Krsna is invoked in this verse as Rama in accordance with the dasavatara
prabandha. Janaka's daughter Sita adorns him, he is the conqueror of the demon
Dusana, the killer of the tenheaded Ravana.
Each epithet is recreated pictorially. On the extreme top, sit Rama and Sita in
a boat escorted by Hanuman and a fleet of monkeys. The dynamic movement of the
monkeys is contrasted with the dignified quality of Rama and Sita. Below, in a
large spatial area, we witness the battle of Lanka. The vanquished demons Khara
and Dusana are seen fleeing in fright. Ravana lies slain with decapitated heads
scattered in all directions. Here the artist restricts himself to the battle
scene with Rama, Laksmana and the monkeys on one side, and the demons on the
other. Sita in the asoka vatika provides the background for the battle scene.
She sits with two attendants behind a wall. The total battle scene comprising
the scene of Sita, and that of the battle of Rama and Ravana, is framed by lines
suggestive of the waters. Trees appear only in the context of the asoka vatika
scene and are in the distant background. The latter are used as space dividers
to distinguish the scene of Rama, Laksmana, Sita, Krsna, and the single devotee.
The technique of communicating the refrain group is modified. Now there is only
a single devotee standing with folded hands before Krsna. In a niche, as if
overlooking the whole drama, sits the patron king. The painting is interesting
for the effective use of spatial areas, the delineation of the trees, boats, and
battle scenes at the descriptive level. |