Wat Bo: South wall, middle register

South wall, middle register                                             

This register must be read from right to left.

Fig.1.S - On a blue background, Valin and Sugriva entangled into a furious fight (top left). Rama can be seen at the bottom right releasing his deadly arrow to kill Valin, whose death allows Sugriva to become the king of the monkeys.

 

Decision on organizing the search of Sita is taken, Hanuman departs immediately riding the giant bird Maccanu.

In Lanka, Hanuman, moved around cautiously until he reached a royal pavilion in the park where he found Sita in a dramatic moment when she was so distraught by the situation that she had decided to kill herself by hanging

When Hanuman reached her, she was starting her suicide, but he saved her by supporting her body by the feet. When Sita recovered, she accepted the scarf and ring of Rama presented by Hanuman. 

The paintings shows Hanuman snapping many areca palm trees of the royal garden where he allowed himself to be caught by Indrajit, who shot a nagapasa arrow imprisoning the great monkey, taking him.

Still bound by Indrajit’se snakes, the prisoner Hanuman was condemned by Ravana to be pounded into a mortar. Hanuman devised a plan to burn down the city by expressing the wish to die by burning, after having been bandaged with cloth soaked in oil, since he knew that his adamantine body could not be burned.

Hanuman transferring the fire of his bandages to the roof of Ravana’s palace, causing Ravana to escape by flying away holding Mandodari and another consort in his arms (top right), Below there are men, women and their children, including some Chinese merchants, escaping from the burning palaces. 

- To douse the fire on his tail, Hanuman plunged it into the ocean (right), but to no avail; therefore he went to visit the sage in his hermitage, who told him to put his tail in his own mouth (not depicted on the murals). Having succeeded in putting out the fire, Hanuman flew back to Rama (op lerft of picture).

Rama is decided to send Hanuman and Angada to seek the help of Mahachompu, a powerful monkey-prince, who possessed a large army lead by the general Nilaphat. Angada and Hanuman are shown flying over the pavilion holding sword.. They were captured and imprisoned in a cage.

This panoramic shows the complete sequence of events with Hanuman and Angada kneeling in front of Mahachompu sitting on the edge-door of his royal palace. However, their request not only was rejected but they were imprisoned. Hanuman soon managed to break free and escape carrying Mahachompu sleeping in his bed. Mahachompu could not believe such a rude behavior could be done by messengers of Rama. Therefore Rama was invited to appear in the form of Vishnu to reassure Mahachompu. On the murals Rama/Vishnu is depicted with four arms and four faces (?) on white background Reassured and convinced, Mahachompu knelt in front of him, promising alliance

Mahachomphu could not believed that they were sent by Rama and that Rama to do such an outrtageous act. As a consequence Rama revealed himself as Vishnu which is depicted on the mural with Rama having, exceptionally, four faces and eight arms, holding the divine attributes. Mahachompu acknowledged his divine presence by kneeling in anjali in front of Rama; he affirmed that he was too old to help Rama, but that he would offer his best men.

The time arrived to build the causeway to Lanka. The panel depicts monkeys at work carrying large stones to construct the causeway. During the work, a quarrel developed between Nilaphat and Hanuman, the latter throwing large blocks of stone to Nilaphat, giving rise to an un-necessary fight between the two. 

Detail of above.  Rama, furious with this indiscipline, ordered Sugriva to set apart the two fighters (panel with blue background); as he rebuked them, Nilaphat and Hanuman, together with other generals obeyed the order of Rama and continued orderly to the building of the causeway  to Lanka. 

Hanuman, ordered to rectify the problem, plunged into the sea to destroy the enemies and their chief, the mermaid Suparnakha. To the left of the picture, Suphanamatcha, the mermaid daughter of Ravana, was ordered, together with her fish entourage, to disperse the stones that Rama’s workers were throwing into the sea to build the causeway. 

Hanuman grabbed the mermaid and seduced her, such that she bore from Hanuman a son, Matchanu, with a monkey body of his father, but a fish-tail of his mother.

Without further impediments, Rama and allies could complete the causeway, and finally cross over the sea to reach Lanka. 

However, before reaching Lanka, Hanuman had to kill the monster Phanurat, who was lying in ambush on the Lanka side of the causeway. 

However, before reaching Lanka, Hanuman had to kill the monster Phanurat, who was lying in ambush on the Lanka side of the causeway. 

The end of the middle register of the south wall.