Thali with Ramayana Scenes

This is a repousse and engraved brass platter or thali from Gujarat, with a border of scalloped lotus petal niches. Engraved on it, are three scenes from the Ramayana - at the top is Sita on Ravana’s vehicle, the 'pushpaka vimana', as she is being abducted, in the centre is a battle scene between Ravana and Rama on chariots, and at the bottom is Rama meeting the Vanara (a group of people living in the forest) who helped Rama defeat Ravana.
The naive style of engraving with more graphic strokes is typical of the Gujarati style. This style is similar to the tradition of Pichwai paintings from the area.
Rama is the hero of the Ramayana, a Hindu epic. In seven books, the story narrates the exile of Rama to the forest with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman, the subsequent abduction of Sita by Ravana (the demon-king of Lanka) and the rescue of Sita with the help of Sugriva - the king of the monkey tribe, and his minister Hanuman. After a fierce battle, the city of Lanka was taken, Ravana was defeated and killed, and Sita was rescued. Rama returned and was crowned to begin his glorious reign of Ayodhya.