Rama’s forest dwelling in Panchavati

In the Ramayana epic, the divine prince Rama is exiled from his homeland of Ayodhya as the result of family intrigue. With his wife Sita and half-brother Lakshmana, he leaves the court to wander in distant forests. Eventually they make their home in the Panchavati region, where Lakshmana builds them a mud and grass hut. But the artist shows this as an ornate palace befitting a prince, adorned with arabesque decoration and chequered tiling.

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