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Gods watch Sita's fire ordeal from above (Thai Ramayana mural)

A group of gods sit and watch Sita’s fire ordeal from above, as depicted in a mural detail from the Emerald Buddha Temple. The Hindu gods of the Ramayana, all dressed in royal Siamese clothing and tall gold crowns, are shown sitting together in groups on boulders located above the place where Sita is undergoing a test of her purity and fidelity to Rama by standing in fire.

The four-faced, four-armed God of Justice sits on a square carpet in the center, while a green-skinned god sits on another carpet nearby. These two gods, like the ones in the group to the right, are painted with bubble-like halos around their heads.

Among the other immortals sitting around them are some on the left who have human forms on top but animal legs and golden tails below. All the gods appear calm and content because they know that Sita has been faithful to Rama, and so will not be harmed by the fire.

<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://statelibrarync.org/learnnc/sites/default/files/images/thai_rama_176.jpg" width="600" height="400" alt="Gods watch Sita's fire ordeal from above " title="Gods watch Sita's fire ordeal from above " />
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