One of India’s most important art treasures will travel to Australia in May as part of the growing artistic and cultural engagement between India and Australia.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop MP and Attorney-General and Minister for the Arts Senator George Brandis QC today announced the National Gallery of Australia would host a touring exhibition of The Story of Rama: Indian Miniatures in May. The exhibition will then travel to the Immigration Museum in Melbourne.

The exhibition of 101 paintings from India’s National Museum in New Delhi is the first major initiative to take place under the Australia-India Memorandum of Understanding on Arts and Culture, signed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Australia last year.

Senator Brandis said the miniatures, travelling to Australia for the first time, would showcase the great Ramayana story and highlight India’s great tradition of story-telling through art.

Ms Bishop said the expanding cultural ties between India and Australia were a vital part of the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries.

The exhibition builds on an already vibrant cultural agenda. Indian audiences will see the best of both Indian and Australian musicianship when the Australian World Orchestra tours India in October, led by Maestro Zubin Mehta.