Rama’s assembly (Ramapanchayatam)

This scene marks the conclusion of the epic Ramayana when Rama returns to reclaim his throne at Ayodhya after fourteen years in exile. Rama and his consort, Sita, are at center, flanked by the monkey-general Hanuman and Rama’s brother Lakshmana. Rama’s two other brothers stand behind the throne; all four siblings have peacock feather aureoles and U-shaped forehead marks (tilak). The robust bodies of the figures give the work a regal presence evocative of temple sculpture, a connection that enhances its poignancy. The print was the earliest commercial success of the Chitrashala Press, which reportedly sold two thousand copies in the first month of its release in 1878.