Home Sweet Home
Introduction
While reading the Ramayana, I was
immediately intrigued by the places the
characters called home. Good or evil, some of the characters
lived in incredibly extravagant palaces, while others lived in small,
simple houses that I found equally interesting because important
characters, like Rama, lived in them and some of the most important
parts of these stories took place there.
The idea to create a storybook
project about these dwellings really became clear
in my head when I first read about Ravana's palace in Lanka. The
description reminded me of something I would hear about on the
once-popular MTV show, "Cribs." I could really picture Ravana
showing off his house on television and talking straight into the
camera about the lavishness of his palace, and how the wind god sweeps
for him. It reminded me of celebrities with twelve cars, because
they
don't need them, but they
certainly make sure "Cribs" sees them. Another palace I enjoyed
was the palace in Ayodhya that Rama called home until he was sent into
exile.
I was also really interested in the
huts and forest houses that Rama's brother,
Lakshmana built for them while they were all in exile. In their
versions of the Ramayana, both Narayan and Buck write about the
architectural
skill Lakshmana possessed for
building houses in the middle of nowhere, so I knew I wanted to include
their house at Panchavati because of the important events that
transpired there. It was the house from which Rama and Lakshmana
defeat the demon army. It was also the house from which Sita saw
the golden deer and was kidnapped by Ravana.
Much of my descriptions of the
interiors of the palaces and forest homes comes from studying beautiful
photos
from famous Indian sites such as the Taj Majal. There is a distinct arch-shaped
theme to the famous structure, including doorways and balconies.
The large dome on the Taj Mahal is adorned with a lotus design, and all
of these things will be incorporated into the various descriptions of
the majestic palaces found in the epics. For ideas about carvings
in the more lavish residences, I used ideas
from the Konark Sun Temple and Khajuraho. Both sites are heavily
carved, and provided great images to help me decorate the epic
dwellings in my mind. Also, I found great visuals while reading about
Anuradhapura, an ancient capital of Sri Lanka.
Now that you know a little more about
the monuments used for ideas, let me tell you about the stories you
will find in this storybook. Here you will find
television
episodes touring houses in the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Tune in to India Television, or InTV as we call it here!
First up
during the Ramayana hour on "Indian Cribs" is Ravana's
palace in
Lanka. A guide will be leading us through the dwelling, as Ravana
talks to us and shows us around his palace. We will see
EVERYTHING! From his bedroom, to the chariots he has, and even
where all the food is prepared for him. Along the way we will
surely run into some of the gods, who are at his service working to
heat, sweep, and take care of his home for him.
After that, we
will take a peek into the house that
Lakshmana built for himself, Rama and Sita in Panchavati. We will
not only see the forest dwelling they lived
in, but tour the beautiful
surrounding area near the river, where they passed much of their time
in exile.
Next, we will visit the Pandavas' palace in
Indraprastha, to explore
the incredible illusions Maya created for the brothers. Watch out
for the floors, a pond may not really be so, and what appears to be a
floor might actually be a pond!
Finally, we will go inside the wooden house
that was intended to burn the
Pandava brothers to death. Purochana gives us an unforgettable
look into the simple, yet important house. Don't miss the
exciting season finale to "Indian Cribs."
Fun fact:
Did you know
the English word "bungalow" comes
from a Hindi word "bangala"
and both mean small, one-story house?
“He is the happiest, be he
king or peasant, who finds peace in his home”
-Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe