The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Rama and Lakshmana Fighting Ravana, from a Dashavatara (Ten Incarnations [of Vishnu]) series

c. 1765

Northern India, Pahari Region, Himachal Pradesh, Rajput Kingdom of Chamba, Court of Raj Singh

(reigned 1764–94)
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Painting: 21.2 x 15.8 cm (8 3/8 x 6 1/4 in.); Overall: 26.8 x 19.4 cm (10 9/16 x 7 5/8 in.)
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1953.357
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Rama and Lakshmana wield divine bows in their fight against the ten-headed demon Ravana.

Description

Against the dark green and foreboding landscape, the final and much-anticipated battle between the demon king Ravana and the mighty princes Rama and Lakshmana unfolds. Ravana wields twenty weapons, including a poisonous snake in his front left hand. The blue Rama aims an enchanted crescent-shaped arrow at bees emitted from the donkey head at the apex of Ravana’s ten crowns. The arrow and bees stand for powerful mantras, or magical incantations, that can destroy one’s enemies. The impending defeat of Ravana will fulfill the purpose of Vishnu’s incarnation as Rama.
  • ?–1953
    (Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1953–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. and George Montgomery. Rajput Painting; with an introductory essay and catalogue notes. New York: Asia House, 1960. Cat. no. 68.
    Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 108, pp. 268–269
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Images of the Mind. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1987. Reproduced: p. 19.
    Diane de Selliers, ed., Rāmāyaṇa. Volume VI. Paris: Diane de Selliers Éditeur, 2011. Reproduced: p. 255
    Biardeau, Madeleine, and Porcher, Marie-Claude. Rāmāyaṇa: Illustré par les Miniatures Indiennes du XVIe au XIXe Siècle. Pairs: Diane de Selliers, 2024. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 359.
  • Imagining Rama’s Journey. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 10-September 17, 2023).
    Images of the Mind. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 7-August 30, 1987).
    Rajput Painting. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (November 30, 1960-January 22, 1961).
  • {{cite web|title=Rama and Lakshmana Fighting Ravana, from a Dashavatara (Ten Incarnations [of Vishnu]) series|url=false|author=|year=c. 1765|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1953.357