Annotated Bibliography

http://www.artbabble.org/video/asian-art/abduction-sita-excerpt-ramayana-life-rama

This is an oral telling of the part of the Ramayana that pertains to the abduction of Sita using museum sculpture. Fourteen minutes, suitable for children. 14 minutes.

http://www.asianart.org/blog/index.php/tag/ramayana/

Illustrated by a northeastern Indian scroll that was carried village to village to tell the Ramayana, this blog includes a lesson plan for students in grades 5-8. The lesson explains each of the panels in the scroll, as well as asking the students to make their own scroll.

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/?offset=0&limit=15&narrow=&q=ramayana&commit=Search&quality=0&objectnamesearch=&placesearch=&after=&after-adbc=AD&before=&before-adbc=AD&namesearch=&materialsearch=&mnsearch=&locationsearch

This collection of paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London has many fine Moghul paintings of scenes from the Ramayana. There are also illustrations of the Ramayana from other time periods and in other styles and media.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/ramayana.html

The British Library has a wonderful collection of Moghul Ramayana paintings. This is a high resolution color illustration that is enlargable, and zoomable. The text is informative and relevant.

The text talks about the artist, the patron, and details about the scene. This is the battle which shows several parts of the battle in one picture. The mild violence may not be suitable for the youngest viewers.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/whatson/exhibitions/ramayana/ttplaunch.html

This on-line version of the Jagat Singh Ramayana manuscript is provided by the British Library. It allows the reader to see the images, read the text, and listen to commentary. You can magnify the details of the images, or skip to just the desired part of the Ramayana. The 72 pages of the folio are beautifully presented by Turning the Pages™ technology for different computer systems.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/whatson/exhibitions/ramayana/guide.html

The British Library provides a primer on how to "read" a Mogul painting using the illustrations in the Jagat Singh Ramayana. There is also an introduction to the characters.

http://www.bl.uk/learning/cult/inside/ramayanastories/ramayana.html

The plot synopsis and illustrations make for educational tools on the Jagat Singh Ramayana from the British Library. This section called the Learning Inside Story offers more commentary.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/whatson/exhibitions/ramayana/reviews.html

Press Reviews of the Ramayana exhibit at the British Library, London.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/ramayana_now/

Ramayana Now Flickr group. You can view and upload Ramayana images.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/mythical/rama.html

Rama and his allies begin the attack on Lanka, by Sahib Din. From a manuscript of the Ramayana, Udaipur, 1652
Copyright © The British Library Board

This large, complicated painting is accompanied by excellent commentary.

http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/watch.html

This is a must watch video.

Review From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sita_Sings_the_Blues
Sita Sings the Blues is a 2008 animated feature film written, directed, produced and animated entirely by American artist Nina Paley (with the exception of some fight animation by Jake Friedman in the "Battle of Lanka" scene),[4] primarily using 2D computer graphics and Flash Animation. It intersperses events from the Ramayana, illustrated conversation between Indian shadow puppets, musical interludes voiced with tracks by Annette Hanshaw and scenes from the artist's own life. The ancient mythological and modern biographical plot are parallel tales, sharing numerous themes.

http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-art/paintings/mughal.html

This website gives a good, short, elementary introduction to the history of Mughal painting.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rama/index.htm

This is the first complete public domain translation of the Ramayana to be placed online. It is a great primary source, but a long and challenging read.

Ramayana for Children by Swami Raghaveshananda (Aug 1, 1989)

Comic book format.

The Ramayana by Valmiki, Elizabeth Seeger, Mar 28, 2010

This abridged Valmiki Ramayana is in the original English translation. There is no index or illustrations. There are some misspellings and variant spellings of the characters, which might be a distraction to some readers, but it is a great book for getting the real feel of the original.

Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma and Valmiki Ramayana (Aug 2000)

Review Library Journal: Attributed to Valmiki, an ancient Indian poet and sage, Ramayana (the epic story of Rama), is one of the two great epic poems of India. Composed in Sanskrit sometime before 300 B.C.E., it makes for lively reading as a good adventure and love story as well as a guide to spiritual practice and a reflection of the cultural, social, and religious beliefs of India at the time. Dharma (Vaisnava temple and Ctr. of Vedic Studies, Manchester, England) consulted several existing translations and the Adhyatma Ramayana to produce a very clear and readable rendition. This version breaks up what was originally seven long chapters into smaller, easier to handle units. Recommended for any library in need of a first copy or a contemporary and highly readable rendering of this ancient Indian classic. David Bourquin, California State Univ., San Bernadino\Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics), R. K. Narayan, 2006.

A retelling of the Ramayana by Narayan. It reads like a novel; one esteemed author's way of presenting the Ramayana in a way that is accessible to many readers.

Ramayana by William Buck, Shirley Triest and B.A. van Nooten, Nov 13, 2000.

In 432 pages, the story is retold in a way that is exciting and appealing to English readers. Some experienced Ramayana readers may miss certain events that are not included, but that is inevitable in a shortened version of this long epic.

Ramayana: Divine Loophole by Sanjay Patel, Feb 10, 2010.

Amazon.com Review
Artist and veteran Pixar animator Sanjay Patel lends a lush, whimsical illustration style and lighthearted voice to one of Hindu mythology's best-loved and most enduring tales. Teeming with powerful deities, love-struck monsters, flying monkey gods, magic weapons, demon armies, and divine love, Ramayana tells the story of Rama, a god-turned-prince, and his quest to rescue his wife Sita after she is kidnapped by a demon king. This illustrated tale features over 100 colorful full-spread illustrations, a detailed pictorial glossary of the cast of characters who make up the epic tale, and sketches of the work in progress. From princesses in peril to gripping battles, scheming royals, and hordes of bloodthirsty demons, Ramayana is the ultimate adventure story presented with an unforgettably modern touch.

http://collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?q=freer+ramayana

This collection is one of the best series of paintings of the Ramayana. The Freer Gallery has published a children's book on the Ramayana using these images.