![Rama and Lakshmana Fighting Ravana, from a Dashavatara (Ten Incarnations [of Vishnu]) series](https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1953.357/1953.357_web.jpg)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Rama and Lakshmana Fighting Ravana, from a Dashavatara (Ten Incarnations [of Vishnu]) series
- Date
- c. 1765
- Medium
- Gum tempera and gold on paper
- Culture
- Northern India, Pahari Region, Himachal Pradesh, Rajput Kingdom of Chamba, Court of Raj Singh (reigned 1764–94)
- Department
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 130637
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
Against the dark green and foreboding landscape, the final and much-anticipated battle between the demon king Ravana and the mighty princes Rama and Lakshmana unfolds. Ravana wields twenty weapons, including a poisonous snake in his front left hand. The blue Rama aims an enchanted crescent-shaped arrow at bees emitted from the donkey head at the apex of Ravana’s ten crowns. The arrow and bees stand for powerful mantras, or magical incantations, that can destroy one’s enemies. The impending defeat of Ravana will fulfill the purpose of Vishnu’s incarnation as Rama. Rama and Lakshmana wield divine bows in their fight against the ten-headed demon Ravana.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Edward L. Whittemore Fund
- Provenance
- ?–1953: (Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) | 1953–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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