The Arrival of the Brides at the Palace in Ayodhya: Page from a dispersed Ramayana series

From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record

This luminous night scene captures the final verses of the first book (Balakanda, or Book of Boyhood) of the sweeping Hindu epic, the Ramayana. The focus of this dazzlingly complex composition is the chief queen, Kaushalya, as she welcomes Sita, Rama’s young bride and ideal heroine, within the palace courtyard. As is customary when a new bride is welcomed into her new home, she is offered the blessing of aarti (light), and luxuriated in gifts while standing on rangoli, a floral design drawn with rice grains. The wedding party includes Ram’s three brothers, their respective wives, King Dasharatha, and the bearded sage, Vishvamitra. The princes are successively greeted by the queens and ladies of the household; outside, the elaborate wedding procession and people of Ayodhya look on with anticipation, celebrating to blasting trumpets and thundering drums. India, Asia