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Flying god watching over Sita (Thai Ramayana mural)
About this photograph
- Creator
- Margery H. Freeman
- Date created
- Unknown
- Location
- Bangkok, Thailand
- License
- This photograph copyright ©2006. Terms of use
See this photograph in context
- The Ramayana: The Hindu epic The Ramayana is retold through the mural, painting, and dance of Southeast Asia. (Page 7.3)
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Learn more
- Search LEARN NC for art, artistic conventions, Bangkok, Emerald Buddha Temple, gods, murals, paintings, Ramayana, and Thailand.
In the classroom
- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
A painted mural at the Emerald Buddha Temple depicts a Hindu god watching over Sita.
The god, with blue skin and wearing Siamese royal clothes, appears to run within a stylized bubble through the sky. The bubble, which is flame or tear-shaped, is decorated with floral motifs at the edges and provides a solid black background that contrasts with the figure of the god.
In an active running pose, the god looks downward to the earth, watching over Sita to protect her from harm. In the Ramayana, when Rama suspects that Sita’s baby is not his, Rama orders his brother Laksman to take Sita to the countryside and execute her. The gods must guard Sita and insure that she safely gives birth to Rama’s son, and that she is not harmed by Rama’s jealous order that she be killed for suspected infidelity.
This image was photographed in August 1984.
