Ravana’s sister Shurpanakha complains that Lakshmana cut off her nose and ears, from Chapter 31 of the Aranya Kanda (Book of the Forest) of a “Shangri” Ramayana (Rama’s Journey)

The painting is dated to 1696. It is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the accession number 2018.107. No information regarding the original commissioner, earlier ownership, or chain of custody prior to the museum's acquisition is documented in the available records.

The work depicts a bustling, multicolored tableau drawn from Chapter 31 of the Aranya Kanda, the forest book of a regional Ramayana version. Central to the composition is a woman without a nose or ears, positioned on a yellow‑tiled platform and gesturing in anger. Around her, a crowd of figures, some with animal heads, others in red skin, brandish weapons, scale a boat, or stand amid a crowded vessel laden with swords.

This scene is taken from a localized “Shangri” version of the Ramayana, a textual tradition that adapts the Indian epic for regional audiences. The episode appears in the forest chapter, where the protagonists encounter Shurpanakha’s assault on Lakshmana, leading to her disfigurement. The painting thus reflects a narrative moment that has been repeatedly illustrated in South Asian visual culture.

Illustrations of Shurpanakha’s mutilation have long served as moral exemplars in devotional art, reinforcing themes of dharma and the perils of unchecked desire. By employing a lively, almost theatrical visual language, the work continues the tradition of making mythic episodes accessible and emotionally resonant for viewers across generations.