Sreerama Pattabhishekam

Green-skinned Rama, wearing a lot of jewelry, holding his left hand in vyakhyana mudra, and his right hand over his bent left leg. His right leg is folded, seated beside him, golden-skinned, wearing jewelry, long hair with flowers, green lower garment, Rama wears a yellow lower garment, seated on a throne. Alavattams on either sides of his head. His four brothers standing to his right, yellow-skinned, green dhoti, holding a bow. Several sages with long beard and hair in a bun above their heads. Vanaras or monkeys surrounding them, with red face and white body, wearing jewelry. Other figures are also present, all witnessing the coronation. Hanuman, Vibhishana, to extreme right of the panel on the east wall, faded. Above a canopy, tree branches, upon which sits two white-skinned Gandharvas, one playing veena, another playing cymbal. The canopy is supported by pillars. Above the canopy, there is a building structure with a door, with someone sitting on it. To the left of the panel, there is a house or part of the palace with two doors and two pillars, red background.

Iconography

Primary Deity/Figure
Sreeraman
Secondary Figures
Bharathan, Hanuman, Lakshmanan, Narada, Shathrughnan, Sita, Vibhishanan
Iconographic Form
Sreerama sabha
Iconographic Attributes
Rama, green-skinned, seated on a throne, his right hand held up in vyakhyana mudra, his left hand resting over his left knee. His left leg is folded. He is wearing a lot of jewelry. Rama is also wearing a green dhoti. Sita sits to the left of Rama. She is golden-skinned, wearing a lot of jewelry. She is wearing a green dhoti. Towards the right of the panel is Narada. He has a veena. At the right of the panel are Rama's brothers, Bharata, Shatrukhna, and Lakshmana. At the right side of the panel, there is Hanuman and Devishana depicted. There are several Vanaras or monkeys, and monkeys, sages, and other human figures in attendance of Rama's coronation. Underneath there is Tuganjamarams on either side of Rama. Rama sits underneath the canopy, which has leaves drawn on it.
Rasa
Shanta

Spatial & Architectural

Temple
Palace interior
Zone within Temple
Doorway
Position in Pradakshina Sequence
Not Applicable
Adjacent Panels
Shakthipanchakshari and Kiratasunu

Narrative

Textual Source
Non-narrative
Mythological Tale
The depiction is of the coronation of Rama after his return from Lanka after killing Ravana and reclaiming Sita. After Rama was forced to go to vanavasa (or life in the forest) by Kaikeyi, his brother Bharathan refused to assume charge of Ayodhya kingdom. Upon Rama's insistence, he ruled on Rama's behalf throughout the exile period. When Rama returned from exile, he was immediately crowned the king of Ayodhya. This depiction shows alavattam and venchamaram, commonly used props during temple festivals. This suggests that the artists were much inspired by the local customs.
Episode
Non-narrative

Condition & Documentation

Condition
Good
Deterioration Type
Pigment loss
Restoration Status
Unrestored
Documentation Type
DSLR full panel
Permission Basis
ASI permission
Date of Documentation
01/08/2024
Artist
Unknown
Identifier
MCP_P020
Rights / Notes
These images may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior permission.