The Sacrifice of Meghanada, Son of the Demon King Ravana
Page from a dispersed series of the Ramayana

As Rama and his armies battle their way across Lanka toward Ravana’s palace, they learn that Ravana’s son Meghanada is about to perform a sacrifice that will make him invincible. Fortunately, the god Brahma decrees that, if the sacrifice is interrupted, Meghanada will die. In the top of the painting, Meghanada sacrifices a white horse and a demon soldier drags forward an offering ram. Behind him, on an orange cloth, hovers the white figure of Sita, a phantom made to fool Hanuman. Meghanada himself stands on a mat performing the rituals. When Lakshmana and his army attack the demons, Meghanada interrupts his sacrifice to counterattack. In the bottom of the painting Meghanada charges forward in his chariot to meet his preordained death at Lakshmana’s hands.

Opaque and transparent watercolor and gold on paper
Made in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia