Rama Dasa (Ram Das)

Ram Das (1608–1681) was a Hindu saint and theologian, and is best remember for his devotion to Hanuman and Rama, to whom he established many shrines in his lifetime, spent in the Deccan region of Maharasthra. He is also famed as the spiritual mentor of the famed Marathi ruler Shivaji. In the tradition of great renouncers, Ram Das is seen dressed only in an ascetic’s waist cloth, beads, and the skin of a leopard (which also served as his meditation mat), holding a rosary (mala) and an armrest. On his forehead is red ‘U’ tilaka mark declaring his Vaishnava allegiance. His well-developed body is a reflection of his school of Hindu philosophy which stressed devotion through action. He was famed for his daily exercises, integral to the yogic devotional austerities he practiced. He is depicted in this 1900 era print against a Europeanized pastoral landscape. The topography, with misty rocky plateaus silhouetted against the skyline, evokes the ghats of the Deccan Plateau where he lived and preached.