Sita asking Rama for the Golden Deer, scene from the Ramayana, Malwa, Bundelkhand, ca. 1634 (New Delhi, National Museum)

In another scene from the Ramayana, Sita, consort of Rama, asks her husband for the Golden Deer. Both paintings come from Malwa, an uninviting region of central India noted for its murderous dacoits. The painting tradition of Malwa was conservative, showing few traces in the mid-seventeenth century of imperial influence. The bright colours of these paintings provide vivid contrasts. All the action is in one plane, with a textile flatness of composition. The paintings have the rough brushwork and emotional intensity of the indigenous tradition