Rama is shown performing a rite by making a ball of rice and offering a 'shraddha' (Hindu funeral rites) ritual to his departed father. They then perform the ancient Hindu rite of 'tarpan' (offering water to the deceased) in the river Mandakini for the departed soul of their father. This scene is set in the Chitrakoot forest where Rama, Lakshmana and Sita lived before they moved towards Panchavati. A saliant feature of Kangra painting is the extensive depiction of nature scenes. In Kangra school painting, which flourished from 17th – 19th centuries under Rajput rulers, such nature-inspired depictions are often based on actual landscapes.
