Collection Online as of April 1, 2023

Sugriva challenges his brother Vali, King of the Forest Dwellers, to a duel, folio 10 from the Kishkindha Kanda (Book of Kishkindha) of a Ramayana (Rama’s Journey)

Northern India, Pahari Region, Himachal Pradesh, Rajput Kingdom of Nurpur, Court of Dayadhata

(reigned 1700–1735)

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Image: 16.4 x 26.8 cm (6 7/16 x 10 9/16 in.); Page: 20.7 x 31 cm (8 1/8 x 12 3/16 in.); with mat: 36.3 x 49 cm (14 5/16 x 19 5/16 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1973.103

Location

242B Indian Painting

Fun Fact

The orange monkey Hanuman and the princes Lakshmana and Rama hide behind trees while Sugriva calls for Vali.

Description

In a morally ambiguous scene, the white monkey Sugriva calls to his brother Vali, the rightful king of the forest-dwellers, to emerge from a cave. Behind him, the blue hero Rama hides with his brother and monkey ally Hanuman. Clutching a deadly three-pronged arrow, Rama prepares to slay Vali, so Sugriva will rise as king and be obliged to help locate Rama’s lost wife.

Paintings from this series illustrate a local Himalayan Ramayana. Their distinctive style incorporates rock formations and textiles reinterpreted from Mughal sources, probably brought to Nurpur when the Mughal emperor retreated there during the hot season.

Inscriptions

Inscription

[[verso, in Sanskrit]] evamuktastu sugrīvo rāmeṇa ripu ghātina gachāmī tpajavī hṛīshṛī ghayā tāsteya satvaram. kiṣkimdhyaṁ tvaritaṁ gatvā deshe pādapa saṁkule. vṛikshairātmā tamāvrīptate tiṣṭha nāhate chate. atha rāmo javī tatra sugrīvaṁ priyavādi namra. kurunadaṁ guhādvāri sthitva tvama kuto bhayaḥ. vali taṁ chaṣkaya yathā niṣyate ta guhā mukhāt. tamahaṁ niha niṣyā miśareṇā śani varcasā. evamuktetu vacane kākusthe nāmi tau jasā. nādaḥ [a]sti gadhotha gambhīro mahānā sītthadā divi. mālāca kāṁcanī divyānā nā ratnā vibhūṣitā. divaḥ sugrīva mūrchānama bhito nipa pātaha. sāca pitrā sutaste hādā ditpe na divau kasā. vāli no mālayā tulyā sutaste hai nirmitā. tato nadanmahānādaṁ valiṁ samāiyat. sugrīvo gaḍha saṁvīto nā daiṁrmi danti vāṁvaram. ityārthe rāṃyaṇo kiṣkiṁdhākāṁde valī samāhvanaṁ.

Inscription Translation

Lord Rama, the slayer of adversaries, remarked to Sugriva, "You will soon depart for Kishkindha, and I will also enter this woodland where I cannot be seen." Rama, concealed in a grove of trees, spoke kindly to Sugriva, "Reach the entrance of [Vali's] cave and yell bravely to confront Vali so that he emerges from the cave. I shall kill him with flaming arrows." After these words were delivered by the courageous Rama, a descendant of Maharaja Kakustha, the sky erupted in a loud and tremendous roar. Lord Surya, emerging from his dwelling in the heavens, placed a golden garland adorned with celestial gems around Sugriva's neck. Sugriva then informed Vali of his arrival by shouting fiercly. Sugriva, who was well-protected, pierced the heavens with his roar. Thus concludes the Ramayana chapter of Sugriva challenging Vali to a duel.

Inscription Remark

This inscription is oriented to assume a horizontal page turning.

Inscription

[[verso, left center, in Devanagari script]] 10

Inscription

[[verso, bottom center, in Takri script]] 10

Provenance

?–1973

(William H. Wolff, Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

1973–

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

"The Year in Review for 1973." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 61, no. 2 (1974): 31-78. Mentioned: no. 198, p. 79; Reproduced: no. 198, p. 61. www.jstor.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 309. archive.org

Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Oriental Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1986. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 137, pp. 312–314.

Tōyō kaiga no seika: tokubetsuten: Kurīvurando Bijutsukan no korekushon kara [東洋絵画の精華: 特别展: クリーヴラント美術館のコレクションから= Highlights of Asian painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art]. Nara, Japan: Nara National Museum, 1998. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 33, cat. no. 12.

Exhibition history

Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 4 - August 5, 2003).

Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Nara National Museum (organizer) (February 21-March 29, 1998); Suntory Museum of Art (April 28-June 21, 1998).

Imagining Rama's Journey (Indian Painting rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 10-September 17, 2023).