New Delhi, August 14, 2013: For the first time, Ramayana-themed miniatures will be on display at a two-month-long exhibition which opens at the National Museum here beginning this Wednesday.

Made by Indian artists from the 17th to the 19th Century, the paintings offer a glimpse into the country’s rich and unique heritage. Some of the outstanding miniature paintings on display areThe Portrait of Rama , (Basohli style, Pahari, 1730 A.D.) and Sage Narada requesting Valmiki to write the story of Rama, (Kangra style, Pahari, early 19th Century).

The uniqueness of ‘Rama Katha – The Story of Rama Through Indian Miniatures’ can be judged from the fact that all the 101 exhibits will travel to the Royal Museum of Art and History at Brussels in Belgium this November.

The exhibition depicting the enchanting tales of Valmiki’s celebrated epic will be on display for six months. According to National Museum Director-General Venu V., the show in the Capital will throw light on varied interpretations of the same story across stylistic genres.

“The Ramayana has been a tremendous source of inspiration for artists from across the country and abroad. The exhibition is close-to-modern interpretation of an ancient scripture. Seventy exhibits – all from National Museum’s collection – include Pahari style from the mountains, Rajasthani, Malwa style of Central India, Provincial Mughal style from Bundelkhand, Deccani style from Bijapur of present-day Karnataka and the classical folk style of Kalighat (from around Kolkata).”

Dr. Venu said: “The National Museum is the biggest repository of miniature paintings numbering more than 17,000 of which only 300-400 are on display in the exhibition. The exhibition is one way of exposing part of the reserve collection curated on the basis of a particular theme.”

According to Museum Curator (Education) V.K. Mathur, sage-poet Valmiki’s Ramayana, which is the earliest source of the epic story, is believed to have been created around the 5th to 4th Century B.C. “The text of Ramayana has undergone many revisions and modifications, and the earliest surviving manuscript of the work is less than 1,000 years old. Even today, it is one of the most popular themes in the religious literature of India.”

Source: The Hindu, DT. August 14, 2013.