Jatayus, the heroic king of the vultures, attempts to prevent Ravana from abducting Sita, from the Ramayana (Epic of Rama)

In this panel, Sita, the wife of the great hero Rama, has just been abducted by the demon Ravana. The vulture king Jatayus tries to save Sita but is wounded by Ravana, who slices off the powerful bird’s wings with his sword. 

The Hindu epic known as the Ramayana, the oldest sections of which may have been composed between 750 and 500 bce, has inspired countless works of art in South and Southeast Asia. Although numerous versions exist, the epic is generally conceived as a tale of moral righteousness, relating the story of Rama, a prince who is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu.