Ramayana
Historical background
One of the two great Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Mahabharata. In its present form the epic consists of disparate elements, including romantic stories, myths, legends and vague historical information.
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row (from left): Back in Ayodhya Dasharatha
consults Rishyashringa (Kalaikottu munivar) and Vasishtha. Dasharatha visits his queens. Bottom row: The three pregnant queens are being fanned by their attendants. Dasharatha talks to a messenger.
Location: Tamil NaduTemple;Kallagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, east side
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row: The three queens are being
fanned by their attendants. Dasharatha talks to a messenger. Bottom row (from right): the messenger takes leave of the king. The three pregnant queens are looked after by their attendants.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, south east corner
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row: The three queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra give birth. Bottom row (from right): The four babies are bathed. An attendant informs a messenger of the birth of the princes.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, south side
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row (from left): The messenger informs Dasharatha of the of the birth of his sons. The king, after performing the necessary rituals, bathing and shaving, meets his sons. Bottom row (from right): He then distributes food to the Brahmins; Vasishtha performs the namakarana (naming ceremony).
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, south side
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row (from left): The nurses carry the babies;
The babies in their cradles. Bottom row (from right) : The nurses attend to the babies; Three princes, Rama, Lakshmana and Shatrughna learn to walk accompanied by their nurses.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, south side
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row (from left): Bharata learns to walk; Vasisthta teaches the princes reading, writing, wrestling. Central row: He teaches them horse and elephant riding. Bottom row (from right): He trains them in archery. Dasharatha feeds the Brahmins. The four princes on the lap of their father and mothers sit opposite Vasishtha performing a ritual.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, south side
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row (from right): The princes practise archery under the eyes of Vasishtha. Rama hits Kuni (Manthara) with a mud pellet. Vishvamitra on the way to Ayodhya. Bottom row (from left): Dasharatha prostrates before the sage; Vishvamitra requests the king to entrust Rama and Lakshmana to his care; Dasharatha is devastated; Vishvamitra, Rama and Lakshmana take leave of the king.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, south side
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row: (from left): Dasharatha prostrates before the sage; Vishvamitra requests the king to entrust Rama and Lakshmana to his care; Dasharatha is devastated; Vishvamitra, Rama and Lakshmana take leave of Dasharatha. Bottom row (from left): The king, the queens and the minister, Sumantra, accompany them until the river Sarayu. The princes and the sage spend their first night in the forest.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, south side
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row (from left) : Vishvamitra and the princes in the forest visit renowned ascetics. Bottom row (from right): They cross the river and confront the rakshasi Tataka.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, south west corner
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row (from left): Vishvamitra encourages Rama
to kill Tataka When she falls to the ground the sage and the gods rejoice; The gandharvas let showers of flower petals fall from the sky; The sage teaches Rama a powerful mantra; Bottom row (from right): Magical weapons materialize in the sky. Rama and Lakshmana listen to the discourses of Vishvamitra and another sage. They perform their ablutions and breathing exercises before resuming their journey.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, west side
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row (from left): The sages prepare to
celebrate a yajna. The princes weave a canopy of arrows to protect it from being polluted by the rakshasas. They kill Subahu, and Maricha hit by an arrow is propelled into the ocean. Bottom row (from right): Vishvamitra praises the youths and after having rested, they resume their way towards Mithila.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, west side
Date: 18th century
Description: Top row (from right): Vishvamitra praises the princes for having routed the rakshasas; After having rested, they resume their way towards Mithila. Central row (from left): They cross the river Sone and enter the kingdom of Sumati (?), where the king pays homage to Vishvamitra. After a brief stay there, they resume their journey. Bottom row (from right): Rama frees Ahalya from her curse, and restores her to her husband, the sage Gautama; Vishvamitra and his charges reach Mithila where they are welcomed at the court of King Janaka.
Location: Tamil Nadu Temple;Kallalagar Temple complex;Alagar Koyil
Positioning: Vasanta mandapa; central pavilion, ceiling, northwest corner
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