22 February 2008
The Ramayana, one of the world's greatest and most enduring stories, is considered to be fundamental to the art and culture of India and South East Asia and is still regularly performed in dance, drama and shadow-puppet theatres around the world. For the first time over 120 paintings from the British Library's lavishly illustrated 17th century manuscripts of the story from the volumes of Rana Jagat Singh of Mewar (1628-1652) will go on public display in its forthcoming summer exhibition: The Ramayana : Love and Valour in India's Great Epic, 16 May – 14 September 2008.
The Mewar Ramayana manuscripts will be brought vividly to life in a stunning exhibition design by Tara Arts Theatre Company. Renowned for producing vibrant adaptations of European and Asian classics, Tara Arts will transform the Library's exhibition gallery to create a colourful and captivating space to really draw visitors into the story in a theatrical and dynamic way, so that it will appeal to a wide audience - from art-lovers and academics to families and school children.
The exhibition will explore the story of the Ramayana and how it has been represented and retold over the centuries and in different countries and cultures. The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic which follows Prince Rama's quest to rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of a demon king with the help of an army of monkeys. It is traditionally attributed to the authorship of the sage Valmiki and dated to around 500 BCE to 100 BCE. Comprising 24,000 verses in seven cantos, the epic contains the teachings of the very ancient Hindu sages. One of the most important literary works of ancient India, it has greatly influenced art and culture in the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia, with versions of the story also appearing in the Buddhist canon from a very early date. The story of Rama has constantly been retold in poetic and dramatic versions by some of India 's greatest writers and also in narrative sculptures on temple walls. It is one of the staples of later dramatic traditions, dance-dramas, village theatre, shadow-puppet theatre and in the annual Ram-lila (Rama-play).
The exhibition will feature loans of paintings, textiles and sculptures from other major collections including the V&A, the British Museum and the Ashmolean Museum, as well as shadow puppets and dance costumes from the Horniman Museum. Many of these items have never, or seldom, been publicly displayed. A final ‘hands-on' section will show how central the Ramayana is to contemporary Indian life. The exhibition will also include original British Library Sound Archive recordings of readings and chantings of the Sanskrit and other versions of the Ramayana, the singing of devotional hymns to Rama and dramatic and dance music from India and South-East Asia including Gamelan music associated with shadow puppet plays in Bali and Java.
The Mewar Ramayana manuscripts were produced between 1649 and 1653 for Rana Jagat Singh of Mewar in his court studio at Udaipur. Illustrated on the grandest scale, with over 400 paintings, the vivid, brightly coloured scenes are packed with narrative detail and dramatic imagery, with no episode of the great epic overlooked. Two volumes have been identified as being painted by the studio master Sahib Din with other paintings being completed in a related Mewar style, but the volume set in the monkey kingdom of Kishkindha, is in an anonymous style heavily influenced by painting from the Deccan, parts of which had long been identified with the monkey kingdom of Kishkindha itself.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a full events programme including films, performances, shadow-puppetry and gamelan music, talks and discussions.
A selection of images from the manuscript has been digitised and will be available to view in the Library's award winning Turning the Pages ™ technology in the exhibition and online at http://www.bl.uk/ramayana
Jerry Losty, curator of the Ramayana exhibition and former Head of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the British Library, commented:
“I am thrilled that we are able to display the magnificent Mewar Ramayana manuscript; one of the finest manuscripts of the Ramayana epic ever produced, it vividly illustrates this great story. The cumulative effect of seeing picture after picture packed with detail is truly remarkable and offers visitors a unique experience that has previously only been available to a very few scholars.“
For further information and images, contact Ruth Howlett at the British Library Press Office: +44 (0)20 7412 7115/+44 (0)20 7412 7112 or email ruth.howlett@bl.uk
Notes to Editors
The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India's Great Epic is open from 16 May – 14 September 2008, every day. Admission to the exhibition is FREE.
Exhibition opening hours
Monday, Wednesday-Friday 09.30-18.00, Tuesday 09.30-20.00, Saturday 09.30-17.00, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 11.00-17.00. All galleries are accessible by wheelchair. Information can be requested from Visitor Services staff on: +44 (0)20 7412 7332. For further information about the British Library and its exhibitions please see www.bl.uk/everyone
Supported by the British Library Patrons, Friends of the British Library and an anonymous donor, with the new Turning the Pages production of the Ramayana supported by Sir Gulam and Lady Mohini Noon.
Events and talks
The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of talks, lectures, debates, concerts, and performances at the British Library for the duration of the exhibition.
British Library Learning will be providing educational workshops for primary and secondary school students, further education and higher education groups. For details and to book please call +44 (0)20 7412 7797 or email learning@bl.uk
Free guided tours of the exhibition are available for groups of 10 or more people. For details and to book please call +44 (0)20 7412 7797 or email learning@bl.uk
An accompanying book, Ramayana, edited by exhibition curator J P Losty, will be published by the British Library in May 2008, available in hardback priced at £25.00 ISBN 978 0 7123 50136 and paperback priced at £15.00 ISBN 978 0 7123 5014 3. 144 pages, 290 x 200mm, 120 colour illustrations. Available from the British Library Shop (tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7735 / e-mail: bl-bookshop@bl.uk) and online at www.bl.uk/shop as well as other bookshops throughout the UK.
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk
Tara Arts
For 30 years Tara has been connecting cultures through theatre. The artistic vision of the company is driven by a mission to bring cultures together through theatre that represents both East and Western traditions. Co-founded by Artistic Director Jatinder Verma in 1977, Tara produces vibrant adaptations of European and Asian classics, develops new talent and brings the great stories of the world to children and young people.
Tara's distinctive style of theatre has resulted in co-productions with the National Theatre. Based in South London the company tours annually and is supported by Arts Council England. Tara has nurtured the creative talents of a range of culturally diverse artists and is responsible for launching the careers of many successful Asian actors, writers and directors, including Ayub Khan Din (East is East), the composer Nitin Sawhney, Sanjeev Bhaskar (The Kumars at no.42), and Paul Bhattacharjee (Guantanamo, RSC). Tara continues to nurture new talent, recently reopening its own studio theatre – Tara Studio – in Wandsworth as a development space for emerging artists.
Tara's patrons include Sir Richard Eyre CBE, Shobana Jeyasingh MBE, Naseem Khan OBE, Hanif Kureishi, Baroness Usha Prashar CBE, Sir Salman Rushdie and Nitin Sawhney.
