An Illustration to the Ramayana: Rama and Sita Participate in Rituals After Their Return to Ayodhya, India, Kangra, circa 1800-10

The illustration depicts a penultimate scene from the epic where Rama and Sita are shown participating in an abhisekham or consecratory ceremony prior to being anointed King and Queen of Ayodhya. On the left the couple first undergo a ritual bath - Rama in an open pavilion, Sita in a private chamber. Following this ritual cleansing they are shown seated in an open courtyard at center beneath a festive canopy making ritual offerings to the sacred fire. Rama’s brothers Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna are seated behind him and they are joined by their new ally Vibhishana, brother of the vanquished demon King Ravana. Sage Vashishtha, Rama’s guru and high priest of the Ikshvaku clan, sits opposite the group and leads the prayers which are accompanied by heraldic music. By his side is the great sage Vishwamitra and Sita’s father King Janaka. From a high window in the palace the elder queens – Kaushalya and Kaikeyi – watch the proceedings. The scene is celebratory and conveys a sense of optimism as rightful order is being restored to the kingdom of Ayodhya after thirteen long years.

This painting has been variously described in the past as the marriage of Krishna and Rukmini and also as the marriage of Sita and Rama. This is likely due to the setting of the main protagonists under a festive canopy decorated with parrots which is also pictured in wedding scenes, see Mukandi Lal, Garhwal Painting, New Delhi, 1968, plate xxxi, p. 103, illus. As with other large format Pahari paintings, architectural features are deployed as scene separators to show narrative progression. The verso bears three lines of Devanagari script.