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. 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 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 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.

ABOUT THE RAMAYANA

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

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.