Ramayana from Ganga to Brahmaputra

Contents A Few Words from the Author vii List of Illustrations xi The Essence of the Two Ramayanas 1 Introduction 9 Tulsi's Guru 48 The Source of Tulsi's Ramcharita Manas 50 Tushi's Unending Devotion for Lord Rama 52 Ayodhya, The Beautiful City as Describeb by Tulsi Das and Madhava Kandali 55 Ramleela 62 Madhava Kandali's and His Ramayana 90 Kandali s Innovations and Assamese Society 100 Contemporary Society as Visualised by Tulsi 111 Tusli Das on Women 120 The Characters of the Two Ramayana 123 Kandali's and Tulsi's Treatment of the Episodes of Sita's Abduction and the Slaying of Ravana 226 The Fire Ordeal 234 The Adi Kanda of Madhava Deva and Krittivasa and the Bala Kanda of Tulsi Das 236 Uttara Kanda 269 A Few Words about the Language of Kandali's Ramayana 275 Tulsi's Language 280 Tulsi the King of Similes and Metaphors 282 Illustrated Manuscripts of Madhava Kandali's Ramayana 288 Seventeeth Century Illustrated Manuscript of the Assamese Ramayana of Madhava Kandali (Sundara Kanda) 296 The Images of Ravana 310 Illustrated Manuscripts of Goswasmi Tulsi Das 312 Ramcharita Manas on Paper Manuscript 321 1715 A.D. Illustrated Manuscript of Sundara Kanda of Madhava Kandali's Ramayana from the Assam Research Society 332 Tulsi's Ramayana from the American Institute of Indian Studies, Ramnagar, Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) 334 Illustrations of Ramcharit Manas in Modern Times 337 Bibliography 342