This vigraha is Rama with his consort Sita. His right hand is Cinmudra (preaching) with the forefinger finger and thumb forming a circle. It is also called Vyakhyana or Sandesa mudra and indicates imparting of knowledge.

Rama is one of the Avatars (incarnation) of Vishnu. In this incarnation, Rama was born as a human being without the awareness of his divine origin. Hence the absence of additional arms and the attributes that characterize Vishnu. Sirachakra, see the image of the back, is possibly the only indication of his divine nature.

Rama is seated in lalitasana and Sita is sitting with both her legs pendant. The ornamentation, as usual, is profuse. and fit enough for royalties.

The tall cylindrical crown are typical of Vigrahas influenced by the Vijayanagar period. The copper rich alloy and the general styling point to Tamil Nadu.

The vigraha is solid cast. The patina is rich. The wear is due to ritual cleaning.

This bronze is about 13 cm in height and it may be from the17th century or earlier.

This website has few other Sitarama including one from Andhra and one Ganga-Jamuna vigraha from Karnataka.

Note: Strange it may seem, whenever Hindu deity is accompanied by his consort, the name starts with the consort’s name. Examples include Umamaheshwara, Lakshminarasimha, Umasahita, Radhakrishna, Bhu Varaha, LakshmiGanapathy and Lakshminarayana.

Note 8 Feb 2021: Chinmaya and Praveen, through FB pages, pointed out this Vigraha is referred to as Pattabhi Rama (crowned Rama). The example they gave is Vyasaramutt’s Moola Moorthy. Courtesy to the unknown photographer have include Vyasarmutt image for comparison.