The Bridge to Lanka
Kamasan - The Bridge to Lanka
The episode shown is the building of a causeway from the mainland (of India) to Langka (Ceylon). The monkeys' work is supervised by Nala. in the centre with a flaming headdress. Rocks are being passed along from both sides by lines of peluarga and monkeys. The diverse animal origins of Rama's peluarga allies are well represented. In the top row of the right hand group for example, there is from the left, a monkey face with a sun and moon head-dress, a pig face, a deer, an elephant, and a snake. Below them at the extreme right is a man converted into a peluarga.
To the upper left, Rama, Laksamana, Vibisana, and Sugriwa the monkey king, look on. Up above, Hanoman flies across the strait, and on either side of him, heavenly resi observe the activities below. In the top right corner is a separate scene, bordered by black mountains, the raksasa king, Rawana, receives a report of the approaching army, probably from Shukasharana, with Delem and Sangut behind him.
At the bottom left. Twalen and Morda are as usual not working, but have been catching fish, while various monkeys are shown bathing, riding a turtle, and being eaten by a sea monster. Across the bottom of the painting is a frieze of animals and one monster (at the far left). Such a panel is referred to as tantri (cf. No. 3).
The painting is remarkable for the use of washes of grey and black, instead of the blue powder colour found in later paintings. Indeed more black is used throughout this painting than was customary later. Another interesting detail not found in later paintings is the little human sirih-box bearer by Rama's side. These details aside, the painting shows all the stylisations and conventions that were still standard a hundred years and more later, and demonstrates the very slow rate of change in this type of Balinese painting.
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