October 2005
Domains of Wonder
Kaikeyi is one of the queens of King Dasaratha and Rama's stepmother. At the left, she is shown as high minded and noble, rewarding her maid for bringing her the happy news of the impending crowning of Rama as the next king. However, her wicked maid incites her to develop an ambition for her own son, Bharata.
At the extreme right of the painting, the king enters the courtyard of the palace only to find his beautiful queen sulking in the “chamber of anger” (shown at the center of the painting). She demands that Rama be sent into exile and that Bharata be crowned king in his place. This luminous nocturnal scene is brilliantly conceived, bringing in the different moods and the turning moment with great subtlety.

Sonya Quintanilla (Seattle) 2012

King Dasaratha approaches the sulking Kaikeyi's chamber, last quarter 18th century
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Northern India, Himachal Pradesh, Guler
The San Diego Museum of Art, Edwin Binney 3rd Collection

The fulcrum moment of the Ramayana is depicted in three scenes that coexist effortlessly together in this luminous nighttime palace setting. At the far left, Kaikeyi, the youngest wife of King Dasaratha, sits seductively, waiting to celebrate the news of Rama’s impending coronation with her husband, who approaches from the far side of the courtyard. Her servant has just entered the room and begins to persuade Kaikeyi that her son Bharata should be the next king, instead of Rama.

In the central scene the king found Kaikeyi lying on the floor of her “chamber of displeasure,” disheveled and distraught. Invoking a vow he made—when once she had saved his life—to repay her twice in any way she asked, Kaikeyi demanded that Rama be sent into exile in the forest for fourteen years to live as an ascetic, and that her son Bharata be crowned king. Angered beyond measure, the king was forced to consent, having given his word. The main events of the Ramayana were thus set into motion.
Last Updated: 9/5/2017