ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Combat of Rama and Ravana

late 18th century
Not on view
This rare example of a ceremonial textile hanging depicts the penultimate battle in the Ramayana, when Rama and his monkey and bear armies fight Ravana and his hoards of demons. Rama and Ravana are preparing to discharge magical arrows at each other. Rama is supported by Lakshmana, seen stringing his bow, and by his general, the monkey leader Hanuman, who gestures in veneration (anjali) to his Lord. Some members of Hanuman's army engage in deadly combat while others carry rocks to build the land bridge to Lanka (Sri Lanka), needed for the final siege of Ravana's fortress and the rescue of Rama's wife, Sita. Ravana is flanked by his general and by the demonic creatures in his service. The surrounding battleground is filled with combatants and the dismembered bodies of the slain. This vivid and masterful example of south Indian textile painting, kalamkari, demonstrates the artist's ability to capture in lively brushwork the energy and majesty of the epic battle.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Combat of Rama and Ravana
  • Date: late 18th century
  • Culture: India, Coromandel Coast
  • Medium: Painted and mordant-dyed cotton
  • Dimensions: Overall: 34 1/4 x 212 1/4 in. (87 x 539.1 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Painted
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2008
  • Object Number: 2008.163
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Palampore, Cotton (painted resist and mordant, dyed), India (Coromandel Coast), for the Sri Lankan market
Palampore
India (Coromandel Coast), for the Sri Lankan market
first quarter of the 18th century
King Tirumala Nayaka in Procession, Cotton, hand-painted mordant-dyed and resist-dyed (kalamkari), India
King Tirumala Nayaka in Procession
India
1640–50
Pichhwai for the Festival of Cows, Painted and printed gold and silver leaf and opaque watercolor on indigo-dyed cotton, India, Deccan, Aurangabad (?)
Pichhwai for the Festival of Cows
India, Deccan, Aurangabad (?)
late 18th century
Floral Decorated Textile, Cotton, mordant and resist dyed, India (Coromandel Coast)
Floral Decorated Textile
India (Coromandel Coast)
early 18th century
Long Cloth, Cotton (painted mordant, dyed), India (Coromandel Coast), for Indonesian market
Long Cloth
India (Coromandel Coast), for Indonesian market
ca. 1720s

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.