Vali and Sugriva Fighting, Folio from the Dispersed 'Shangri Ramayana'

ca. 1700-1710

This painting is from a large series of illustrations narrating one of Hinduism’s great epics, the Ramayana. Much of the story takes place in the wilderness, where the hero, Rama, has been exiled. While there, Rama befriends a monkey, Sugriva, who wishes to overthrow his own brother to become king of the monkeys. This painting shows the pivotal battle between Sugriva and his brother, Vali, with Rama (with blue skin) looking on. Sugriva will eventually win when Rama shoots Vali with an arrow. Paintings from this series are characterized by their lively figures, which are almost always set against single-color backdrops with minimal indication of location (here, a single tree).