An exhibition of rare artifacts depicting scenes from the Ramayana has opened in London. The centerpiece is a collection of 17th century Mewar paintings.
The Ramayana: Love and Valor in India’s Great Epic is the title of the exhibition put up by the British Library in London. The exhibition portrays the retelling of the Ramayana across centuries and cultures.This is one of my favorite themes (Refer to Different Versions of the Ramayana) and I wish I could be there. The exhibition opened on the 16th of May at the Library and will run till the 14th of September.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is the 120 rare, lavishly illustrated, 17th century Ramayana paintings from the collection of Rana Jagat Singh of Mewar. These grand paintings with vivid, bright colors are replete with narrative detail and dramatic imagery and cover all major episodes of the Ramayana. Two of the volumes have been painted by Sahib Din. The other volumes have been presumably painted by his assistants. All except one volume is in the Mewar style. The exception is the volume depicting episodes set in the kingdom of Kishkindha, which has been influenced by paintings from the Deccan. These exhibits have been designed by Tara Arts Theatre Company and have been patronized by K. K. Birla, British Library Patrons and the Friends of the British Library. Some of the paintings, in a digitized format, can be seen at the website of the British Library.
The exhibition also displays paintings, textiles and sculptures from other collections such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, the British Museum and the Ashmolean Museum. A unique display consists of shadow puppets and dance costumes from the Horniman Museum. The exhibition also features recordings of readings various versions of the Ramayana, the singing of related devotional hymns and dramatic and dance music from India and South-East Asia. A must see is the event featuring shadow-puppetry from Bali and Java.
