Raja Ravi Varma: Sri Ram Janki Vilas

Sri Ram Janki Vilas captures a tender, intimate moment between Rama and Sita, the central figures of the epic Rāmāyaṇa. Revered as embodiments of beauty, devotion and moral virtue, Rama is one of the avatars of the Hindu deity Vishnu, while Sita is regarded as a reincarnation of his consort Lakshmi. The scene appears to unfold in the early years of their marriage at the court of Ayodhya, before their exile and before Sita’s abduction by the demon-king Ravana – events that drive the epic’s central drama.

Ravi Varma presents the couple standing close together, their bodies gently inclined and their hands clasped, while Rama leans casually against an ornate bedframe. The influence of European academic realism is evident in the careful modelling of form and in details such as the classical drapery. As in many of Ravi Varma’s works, the synthesis of Indian subject matter with European pictorial conventions collapses the distance between the mythic and the everyday, inviting emotional identification. Later embellishments further enrich the image: Sita’s blue sari is heightened with gold thread and sequins, Rama’s headdress is densely jewelled, and applied beading forms necklaces, earrings and bracelets.