Ravana, riding Wilmana, abducts Sita

Twisting her body out of the firm grasp of the demon Ravana, the princess Sita struggles futilely to escape her kidnapper. In the Ramayana, an epic well known throughout much of South and Southeast Asia, Sita’s abduction initiates the battle between the forces of her husband Rama and those of Ravana.

With bulging eyes and a fanged mouth Ravana is depicted here in a manner typical of demons in Balinese art. He is seated on the shoulders of a similarly fierce character. In Indonesian tellings of the story, Ravana does not carry Sita off in a chariot as he usually does in Indian versions. He rides instead on a bird-like creature called Wilmana. Gaps on the back of this statue indicate where Wilmana’s wings and tail were once attached.