This cruciform pavilion is fully decorated like its counterpart at the SW corner. It includes some scenes that are particularly well preserved and of high quality.
13. Over the Southern door
The Ramayana scene represented here is RAma killing Kabandha. a rakshasa with an immense body, whose head is not on his broad shoulders but on his stomach.
14. Southern arm, West wall (over the window) The scene sculpted is still unidentified. illustrating, in the upper part. a four-armed sitting Vishnu receiving homage from beautiful a psaras flocking towards him.
15. Southern arm, East wall
Again we have, from the Ramayana, the Suayamuara of Sita episode narrating the archery contest in which Rama had to compete in order to win Sita. At the court King Janaka, flanked by an elegantly-dressed Sita, RAma, with a mighty effort, is seen shooting the arrow at the target while below are aligned the ousted candidates (29, page 37).
Przyluski suggested (1921) that this relief may be related, instead, to Draupadi in which case the archer would be Arijuna. In the Ramayana, Rama lifts and bends the bow in a demonstration of strength , whilst in the mahabharata, Arjuna aims it accurately at a target, in a trial of skill. In the relief one can see a target consisting of a bird transfixed on a wheel, perhaps identifiable with the ‘aerial machine’ of the Mahabharata (Adip. 185, 10), like a turning yantra. This would mean that the sculptors, rather than literally following the Ramayana of Valmiki, used some other text, or local tradition. Alternatively, they may even have confused the Ramayana sequence with that of the mahabharata.
16. Western arm, South wall (over the window) Illustrations of the Ramayana scene of Sita meeting Hanuman. Sita, while kept in captivity by Ravana, managed to arrange a secret meeting with Hanuman, in a small acacia bush. Next, the princess, attended by the kind rakshini Trijata, is seen presenting Hanuman with a ring as proof to Rama of the success of the mission. Below, there are several rakshasas in superimposed registers.
17. Over the Western door
Relief showing the Ramayana scene of Rama’s alliance with Vibhishana. In the middle of a group of monkey , Rama and Lakshmana are making an alliance with the rakshasa Vibhishana, who has been exiled by his brother Ravana.
18. Western arm, North wall (over the window). Again a scene depicting RAma on the Pushpaka chariot. He is seen returning for his coronation to Ayodhya after his victory, os this magnificently decorated chariot, pulled by hamas,that had been previously stolen by Ravana, from Kubera. A vertical panel shows some damaged figures of jubilant monkey, some dancing, others blowing trumpets. According to the legend, Rama was accompanied by Vibhishana, Lakshmana, Sugriva, sita.
19. Northern arm, West wall (above the window)
The famous episode of the ordeal of Sita is represented here. The surface of the relief has been degraded by water infiltration to the point that the figure of Sita has completely disappeared. Sita was subjected to ordeal by fire soon after she was freed, in order to prove her purity. All that can now be seen, over several registers, is a group of moneys humorously represented, the pyre, and traces of the figures of Rama, Lakshmana, Sugriva, and Hanuman.
20. Over the Northern door
A Ramayana scene in which the giant Viradha attempts to abduct Sita in the forest. carrying her on his shoulders. Rama and\ Lakshmana attack him with flights of arrows (186).
21. Northern arm, East wall (over the window). Possibly Krishna is seated in a palace receiving homage and allegiance from a few scented min. in particular from a royal figure. The scene cannot be identified and it is all the more curious for stretched out under Krishna and his visitors (dead or drowned). probably referring to a local Khmer legend.
22. Eastern arm, North wall (over a window). More stories of Rama are sculpted in this arm. starting with the Introduction to the descent of Rama.
This episode was probably taken from the Bhagavata Purana “Introduction to\ the descent of krishna” (Przyluski. 1921). but here relating to Rama, due to the great popularity of the Ramayana at that time. In the 12 reliefs in this pavilion. eight are scenes from the Ramayana. The event represented here has taken place before the birth of Rama, who also appears elsewhere in the same pavilion.
Vishnu is represented sleeping beneath a flight of apsaras, and lying on the naga Ananta, with his feet held by his spouse Lakshmi. In the register below, there is the parade of the nine living gods who wanted to beg him to become incarnate on earth (as Krishna). they are, from right to left: Ketu (‘comer’) on a lion, agni on his rhinoceros, Yama, riding on his buffalo, Indra on his three-headed elephant, Kubera mounted on a horse. Skanda on a peacock, Varuna, riding on his hamsa and Nirrti on the shoulders of a vaksha. Below. on the wall flanking the window, are the moon (top) and the sun(bottom), represented as unusually represented frontally. The story should be read starting with the sun and the moon. and proceeding through the eight divinities, ending with Ketu, before reaching Vishnu, the destination of the caravan procession.
23. Over the Eastern door
The Ramayana scene of RAma’s alliance with Sugriva, describing the meeting of Rama and his brother Lakshmana on Mount Malaya, with Sugriva, the monkeys’ king, in order to plan an alliance.
24. Eastern arm,South wall
Krishna bringing back mount Mahaparva.
Krishna, mounted on Garuda (187), is carrying home the peak of Mount Meru (Mount Mahabharata) recently captured from the demon Naraka. In this story, Indra pleads for help in subduing naraka who has not only kidnapped almost all the beautiful II spouses of the gods and the kings, but threatens to steal Indra’s three-headed elephant, Airavata. Garuda is depicted together with his army of servants carrying the remains of the defeated asura Naraka.
Le Bonheur (1989), has traced some representational sequences in the Krishna stores numbered here 5 and 11, the alliances concluded by Rama in the panels numbered 17 and 23, and in the panels relating the beginning and the end of the Ramayana, numbered 22 and 18.
According to Przylusky (1921) the episode of the death of Kabandha (number 13 and of Viradha (number 20), differ from the Rama and Lakshmana ) dilled the Viradha monster by bows and arrows as in the reliefs. Kabandha death. on the other lintel, is shown to result from the two brothers hitting the monster with clubs, while at Prambanan (Indonesia) it is brought about with bows and arrows.
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