ARCTIC OCEAN Asian Art Museum At-a-Glance: The Demon King Ravana KAZAKHSTAN RidingMONGOLIA a Caspian Sea UZBEKISTAN Mythical Bird GEORGIA KYRGYZSTAN ARMENIA NORTH KOREA AZERBAIJAN TURKMENISTAN TURKEY TAJIKISTAN The Ramayana: The Demon King Ravana SOUTH KOREA ATLANTIC The Ramayana, the epic story of Prince Rama, recounts his trialsCHINA as he tries to rescue his wife, Sita. ThisYello statuew depicts the antagonist, Ravana (Balinese: Rawana), onSea his mount, JAPAN AFGHANISTAN IRAQ IRAN the bird-like Wilmana (Balinese: Vimana). The demon TIBET Persian Gul king kidnaps Sita, taking her to his island kingdomEast of KUWAIT NEPAL PAKISTAN Langka. Uniquely, in the Indonesian version ofChina this Hindu f BHUTAN story Ravana rides his mount instead of a chariotSea when he The demon king Ravana riding a mythical bird, approx. 1850–1900. Indonesia; Northern Bali. Colors and QATAR gold on wood. Acquisition made possible by the Connoisseurs’ Council and the estate of K. Hart Smith, 2010.18.2. kidnaps Sita. ©Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. U. A. E. SAUDI ARABIA TAIWAN OMAN BURMA Hinduism in Southeast Asia LAOS BANGLADESH South Hinduism originated in northern China YEMEN India and moved to Southeast Asia THAILAND Sea through maritime trade. More Arabian INDIA Bay of VIETNAM PHILIPPINES than 1,000 years ago, evidence Sea Bengal CAMBODIA PACIFIC of Hinduism existed in much of OCEAN Southeast Asia. Though Hinduism SRI LANKA OCEAN is still popular in Southeast Asia, the BRUNEI Indonesian island of Bali is the only place in this vast region where a form MALAYSIA of it is dominant even today. One SINGAPORE of the ways Hinduism spread was through the telling of the Ramayana , a 1,000-year-old Indian epic. INDIAN OCEAN I NDONESIA BALI FIJI NEW CALEDONIA .