Anuragi Jha is a highly respected storyteller and artist from the south of Nepal. Trained by her grandmother in the ancient artistic traditions of the region, she is a deeply religious woman whose work is part of the great chain of transmission of the myths, legends and beliefs of Hinduism. Janakpur, her home town, as well as being a busy, bustling commercial centre near the Indian border, is also (and perhaps above all) the mythical site where Rama married Sita, forming a couple whose example represents the Hindu ideal of marriage. With its shrines, alters and temples dedicated to Rama and Sita dotted all over the town, Janakpur is an important destination for pilgrims that every year draws thousands of devote Hindus to its places of worship. It is also in Janakpur that a group of talented women have established what is known as the Janakpur Women's Development Centre. This ambitious project is attempting to change the role and the perception of women in southern Nepal, empowering its members financially and socially through the use of their artistic skills. Behind the walls of this magnificent centre, women artists of all castes and social backgrounds come together every day to explore new ways of expressing the artistic traditions that have been handed down over the generations. In addition to developing an unprecedented sense of self-respect and financial independence, these women are responsible for the emergence of a new "school" of painting that is gaining a reputation far beyond the borders of Nepal. Anuragi Jha, who was a founding member of the project, is widely considered to be one of the most original and creative artists in the region. Having grown up in the atmosphere of intense religious devotion that surrounds Janakpur, Anuragi now uses her skills as a painter to venerate the gods that have always been an integral part of her everyday life, celebrating their exploits in the vivid, lively pictures for which she is famous. Her work, which is almost exclusively devoted to illustrating the exploits of Rama and Krishna (two of the most popular and deeply-loved gods of the Hindu pantheon) enables us both to appreciate the extraordinary freedom and inventivity of her artistic talents and to enter the rich and complex world of the Hindu tradition.