Title : Hanuman and Rama Setu Size : 19.5"x 29.5"
This
paper collage is of Hanuman building the bridge to Lanka and is a commissioned piece.
Hanuman
(the monkey God) is revered in Hinduism for his selfless dedication to God
(Lord Rama). He is the symbol of energy and strength and also of great
knowledge. He makes a late entry in the epic poem ‘’Ramayana’’ (the story of
Rama).
Rama the prince of Ayodhya is assisted in the rescue of his kidnapped wife Sita by Hanuman. Sita is held captive in the island of Lanka and Hanuman and the monkey army build a bridge to attack the kingdom of Lanka, defeat the demon king Ravana and rescue Sita. This artwork is about the building of Rama setu (Rama’s bridge) and Hanuman overseeing the construction. He has the image of a forlorn Sita sitting in the grove on his mind. The monkeys are building the bridge. There is also a little squirrel that tries to help by carrying pebbles. This is a short explanation of the story behind this composition. In case, dear reader, you are interested in a less brief version, you can read the story here.
Whether
the Legend of Rama is a mythological story imagined by the author or a
retelling of events that had already taken place as is mentioned in the
Ramayana itself is hotly debated to this day. Fact is Lord Rama is venerated as an avatar of Lord Vishnu in the
Indian sub-continent and as far away as Indonesia, Burma, Cambodia and
Nepal. And there are many legal cases
pending in the Supreme Court of India on Property Title issues where parties seek to prove the historical
accuracy of their claims.
Today
Rama Setu is called Adam’s bridge.
Rameshwaram
is a town on the Indian side named after Rama and here is a temple where the
idol of Shiv Linga is said to have been installed by Rama before his foray into
SriLanka. The temple still exists. The temple records say the bridge was
walkable until 1480 A.D. after which the bridge broke up in a cyclone. Today it
cannot be used for crossing from India to Sri Lanka as it is underwater and it
also proves to be a hindrance to navigation as the water is too shallow and
ships have to go around Sri Lanka due to this reef.
Geological
Survey of India’s report has concluded that this bridge was used as a means to
travel between India and Sri Lanka about some 7,000-10,000 years ago.
Carbon
dating has been done and it places this in the time-frame of when the Ramayana
was supposed to have happened.
So the
debate continues...
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Saturday, September 22, 2018
Hanuman and Rama Setu
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