The verdant Vivekanandapuram campus spread across 100 acres of coastal Kanyakumari has been enriched by the ₹15-crore ‘Ramayana Darshanam’ exhibition complex. The entire story of the Ramayana has been narrated through murals and oil paintings in the complex.
The Ramayana Darshanam is a tribute of the Vivekananda Kendra founded by social activist and spiritual seeker Eknath Ranade, to the Ramayana, says A Balakrishnan, vice-president of the Kendra. The ground floor of the two-storey Ramayana Darshanam complex showcases 108 magnificent paintings on significant episodes in the Ramayana. It took four years for Chennai-based artist Bhaskar Das and his assistants to complete the panels.
Das said the paintings had been done on specially prepared imported canvas. A two-coat painting medium with lead technology has been used to ensure its durability, says Das. The prototypes for the paintings were procured from the Gita Press in Gorakhpur. Ganesh Murthi is the architect of the complex with a built-in area of 13,000 sq ft.
The ornate paintings tell a vivid sequence of events that starts from the birth of Sri Rama, his early life, his marriage to Sita, their 14-year exile in the forest, Sita’s abduction by Ravana, Rama’s alliance with Hanuman, battles with Ravana, their triumphant return, his coronation and so on. Explanatory captions in Tamil, Hindi and English make it easier for visitors to understand the paintings.
The first floor of the complex houses the Bharat Mata Sadanam,which aims at instilling the spirit of patriotism and spiritualism.
This exhibition-cum prayer hall showcases a 12-ft tall statue of Bharat Mata made of brass, statues of Swami Vivekananda in meditation, idols of Devi Kanyakumari, Lord Vishnu and Nataraja, all made of fibre glass.
The consecration of both the Ramayana Darshanam and the Bharatmata Sadanam was done by spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi. The complex also has a mini air-conditioned theatre. The entire complex is solar-powered with rain water harvesting and underground storage facility for two lakh litres of water.
The exhibition complex remains opens from 9 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm on all days.
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