Diverse Indian miniature painting schools converge on the gold-laden pages of the Kanchan Chitra Ramayana

Gold-laden pages that narrate the epic

In the 18th century, the then king of Benaras, Udit Narayan Singh, embarked on an ambitious project — Kanchan Chitra Ramayana, a magnificent Ramayana manuscript that was laden with gold. In the 21st century, the Kanchan Chitra Ramayana, based on Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas, stands as a testament to the grandeur of India’s artistic heritage. What sets this manuscript apart is not only its opulence, with its pages laden with gold, but also the convergence of diverse schools of miniature painting within its exquisite pages.

Perhaps, for the first time ever, people are getting to view some of those pages at an exhibition organised by the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru. While the manuscript had 1100 folios, at the show are 80 folios, some of which belong to different private collections.

While the context of the upcoming Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the years of conflict that preceded it — one viewer at the show was actually looking for Babri Masjid in the painted folios — makes the exhibition more appealing, even without the political overtones, it’s an overwhelming show that needs to be seen.

The folios painted in different miniature styles of Delhi, Jaipur, Awadh, Murshidabad, and Datia are teeming with figures in action, rich flora and fauna, and exquisite architecture that has been rendered in such fine detail.

The image on the folio depicting the gathering of astrologers to choose the day for Rama and Sita’s wedding is quite interesting. Ram’s father, Raja Dasrath, is deciding the time with the help of eminent priests, sages, and noblemen. Narada Muni, who was sent by Brahma to Earth to inform Dasrath of the auspicious date, is portrayed in many stages, including his arrival, his crossing of a river in Janakpur, and his subsequent seating among the assembly to discuss the date. The minutest of details are given attention by the artists from Awadh. Narada’s veena is painted blue with a coconut placed in front of him, wrapped in red cloth and sacred thread.

According to Parul Singh, who has co-curated the exhibition with the late Kavita Singh, Udit Narayan Singh persuaded painters from various North Indian miniature traditions to congregate in Benaras, engage in conversation with Ramayani scholars, and respond to it in their artwork.

“The project was so enormous that artists had to be called from different parts following different styles, like the reign of Pratap Singh of Jaipur, Delhi style, Datia Style. The artists had to work closely with Ramayani scholars because every text page is accompanied by a painting. It’s a possibility that some of the painters might have been illiterate,” remarks the art historian, who specialises in pre-modern visual and material culture with a focus on South Asian art.