A rare, complete, illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Ramayana, possibly by a Kashmiri artist, India, Punjab Hills, circa 1830-40

The sixteen paintings included in the manuscript depict the following scenes from various sections of the Ramayana:

Bala Kanda:

-Ganesha seated with his consort on a a lotus throne

-King Dasaratha performs a ritual to appease the Gods so that he could be blessed with sons

-Rama and Lakshmana battle Tataka and other demons in the forest near the sage Vishvamitra’s hermitage

-Rama breaking the Bow of Shiva in Mithila and winning King Janaka’s daughter, Sita's, hand in marriage

Ayodhya Kanda:

-Rama, Lakshmana and Sita accompanied by a sage seek Vishnu’s blessings

-Rama, Lakshmana and Sita leaving for exile from Ayodhya

Aranya Kanda:

-Scenes of exile in the Panchavati forest (2)

-Ravana disguised as an ascetic luring Sita out of the forest cottage while Rama and Lakshmana chase the demon Maricha who has assumed the form of a golden deer

-The ten-headed Ravana attacking the vulture, Jatayu, while Sita throws down her ornaments to leave a trail for the monkeys to follow; Ravana then carries Sita off to Lanka

Kishkindha Kanda:

-Rama kills the monkey king, Bali, and helps his younger brother Sugriva gain the kingdom of Kishkindha

Sundara Kanda:

-Hanuman secretly visits Sita in Ashoka Vatika in Lanka where she is being guarded by Ravana's demonesses

-Hanuman and the monkey army build a bridge to Lanka

Yuddha Kanda:

-Two young noblemen come to visit Rama and Lakshamana, one of them possibly Ravana’s brother Vibhisana

-Hanuman carries the entire Mountain Gandhamadhana to Rama so that Lakshmana, injured by Ravana's son Indrajeet, can be cured with the life-giving Sanjeevani herb that grows on its peaks

-Rama slays Ravana in battle