The Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana: Folio from a Dispersed Ramayana Series

The Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana: Folio from a Dispersed Ramayana Series

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

According to the Ramayana, Kumbhakarna, the terrifying giant and brother of Ravana, was causing great damage to the monkey army when Rama and Lakshmana entered the battle. Using magical arrows of great power, Rama severed Kumbhakarna's limbs and filled his mouth with pointed steel shafts. The pathos of the demon's defeat is emphasized by his dismembered body parts being carried away by the bear and monkey warriors. Compared to the Mughal depiction The Awakening of the Demon Kumbhakarna, which shows the giant sleeping, this Malwa portrayal focuses on his violent and bloody demise. The brilliant red and black color fields and the spatial ambiguity are drawn from earlier Hindu painting traditions of Malwa, where the Mughal style had little impact.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana: Folio from a Dispersed Ramayana SeriesThe Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana: Folio from a Dispersed Ramayana SeriesThe Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana: Folio from a Dispersed Ramayana SeriesThe Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana: Folio from a Dispersed Ramayana SeriesThe Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana: Folio from a Dispersed Ramayana Series

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.