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The "Rāmāyaṇa" Cycle on the Kailāsanātha Temple at Ellora

Author(s): Stephen Markel
Source: Ars Orientalis, Vol. 30, Supplement 1. Chāchājī: Professor Walter M. Spink Felicitation
Volume (2000), pp. 59-71
Published by: Freer Gallery of Art, The Smithsonian Institution and Department of the History of
Art, University of Michigan
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STEPHEN MARKEL
The Ramayana Cycle on
the Kailzsanatha Temple
at Ellora
T HE KAILASANATHA TEMPLE at Ellora, programfor the lower exterior walls of the sabhai-
dating mainly from the third quarter of
the eighth century, is justly famous for
its architectural majesty and iconographic rich-
ness (fig. 1). In addition to these renowned fea-
tures, the temple is also exceptional for its ex-
tensive narrativecycles from the Ramayana (fig.
2) and Mahabharata, which are featured in par-
allel friezes on the lower exteriorwalls of the front
porch (sabh&-mandapa).While these narrative
registers have long been recognized in general as
representing episodes from the two epics,' per-
haps less familiarare the full identifications of the
individual episodes depicted and their relation-
ship to the literary traditions of southern India.
As the religion scholarJohn Stratton Hawley has
already admirably explicated the Mahabharata
and Krsnacarita reliefs on the northern porch
wall,2 this essay is confined to the Rama-yana
cycle.
Ramayana narrativereliefswere a particularly
favored subject with which to adorn the bases or
plinthsof temples,especiallyin southernIndia.3The
Ramayyanacycle at Ellorais depicted in eight regis-
tersof continuousnarrationthat,except for the first
and thirdones, read fromthe viewer'sleft to right.4
Generally,two registers are used to illustrateone
book (kaznda)of the Ramayana. The story is visu-
ally representedin continuousnarrativeby various
figuresengagedin key, dramaticactions.A minimum
of buildingsand landscapeelementsare used to set
the stageand clarifythe narrative.
The epic cycles on the Kailasanathatemple
provide a coherent and symmetrical decorative
Ars Orientalis, supplement 1 (2000)
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mandapa and entrance to the temple. A substan-
tial portion of each of the two monumental mas-
terpieces of Indian literatureis presented on what
is arguablythe most awe-inspiring Hindu monu-
ment of India. The Riamayana cycle is more de-
tailed and longer than the Mah&bh&ratafrieze,
but the addition of the Krsnacarita registers
equalizes the overall length of the two relief pan-
els and establishes a visual and iconographical
balance. A precedent forjuxtaposing the story of
Krsna with the Mahabhkrata is, of course, the
Harivamsa, a second-century appendix to the
Mahabhizratadealing exclusively with the life of
Krs.na.5As Hawley has pointed out,6 the selec-
tion of the Mahabharata episodes and the Krsna
life scenes emphasizes the heroic role of Krs.ia,
just as the Ramayatna events proclaim Rama's
valor.
THE RAMAYA,NA STORY
The Ramayana cycle portraysthe veneratedand of-
ten retold and recast tale of Prince Rama, a divine
incarnationof the Hindu god Visnu. Accordingto
the general story line, Rama was born in ancient
Ayodhyato rid the worldof the demonkingRavan. a.
Aftera valorouschildhood and his marriageto the
beautifulSita, Ramais offeredthe throne of his fa-
ther, Da?aratha.One of the king'swives, Kaikeyi,is
convincedby the evil maidservantMantharato de-
mandRama'sbanishmentand the installationof her
son, Bharata,as heirapparent.Da?arathareluctantly
 STEPHEN MARKEL

FIG. 1.
... ....
Kail&isan&ithatemple,
.
general viewfrom
I . '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
p
northwest,Eltlora,
Maharashtra, India,
ca. 750- 75.

B ..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FIG.2.L
Ramayanoacycle,
southern lower
exterior wall of
sabha-mandapa. a - W W
1. 4 . .^. . \~~~~F
^

AU.,. . . ,

6o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1

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 THE RAMAYA,NA CYCLE ON THE KAILASANATHA TEMPLE AT ELLORA

*e

FIG. 3.
RzmaandSit&requestpermission from Das'arathato leaveAyodhya.
A processionaccompaniesthemas theyleave
thecapital(readsrightto left).

Zsv,

FIG. 4.
Rama, Sita, and LaksmanialeaveAyodhyaand meet with the brahmans and townspeopleon the banks of the
Tamasa River (reads right to left).

honorsherwishes, and Ramais exiled into the forest
for fourteen years with his wife and his younger
brother,Laksmana.The trio have manyadventures
but live happily until Sita is abducted by Ravana.
Ramaenliststhe aid of a monkeyand beararmyand
searchesfor Sita.The monkeysdiscoverthatshe is a
prisonerin Ravana'spalace on the island of Lanka.
Ramadefeats Ravanaafter a fierce and prolonged
battle and rescues Sita. At that point the fourteen-
year period is over, and Rama and Sita return to
Ayodhyato rule theirkingdom.
THE RAMAYA,NA CYCLE
The Ramayana cycle at Ellora begins at a point
toward the end of the second book, the Ayodhyd
Kanda. At the viewer's right end of the top regis-
ter, Rama and Sita are shown requesting permis-
sion of King Da?arathato leave the kingdom (fig.
3). Their departure from Ayodhya is then indi-
catedby a processionof townspeopleand brahmans
advancing toward the city gate (figs. 3-4). The
next scene probably depicts the first night after
leaving the kingdom, when they camp on the bank
of the Tamasa River and the brahmansand towns-
people try to dissuade Rama from acquiescing to
his fourteen-yearexile (fig. 4).7 Seeking to ease his
followers' anguish, the trio sneaks off in the early
morning and, continuing southward, they enter
the forest kingdom ruled by the chieftain Guha.
After spending the night, they cross the Ganges
River, where at midstream Sita vows to return to 61
makea pilgrimagealong the Ganges if they survive

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 STEPHEN MARKEL

FIG. 5.
Rama, Sita, and Laksmanzacrossthe Gangesand begin theirjourney (reads right to left).

FIG. 6.
Raima,Sita, and LaksmantameetAgastya and settle in the Pancavati Glade (reads left to right).

FIG. 7.
The mutilation of SrpazLakh&and her plea to Khara (reads left to right).

their exile (fig. 5). They alighton the farshore and,
at the left end of the first register,begin theirperil-
ous journey. Shortly thereafter, Rama's brother
Bharatafinds the trio and urges Ramato returnto
rulethekingdom.Ramadeclinesthe request,andthe
exiles continue theirwandering.
The second registerbeginson theleftat the start
of the thirdbook, theAranyaKanda.The exiled trio
62 entersinto the Dan.idaka forest,where they meet the
greatsage Agastya,who advisesthem to settlein the
Paficavati Glade, most likely located near the
Godavari River in present-day Nasik district,
Maharashtra(fig. 6). Their life in the glade is idyllic
until ?iirpaniakha,the odious demonic sister of the
demon-kingRavan.a,discovers them and triesto se-
duce Ramaand Laksman.a by assumingthe formof a
beautifulwomanand alluringlydancingbeforethem
(fig.7).8 When theyrefuseheradvances,she becomes
enragedand triesto kill Sita. Laksmanapreventsher
and, in order to teach her a lesson, then mutilates

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 THE RAMAYA,NA CYCLE ON THE KAILASANATHA TEMPLE AT ELLORA

FIG. 8.
Khara'sarmy is defeatedbyRazmaand Lahsymania
(reads left to right).

~~~ _

.,, ^ s .t...,f f i ,0.. lS

l~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
. I11..
l

FIG. 9.
Thepursuit of thegolden deer (reads right to left).

L~~~~~~~~~~~~~i

.47~~~~~~C

FIG. 10.
RTvaheakidnaps Sitz anddeaeriyu
kills the valiant vulture (reads right to left).

her by cuttingoff her nose and ears. Siirpanakhare-
sumesher demonic formand flees to plead with her
brotherKhara,the demonicoverlordof the forest,to
kill the trio and avenge her disfigurement(fig. 8).
Kharaand his armyattackRamaand Laksmana,but
they are no matchfor the virtuousbrothersand are
killedin the futileattempt.
The third register begins on the right after
kurpanakhdhas fled to Ravana'spalace. Ravanais
incensed and contrives a plot for a demon named
Maricato enter the PaiicavatiGlade disguised as a
golden deer. When Sita sees the deer, she is en-
tranced and asks Rama to catch it for her (fig. 9).
Ramachases it into the forest and shoots it with an
arrow.Before it dies, it revertsto its true demonic
formand, imitatingRama'svoice, calls out for help.
Sita falls for the ruse and orders Laksmanato go to
the aid of his brother.With Sita unguarded,Ravan. a
entersthe gladedisguisedas a holy manand abducts
her in a flying chariot(fig. 10). Jatayu,an aged vul-
ture,triesto rescueSitabut is killedby Ravana.Rama 63
and Laksmanathen returnto the glade and begin to

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 STEPHEN MARKEL

FIG. 11.
Rama and Laksmana return to the Paicavati Glade and begin to searchfor Sita (reads right to left).

FIG. 12.
Rama shootsan arrow throughthe seven treesand Sugriva and Valifight (reads left to right).

FIG. 13.
Rama kills Vali (reads left to right).

searchfor Sita(fig. 11). They aretold by the celestial
Danu to ask the monkeyracefor assistance.
The fourthregisterbegins on the left at the start
of the fourthbook, the KiskindhaKin.da. Ramais
shown provinghis might to the monkeysby shoot-
64 ing anarrowthroughseventreesandthesevenworlds
(fig. 12). The monkeysacceptRamaand tell him the
taleof Sugriva,who was wrongedby his brother,the
monkeyking Vali. Ramaagreesto help Sugrivaand
shoots Vali with an arrow during a fratricidalfight
betweenthe two simians(fig. 13). Valifallsdyingand
tells his grievingwife Tara and the rest of the mon-
keys to obey Sugriva,who is then crownedby Rama
(fig. 14).9

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 THE RAMAYA,NA CYCLE ON THE KAILASANATHA TEMPLE AT ELLORA

FIG. 14.
Sugriva is crownedbyRama (reads left to right).

FIG. 15.
Rama and Laksmaya pass the rainy season in the shelterof Mount Prasravaoa (reads left to right).

;. ..
........ '.............. -S t' i;_

FIG. 16.
Angada slays a great demon (reads left to right).

The fifthregisterbegins on the left with the ad-
vent of the rainy season, which forces Rama and
Laksmanato wait out the storms in the shelter of
Mount Prasravana(fig. 15). When dry weatherre-
turns,Laksmanagoes to the Kiskindhaforestto find
Sugriva.They decide on theirstrategyand send out
searchpartiesin the fourdirections.As the southern
searchparty startsout, the monkey-princeAngada
slaysa greatdemon (fig. 16). Then the partyentersa
magicalcave and emerges at the tip of India. The
fourth book of the Ramiiyana ends here, with
Hanuman,the monkey-general,on a mountainsum-
mitpreparingto leap to Lankato tryto find Sita.The 65
fifth book, the Sundara K&azda, opens at the right

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 STEPHEN MARKEL

FIG. 17.
Hanumian leaps across the ocean and destroysthe ogressSinhika on his way to Lanka (reads left to right).

FIG. 18.
Hanumanfinds Sita in theAs-okaForest and gives her Rama's ring (reads left to right).

FIG. 19.
Hanuman allows himself to be capturedbyRavanta'sforcesand taunts the demonking by coiling his tail
toform a thronehigher than Ravana's throne (reads left to right).

end of the fifthregisterwith Hanumanleapingover
the oceanto Lanka(fig. 17). On thewayhe is attacked
by the formidableogress Sinhikabut defeatsher and
continueson his mission.
The sixth register begins on the left with
66 Hanuman finding Sita in the Asoka Forest in
Ravana'scompound and giving her Rama'sring to
prove his identity and trustworthiness (fig. 18).
Hanumanthen wreakshavoc on the capitalcity but
allows himself to be capturedin order to meet the
greatRavana.He is takenbeforethe ten-headedand
twenty-armeddemonic king and taunts him with
belittlingwordsandby coilinghis tailto forma throne
higher than Ravana's throne (fig. 19). Enraged,

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 THE RAMAYA,NA CYCLE ON THE KAILASANATHA TEMPLE AT ELLORA

FIG. 20.
Ravana ordersHanuman's tail set onfire, but Hanuman escapesfromthepalace and sets the city of
Lanka ablazewith his burning tail (reads left to right).

FIG. 21.
Hanuman rejoinsthesearchparty in theHoneyForest,and theyreturn to Rama and Laksmazna(readsleft to right).

Ffflg~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~k

. ..
-lillilm "..W

FIG. 22.
The monkeyscarry bouldersto build a bridgeto Lanka (reads left to right).

RavanaordersHanuman'stailset on fire.Hanuman est (fig.21). Then the sixthbook, the YuddhaKan4a,

escapesfromthe palaceand sets the city on firewith
his burning tail, which causes the elephants and
horses to panic (fig. 20).
The seventh register begins at the left with
Hanumanreturningfrom Lankaand rejoicingwith
the searchpartyby drinkingmeadin the Honey For-
opens with the southern search party returningto
Ramaand Sugriva.They unite their forces with an
armyof bears led by Jambavanand proceed to the
tip of India, where the monkeys gatherboulders to
makea bridgeto Lanka(fig. 22). The monkeyscarry 67
the boulders to Nila, a monkey who could make

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 STEPHEN MARKEL

FIG. 23.
Nila forms a causewayto Lanka with the boulders(reads left to right).

FIG. 24.
The army has crossedthe causeway,and Nila battles the demon-generalPrahasta
(reads left to right).

FIG. 25.
Hanuman offersthe medicinal herbs,and Laksmantakills Indrajit to prevent a
power-gaining sacrifice (reads left to right).

objectsfloaton water,and the causewayis built (fig.
23).
The eighthregisterbeginsat theleftwith Rama's
armyhavingcrossed over to Lankaand undertaking
a series of gruesomemagicalbattles, which are en-
68 capsulatedby a scenethatmaybe Nilalockedin fierce
arm-to-armcombatwith the demon-generalPrahasta
(fig. 24). Then Hanumanis shown as he offersme-
dicinal herbs from Mount Mahodayain the Hima-
layas to the strickenRamaand Laksmana(fig. 25).
The last scene beforethe unfinishedrightend of the
final registerdepicts Laksmanain the Nikumbhila
GrovekillingRavana'sson Indrajitin frontof a sac-
rificialaltarand post in order to prevent a power-

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 THE RAMAYA,NACYCLEON THE KAILASANATHATEMPLE AT ELLORA

gaining sacrifice by the demons.'0 So ends the ing the story. It leaves out the first book, the Bala
Rmamayana templeatEllora.
cycleon the Kailasanatha Kazi4a,which describes Rama'sbirth, youth, and
marriage.The cause and beginningof Rama'sban-
ishmentarenot shown. Severalmajorepisodes from
LITERARY SOURCE the YuddhaKan.daare omitted, including Rama's
battlewith Ravana'sgiganticbrotherKumbhakarna,
Definitivelyascertaininga specificliterarysource,if Rama's climactic battle with and destruction of
any, for the Ramayana cycle on the Kailasanatha Ravana,Sita'spurity trialby fire, her exoneration,
templeat Ellorais beyond the scope of this limited the trio'striumphantreturnto Ayodhya,andRama's
essay. But the high degreeof narrativedetailused in coronation.Finally,thefriezealsoomitsthelastbook,
depictingthe storymay suggest the use of a written the Uttara Kanda in which Sita's purity is again
andperhapsillustratedsourceratherthana moregen- questionedcausingRMmato abandonher while she
eralizedoraltradition.In theinterimuntilfuturestud- was pregnant,the birthof theirsons Kusaand Lava,
ies can clarify this issue, a preliminaryindication the boys' singing of the heroic story of Rama,and
based on the registers'visualevidence suggeststhat Sita's finalexonerationand divine descent into the
thenarrativemaybe based,atleastin part,on anearly earth.
south Indian telling of the tale rather than the Similarly,theflankingMahlabharata friezeon the
Ramiayana of Vlmmki.In the second registerof the Kailasanathatemple is incomplete. The first two
reliefthe initiallybeautifulguise of -)urpanakhd, in- books, the Adi Parva and the Sabha Parva, which
stead of her hideous appearance as narrated by describe the genealogy of the participants, the
Valmiki, accords with her description in the late Pandavas'youth, and the causeof theirbanishment,
twelfth-century Tamilpoet Kampan'sIramavataram arebypassed.The majorityof thewarandthe deaths
(patalam5; see n. 8). AlthoughKampan'stextpost- of Bhisma, Bhiiri?ravas, Ghatotkacha, Drona,
datesthe Kailasanatha temple,"it hasbeen suggested Duh?iasana,Karna,Salya, and Sakuni are not por-
that there existed a pre-Kampansouth Indianver- trayed. The Mahabharata cycle ends in the Stri
sion of the Ramastory,'2and it is possible that this Parva with six books left in the epic, includingthe
prior rendition may have been the source for the lengthypoliticaldiscourses,the deathsof Dhrtarastra
Ellorarelief.Othertellingsof the storyvaryin detail and Krnsa,and the Pandavas'ascentto heaven.
sufficientlyto negate a causal origin, including the The omissionsof thevariousepisodesin theepic
third-centuryBhasa'sPratimniztaka andAbhiseka- reliefsat Elloramaywell havebeen intentional.If the
nataka, the fifth-centuryKalidasa's Uttararama- unfinishedareaof stone at the end of the Ramiiyana
yana, the eighth-centuryBhavabhiiti'sMahavira- friezehadbeen intendedto be the scene of Ramakill-
caritaand Uttarariimacarita, theabbreviated account ing Ravan.a,the actionof the storywould have been
in the Mahaibhhirata, and those found in various basicallycomplete.If this hypothesisis correct,the
Puranas. This presumedrelationof the Ellorafrieze core of both epics would have been presented. Be-
to a pre-Kampansouth Indianversion of the Rama causethe cores of the epics arethoughtto be the ear-
storyis also supportedby the analogousrelationship liest and originalparts of the stories and the begin-
of certain K.rsnacaritaepisodes portrayed on the ning and endingpartslaterstage-settingand embel-
Kailasanatha temple'sflankingwallvis-a-visthe com- lishingadditions,'4the commissionersand/orsculp-
positionsof theninth-centurysouthIndianVaisnava tors could have been content to concentrateon the
saintPeriylvdr.'3 centraltale and omit those areasthatwere perhaps
consideredless dramaticor less crucialto the story
line. Also, the immense length of the epics in rela-
CONCLUSION tionto the sizeof thewallson whichtheyaredepicted
wouldnaturallyforcethesculptorsto be concise.The
The Ramayana cycle on the Kailasanathatempleat cycles could not have been originallymeant to be 69
Elloranarratesonly six of the eight books compris- continuedsince the life of Krs.naregistersbegin the

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 STEPHEN MARKEL
narrativeat the bottom and because areasfor more
registersdo not seem to have been reservedunder
eitherfrieze.'5
Numeroustemplesin Indiaareembellishedwith
Ramayaya scenes, yet none are as extensiveor de-
tailed as that gracing the Kailasanathatemple at
Ellora.But then again, no other Hindu monument
itself is as lavishly conceived and remarkablyex-
ecuted as the Kailasanatha temple,the grandedifice
aboutwhich it is said thateven the gods wonder:
[The KingKrsnaI (r. ca. 757-73)] causedto be
constructeda templeof a wonderfulformon the
mountainat Elapura[Ellora].When the gods
movingin theiraerialcarssawit theywerestruck
with wonder and constantlythoughtmuch over
the mattersayingto themselves,"This templeof
Sivais self-existent;for such beautyis not to be
found in a work of art."''6D
Notes
The originalresearchon this topicwas done whileI was a gradu-
ate studentunder ProfessorSpink, so it seems particularlyap-
propriateforinclusionin his tributevolume.Earlierversionsof
this workwerepresentedat the Third MichiganConferenceon
South and SoutheastAsia, Universityof Michigan,Ann Arbor,
MI, 22 May1982; andat theAssociationforAsianStudies,Mid-
West ConferenceAnnualMeeting,Ann Arbor,MI, 11 October
1982. 1 wish to thankProf.H. DanielSmithandDr. Donald M.
Stadtnerfor makinga numberof valuablecommentson earlier
versions of this essay. All photographsaccompanyingthis ar-
ticle were takenby me.
1. Generaldescriptionsof theRamayanascenes at Ellora,vary-
ing in some places from the identificationsproposed here, are
given in Ramesh ShankarGupte and B. D. Mahajan,Ajanta,
Ellora and AurangabadCaves (Bombay:D. B. Taraporevala
Sons & Co., 1962), 209; P. Banerjee,Rama in Indian Litera-
tureArt& Thought,2 vols. (Delhi: SundeepPrakashan,1986),
1:241; and Cathleen Cummings, "The Ramayana Narrative
Panelat Ellora'sKailasanathaTemple," paperpresentedat the
AmericanCouncil for Southern Asian Art SymposiumVIII,
Charleston,SC, 31 October 1998.
70 2.John StrattonHawley,"Scenesfromthe Childhoodof Krsna
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on the KailasanathaTemple, Ellora,"Archivesof AsianArt 34
(1981): 74-90.
3. See David Theron Sanford, "Early Temples Bearing
Ramayana Relief Cycles in the Chola Area: A Comparative
Study"(Ph.D. dissertation,Universityof California,Los Ange-
les, 1974); and Kirsti Evans, Epic Narratives in the Hoysala
Temples:TheRamayana,MahabharataandBhagavataPurana
in Halebid,Beliurand Amrtapura(Leiden:E.J. Brill, 1997).
4. The firstfourregistersarearrangedin a boustrophedoncon-
figurationbeginningat the top rightand proceedingto the left,
then reversingdirectionfor the next lowerregister,thenreturn-
ing to the originaldirection,and so on. The directionalarrange-
mentis then changedat the beginningof the fifthregisterso that
the fifththrougheighth registersall readfromleft to right. See
n. 9 for a possible reason for the change of direction. The
Mahabharatacycle is entirelydepicted in registersof alternat-
ing directionand, like its mate,begins at the end of the top reg-
ister closest to the mainbody of the temple.
5. Hawley, "Childhood of Krsna," 74. Hawley dates the
Harivamhs'a to the second centuryA.D. and statesthat"The re-
lief carvingsat Ellorabeara close relationto ... the Harivamsa,
much closer than usually pertainsbetween text and image in
narrativeKrishnafriezes."
6. Hawley, "Childhoodof Krsna,"78.
7. While the scene immediatelyfollowingthe city gateis some-
timesinterpretedas Rama'sbrotherBharatatryingto persuade
him to returnto Ayodhyato rule the kingdomafterDasaratha's
deathfromgriefand the followingscene as the trio crossingthe
SarayiuRiver,theprominenceof the depictionof RamaandSita
in the boat suggests that this is the Ganges River, where Sita
makesher vow, ratherthan the inconsequentialcrossingof the
Sarayui,andthereforethepreviousscenecannotbe Bharata's visit
to Ramabut mustbe the brahmans'and townspeople'sentreaty
to Rama. For the alternativeinterpretation, see Gupte and
Mahajan,Ajanta,Ellora and AurangabadCaves;and Banerjee,
Rama in Indian Literature.Note thatthe currentdescriptionof
thisscene also differsfromHawley'sinterpretation.See Hawley,
"Childhoodof Krsna,"89, n. 11.
8. The initiallybeautifulappearanceof STirpanakha in the re-
lief, insteadof the ugly one as narratedin Valmiki'sRamayana,
accords with the south Indian tradition as recounted in the
twelfthcenturyby theTamilpoet Kampanin his Iramavataram
(patalam5). See Hari PrasadShastri,trans.,TheRamayanaof
Valmiki, 3 vols. (London: Shanti Sadan, 1957), 2:38-40;
GeorgeL. Hartand HankHeifetz,trans.,TheForestBookofthe
RamayanaofKampan(Berkeleyand Los Angeles:Universityof
CaliforniaPress, 1988), 84-98; C. Rajagopalachari, Ramayana
(Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1979), 135-43; and
KathleenM. Erndl, "The Mutilationof Siirpanakha,"in Many
Ramayanas:The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South
 THE RAMAYANACYCLEON THE KAILASANATHATEMPLE AT ELLORA

Asia, ed. PaulaRichman(Delhi:OxfordUniversityPress,1992), V. SrinivasaSarma(1908; rpt. ed. Delhi: MotilalBanarsidass,

67-88. 1981), 475-80.

9. At this point in the depiction of the narrative,directlybe-
neaththe fallenVali in the middle of the fourthregister,thereis
a drop in the level of the groundlineand a resultantslight in-
creasein the heightand proportionsof the figures.Cummings,
"RamayanaNarrativePanel,"arguesthis transitionindicatesa
shift in the focus of the narrativefrom Ramato Hanumanand
possibly a temporalinterruptionin the carvingof the frieze.
10. While this last scene has been previouslyinterpretedas that
of RamakillingRlvana, the presence of the sacrificialaltarand
post indicatesthatit is actuallyIndrajit'sdeathsince it is he and
not his fatherRdvanawho attemptsthe sacrifice.See Gupteand
Mahajan,Ajanta,Elloraand AurangabadCaves;and Banerjee,
Rama in Indian Literature.
11. Hartand Heifetz,ForestBook,2.
15. During the question and response session afterthe presen-
tation of CathleenCummings'paper on the Ramaiyanarelief
(see n. 1), severaladditionalpossiblereasonsforwhy the reliefis
unfinishedwere raisedby the speakerand membersof the audi-
ence. These include the suppostionthat the finalscene(s) may
havebeen oncepainted(suggestedby CathleenCummings),that
it was consideredinauspiciousto show the deathof Ravana(sug-
gested by Dr. Cecelia Levin), that South Asian rulers do not
generallypatronizescenes showing the death of anotherking
(suggestedby Prof.John Cort),and thatbecausethe Ramayana
cycle is immediatelybeside the large representationof R5vana
shakingMt.Kailasa,it wouldbe inappropriateto depicthis death
(suggestedby Dr. RobertJ. Del Bonta). For a discussion of in-
completeworks of artin India and Indonesia, seeJoannaWill-
iams, "UnfinishedImages,"India International CentreQuar-
terly13.1 (1986): 90-105.

12. Sanford,"EarlyTemplesBearingRamayanaReliefCycles," 16. From the BarodaGrantof Krsia I. See RamkrishnaGopal

25-28. See also n. 8. Bhandarkar, Early History of the Dekkan: Down to the
MahomedanConquest,2nd ed. (1895; rpt.ed. New Delhi:Asian
13. Hawley, "Childhoodof Krsna,"87. EducationalServices, 1983), 64.

14. MauriceWinternitz,A Historyof Indian Literature,trans.

71

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