Sita at the Hermitage of Bharadvaja

In a scene most likely from the Ramayana, Sita is shown, after her rescue, in a wilderness setting surrounded by trees bejeweled with floral creepers and garlands. Sitting on a bed of leaves, she converses with two attendants who are watched over by a prince, perhaps her brother-in-law, Lakshmana. To the right, in a forest hermitage comprised of several huts, a group of ascetics converses under a canopy, probably representing the sage Valmiki, author of the Ramayana, and his disciples. The power of Valmiki's message is symbolically represented by the peaceful coexistence of natural enemies such as antelopes and tigers, elephant and snake. Artists at Kangra begin to use elevated vantage points, diminutive landscape elements, and flowering trees such as these during the late eighteenth century.