The Monkey King Vali's Funeral Pyre: Illustrated folio from a dispersed Ramayana series

Workshop active in the First generation after Nainsukh Indian

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 464

This complex Kangra painting illustrates multiple juxtaposed narratives. Smoke rises from the funerary pyre 
of the monkey king Vali, who was murdered by his brother and rival, Sugriva, with the help of Rama. In return, Sugriva pledges the support of the monkey army for Rama’s war with Ravana. At upper left, Rama, seated in a cave, affirms Sugriva’s new standing as the king of the monkeys. A small scene set within the mountains at right shows Sugriva, Hanuman, Lakshmana, and the monkey army returning to their golden capital to crown Sugriva as the new king. Rama does not participate in the coronation, as he must complete his fourteen-year exile to the forest, which is emphasized by the sages in thatched huts in the center of the background.

The Monkey King Vali's Funeral Pyre: Illustrated folio from a dispersed Ramayana series, Workshop active in the First generation after Nainsukh (active ca. 1735–78), Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper, India, Punjab Hills, kingdom of Kangra

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The Monkey King Vali's Funeral Pyre: Illustrated folio from a dispersed Ramayana series, Workshop active in the First generation after Nainsukh (active ca. 1735–78), Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper, India, Punjab Hills, kingdom of Kangra
The Monkey King Vali's Funeral Pyre: Illustrated folio from a dispersed Ramayana series, Workshop active in the First generation after Nainsukh (active ca. 1735–78), Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper, India, Punjab Hills, kingdom of Kangra

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