Image: Lava and Kusha, Rama's Ashwamedha

Lava and Kusha confront Rama

circa 1870

(Victoria and Albert Museum)

From the Museum website: Painting, in opaque watercolour and tin alloy on paper, illustration to the Ramayana: Rama, using bows and arrows, is fighting with his (unrecognised) twin sons Kusha and Lava, to recover a horse required for sacrifice. The monkey god Hanuman, shown with blue fur, is seen in flight holding a tree, which he is using as a weapon. Their weapons and jewellery are executed in tin alloy paint.

Image: Sita and her twin sons

Sita and her twin sons
(Wikimedia)

This illustration comes from the book Nine Ideal Indian Women; you can find out more about the book and its author here: Old Indian Arts, and you can find out more about Sita, Lava, and Kusha at Wikipedia. 

Image: Lava and Kusa

Lava and Kusha, the sons of Rama
early 19th century
(British Museum)

From the Museum site: Watercolour painting on paper of Lava and Kusa, the sons of Rāma. Both figures are shown standing and have two arms and blue skin. They wears yellow dhotis and are crowned. Lava, on the left is shown holding a bow and arrow with a yellow shawl draped over his shoulders. Kusa, on the right is shown holding a bow and a flower with a red shawl over his shoulders. Both men wear necklaces, armlets and have sectarian marks drawn on their arms and chests. Lava is shown wearing wooden sandals on his feet whilst Kusa is barefoot.

Image: Valmiki's Hermitage

In Valmiki's hermitage, 

Lava and Kusha recite the Ramayana,

while Shatrughna listens.

(British Library: Mewar Ramayana)

From the Library site: Rama's reign did not end happily. The people again began to criticise Rama for taking Sita back into his house and to appease them Rama sent Sita away to the hermitage of the sage Valmiki on the banks of the Ganges. There she gave birth to twin sons Lava and Kusa. In this picture Rama's brother Satrughna is returning with his attendants to Ayodhya from his kingdom of Madhu for the first time in twelve years and halts at Valmiki's hermitage. There he hears Lava and Kusa singing the story of Rama. The omniscient sage Valmiki composed his epic poem on the deeds of Rama and Sita and taught it to the two boys. When Rama later decided to perform the horse-sacrifice, suitable for only the greatest of kings, he camped near Valmiki's hermitage. Valmiki sent the two boys to chant his epic before him. From Lava and Kusa's first recitation of the story before Rama himself is reckoned the dissemination of the story which has been the basis of countless works of verse, prose and drama, and sculpture and painting, throughout India and Southeast Asia.

Detail:

Image: Lava and Kusha Confront Lakshmana

Lava and Kusha Confront Lakshmana

(from a Persian Razmnama; 

San Diego Museum of Art) 

More about Rama's sons Lava and Kusha at Wikipedia.

Detail: