The Epic Saga of Royals in Exile That Shaped Indian Identity

This article appeared in the June issue of VICE magazine. Click HERE to subscribe.

The myth of the Ramayana has been circulating in India ever since the Sanskrit poet Valmiki first recorded it around 300 BCE. The epic story of a prince and princess in exile and the war they must fight before he ascends to the throne has long been central to shaping Indian identity. To capture the effect the story has had on the Indian imagination, photographer Vasantha Yogananthan has been documenting the mythic landscapes it describes along with theatrical portraits of its key moments. The staged portraits, shot in black-and-white using a large-format camera, have been hand-painted by Indian artist Jaykumar Shankar. He used a technique derived from the practice of miniature painting, which was developed in the state of Rajasthan in the tenth century.

Chose Commune will publish "A Myth of Two Souls" as a series of seven photo books, starting this month with Early Times.

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