Year Long Exhibition Depicting The Ramayana To Be Held At The Met

Significant Hindu mythology text, the Ramayana will be the focal point of a forthcoming exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. 

The yearlong exhibition will begin on August 10, 2019 and will continue till August 23, 2020 in the South Asian Exhibition Gallery at The Met. A selection of 30 paintings depicting the Ramayana is expected to go on display. These paintings were created for the Rajput and Pahari courts in the 17th and 19th centuries. The show titled &lsquoSita and Ram The Ramayana in Indian Painting&rsquo will showcase Rama&rsquos valour and the heroic tale of Rama&rsquos rescue of his wife Sita in addition to the textiles that were produced during that time. 

The highlight of this exhibition which will be presented in two rotations which includes a 19th century painting titled &lsquoTantrik Form of Monkey God Hanuman&rsquo. This painting is a gift from Steven Kossak and will be on public display for the first time. Other works on display include a 19th century masterpiece titled &lsquoRama, Sita, Laxamana Begin Their Life in the Forest&rsquo that embodies Pahari tradition of painting, a rare 18th century textile piece, titled &lsquo The Combat of Rama and Ravana&rsquo and a group of 6 paintings from The Shangri Ramayana series dating from 1690 to 1710.  

Ramayana which holds a sacred position in Hindu tradition recounts the life of King Rama an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, abduction of his wife Sita by the evil king Ravana, his confrontation with Ravana and the eventual rescue of Sita. The Hindu transcript was composed by the Sanskrit poet Valmiki.

The exhibition will be organized by Kurt Behrendt, Associate Curator in the Department of Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition will be held at the Met Fifth Avenue, South Asian Exhibition Gallery, Florence and Herbert Irving Galleries, Gallery 251, Floor 3.