Image: Rama and Sugriva; Rama and Vali

Rama and Sugriva;

Rama and Vali

West Bengal, Murshidabad, circa 1770-1775

(LACMA)

You can read more about Vali at Wikipedia.

Details:

Image: Vali and Sugriva

Vali and SugrivaShangri Ramayana circa 1700
(Wikimedia)

Vali and Sugriva fight while Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman watch from in hiding.

Detail:

Image: Death of Vali

Death of Vali

Tara holds her dying husband while their son Angada holds his feet and Hanuman kneels beside them; Sugriva speaks with Rama and Lakshmana.

(Philadelphia Museum)

More about Angada and his father Vali at Wikipedia.

Detail:

Image: Vali and Sugriva fighting

Vali and Sugriva fighting
(Wikimedia)

This sculpture comes from Banteay Srei, in the Angkor region of Cambodia. You can find out more about Vali and Sugriva at Wikipedia.

Detail: You can see Rama firing the fatal arrow.

Detail:

Image: Churning with Mount Mandara

The Churning of the Ocean

Tamil Nadu, circa 1850

(British Museum)

You can read more about the Samudra manthan at Wikipedia.

From the Museum site: Viṣṇu, shown here as Kūrma, supports Mount Mandara on his shell, around which the five-headed serpent Vásuki is coiled. At the summit of the mountain is a temple topped by a golden roof on which are four golden kalashas. Near the heads of Vásuki stands a dark skinned figure sporting a Shaiva tripundra (three lines) on his forehead and a moustache, clad in short trousers. Near its tail is Vali, with a Vaishnava namam (emblem), dressed in courtly attire and wearing a crown. These two figures represent the asuras and devas who pull Vásuki's head and tail.

Image: Sugriva and Vali

Image source: Sugriva and Vali
(British Library: Mewar Ramayana)

From the Library site: Outside the palace of Kiskindha, Sugriva roars out his challenge to his usurping brother Bali, so that the very birds fall out of the sky in fright, while Rama and Laksmana and the other monkeys look on from the right. On the left is the monkey king's palace, from which Bali, his queen Tara and ministers have emerged on hearing the uproar. Tara advises him not to fight, but to no avail. Bali and his party all wear human costume, except for turbans, while Bali himself wears a crown. Sugriva then fights Bali but looks as if he might lose. Rama keeps his promise to assist his ally by shooting Bali himself. The dying Bali reproaches him for this apparently underhand action, but Rama reminds Bali that he had basely assaulted Sugriva's wife and hence deserved death.

Detail:

Vali and Tara

Image: The Death of Vali

The Death of Vali
India, Sub-Imperial Mughal, circa 1595
(LACMA)

You can read more about Vali at Wikipedia.

Detail:

Image: Vali mocks Ravana

Vali mocks Ravana

(from the Freer Ramayana)

You can read about Vali and Ravana at Wikipedia, and you can also see the Freer Ramayana online: volume 1 and volume 2.

Detail:

Image: A Funeral Pyre for Vali

Building a funeral pyre for Vali.

Kangra style, circa 1780

(Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Vali's monkey-widows mourn while Sugriva visits Rama in his cave (Rama is unable to enter the city during his exile), and Sugriva then goes to Kishkindha to be crowned king. You can read more about Vali and Sugriva at Wikipedia.

Details:

Image: Sugriva and Vali

Image source: Sugriva and Vali, Cambodian sculpture

Detail: