This exact folio was held in a private collection until it was put up for public sale at Sotheby's in New York. It was featured as Lot 321 in their Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Works of Art catalog. Because it was sold to a private buyer through the auction house, its exact physical location remains in a private estate.
Looking closely at the painting, you can immediately feel the heavy, somber mood of the moment despite how bright and colorful everything seems on the surface. This is the painful farewell from Ayodhya, and Jwala Ram has captured it by breaking the palace grounds into all these different pockets of action. Down near the bottom right, Rama and Sita are seated together in a golden chariot, drawn by a single brown horse. Rama is painted with his characteristic blue skin, wearing a bright yellow outfit that really stands out against the pale palace walls. They look so calm, almost strangely peaceful, even though they are leaving everything behind. Right next to them, an attendant in a yellow tunic walks ahead carrying a long staff, guiding them toward the gateway on the far right where a lone guard stands watch.
The way the story is told across the canvas is interesting because your eyes kind of wander from one group to another. Just above the chariot, inside a small white structure, someone is looking down, maybe playing a drum or preparing a final offering. Then, if you look over to the bottom left, there is this beautifully detailed courtyard where King Dasharatha sits in deep conversation with his ministers. You can see the sheer grief in their posture. An attendant stands behind the king, waving a white fly-whisk, trying to maintain royal decorum even though the family is breaking apart. Above this courtyard, the ordinary people of the city are leaning out of windows and balconies, their small faces filled with worry and sadness as they watch the prince depart.
The middle of the painting opens up into a large green courtyard where a couple of peacocks wander around quite casually, adding a bit of everyday life to this huge epic tragedy. Further back, near the top, you see the royal horses and elephants being led away or readied, showing that the whole palace is in a state of flux. In the top right corner, there is a large, open white pavilion where another gathering of nobles and princes is taking place, all dressed in fine robes and crowns, looking out over the scene below. Jwala Ram uses these sharp, geometric white walls to separate all these emotional moments, framing the grief of a whole kingdom within a neat, almost quiet architectural maze. The delicate border with its gold leaf pattern holds the whole heavy narrative together, making the sadness feel quiet and deeply personal.
This folio from the Ramayana presents Rama and Lakshmana's departure from Ayodhya not merely as a physical journey but as a profound act of obedience to dharma. The artist divides the composition into multiple architectural spaces, allowing several moments of the narrative to unfold simultaneously. Delicate figures, vibrant colours, and carefully balanced geometry emphasize both the grandeur of the royal court and the quiet sorrow of separation. Rather than glorifying exile, the painting celebrates moral integrity, suggesting that true nobility lies in sacrificing personal comfort to uphold duty, honour, and the greater ethical order.
