Ravana battles the great vulture Jatayu and defeats him by throwing stones in his mouth, folio 18 (recto) from a Chandana Malayagiri Varta (Story of King Chandana and Queen Malayagiri) of Karamachand
Unknown Artist
1744–45
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
image: 13.4 × 14.9 cm · page: 28.8 × 20 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
James Parmelee and Cornelia Blakemore Warner Funds
Accession Number
1968.108.a
About this artwork
Scenes of the abduction and rescue of Sita are embedded within a popular tale rewritten in a Gujarati-Rajasthani vernacular language by the poet Karamachand in 1629–30. Many details differ from the more well-known Ramayana of Valmiki. The artist shows Ravana as a merchant carrying Sita in a white sack slung over one shoulder. As Jatayu, a vulture ally of Rama, attempts to rescue her, Ravana attacks him with a sword, above. He then defeats the bird by throwing stones in his mouth. He painted the ...