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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