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Ravana's niece visits Sita to plan her impersonation (Thai Ramayana mural)

About this photograph

Creator
Margery H. Freeman
Date created
Unknown
Location
Bangkok, Thailand
License
This photograph copyright ©2006. Terms of use

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Ravana's niece visits Sita to plan her impersonation on Thai Ramayana mural at Emerald Buddha Temple

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Ravana’s niece visits Sita to plan her impersonation, as seem on a mural at the Emerald Buddha Temple.

Here Princess Sita sits on the veranda of her small pavillion by the forest edge speaking to Ravana’s niece. The niece sits on the tile floor at the base of the steps within the walled courtyard. Both women sit with their feet curled to the side, as is customary for Southeast Asian women sitting on the floor at formal occasions. The niece sits physically below Sita as a gesture enacting her lower social status.

Ravana’s niece pretends this is just a social visit. She really is there to study Sita’s appearance so that she can imitate Sita exactly. This is the key to Ravana’s plan to fool Rama into believing that his wife Sita is dead. Ravana hopes Rama will be deceived and then he will stop attacking Ravana’s island city of Lanka in order to rescue Sita.