I am fascinated by the power of storytelling for entertainment, education, and conservation. As a storyteller, I am particularly interested in understanding how stories were told in ancient times and what we can learn from them to enhance modern-day storytelling.
In this post, I will explore Ramayana storytelling traditions, their cultural significance, and how they have been preserved through art forms such as paintings and other cultural heritages such as Pattachitra, Mysore, Cheriyal, Madhubani, Thangka, Chitrakathi, Phad, Murals, Kamasan, to name a few. Ramayana feature stories about peace and war, to show the importance of moral values, bravery, and sacrifice.
Here are some Indian pictorial narratives used to tell the story of Ramayana:
| Painting_Genre | Characteristics |
| Madhubani Mithila | Wall art, simple geometrical patterns, symbolic images, drawing tools were fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, matchsticks, natural dyes and pigments |
| Chitrakathi | Narrative scroll, used handmade paper, brush and natural colors, accompanied by musical instruments |
| Pattachitra | Narrative scroll, accompanied by songs, free-flowing and bold outlines, natural colors like white, red, yellow, and black with decorative borders |
| Phad Kavad | Narrative scroll, panels painting on horizontal cloth, natural colors like red, yellow and orange |
| Kalamkari Pattam Katha | Block-printed art form with a pen on fabric Cloth-based scroll painting storytelling |
| Kerala Murals | Vivacious imagery, bold strokes, vivid colors such as ochre-red, yellow, bluish- green, white |
| Thangka | Painted on cotton or silk cloth, themes were wall painting, lifestyle, rituals and practices of daily life |
| Mysore | Muted colors made of vegetable, mineral, leaves, stones and flowers, brushes made with squirrel hairs or pointed blades of grass, delicate lines and delineation of figures, lustrous gold leaf Gesso which is a mixture of white lead powder, glue, and covered with gold foil |
| Thanjavur | Panel paintings on wooden planks, rich and vivid colors, simple iconic composition, glittering gold foils overlaid on gesso work and inlay of glass beads and gems |
| Cheriyal | Narrative scroll, primary colours blue, yellow, with predominance of red in background, accompanied by musical instruments harmonium, tabla and castanets, well defined outlines, brushes made with hair of squirrels tied to a stick |
The story of Ramayana has traveled from India to many other countries influencing their storytelling genres. Here are some global narratives based on the epic Ramayana which have remained a mainstay of storytelling using various art forms in various parts of the world.
| Ramayana Version Name | Country |
| Yama Zatdaw | Burmese version of Ramayana |
| Reamker | Cambodian version of Ramayana which is also their national epic |
| Ramakien | Thailand version of Ramayana which is also their national epic. The walls of Wat Pra Kaew (Temple of Emerald Buddha) are decorated with mural paintings depicting stories from the Ramakien. |
| Maharadia Lawana | Philippines version of Ramayana |
| Hikayat Seri Rama | Malaysian version of Ramayana |
| Phra Lak Phra Ram | Laos national epic adapted from Ramayana |
| Ramakavaca Kakawin Ramayana | Balinese (Indonesian) rendering of Ramayana. Traditional paintings in Bali were mainly found what is known as the Kamasan or Wayang style. Kamasan is Bali's traditional style of painting once used to recite Ramayana. |
| Bhanubhakta Ramayana | Nepali translation of Ramayana |
| Janakiharan | Sinhalese translation of Ramayana. According to legend, Ravana had his mountain palace in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka, where there are ancient rock paintings. |
| Ramaensho | Japanese adaptation of Ramayana |
| Tibet Tibet China | Tibetan adaptation of Ramayana Chinese adaptation of Ramayana |
My one frame exhibit 'Storytelling Ramayana through Philately' has been displayed online in 2014 at the American Philatelic Society online exhibits page https://stamps.org/
