The Ramayana of Hamida Banu Begum

The Ramayana is a beloved Indian epic whose influence has spread across a multitude of cultures. The Ramayana manuscript presented here is a remarkable example of the breadth and depth of its impact. Translated into Persian from the original Sanskrit and beautifully illustrated with 56 large-scale paintings, this manuscript once belonged to Hamida Banu Begum, a royal member of the Mughal court and mother of the emperor Akbar. Now in the collection of the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, this Ramayana illuminates the cultural exchanges between the Mughal court and the local Indian populace, the inner workings of a Mughal-era painting studio and the life and times of the fascinating Hamida Banu Begum. For the very first time, the Doha Ramayana is presented here in full, with scholarly essays by Marika Sardar, Audrey Truschke and John Seyller, bringing this extraordinary manuscript to a wider audience.