Hanuman, in Hindu mythology, the monkey commander of the monkey army. His exploits are narrated in the great Hindu Sanskrit poem the Ramayana (Rama’s Journey). While still a baby, Hanuman, the child of a nymph by the wind god, tried to fly up & grab the Sun, which he mistook for a fruit. Indra, the king of the gods, struck Hanuman with a thunderbolt on the jaw (hanu), thus inspiring the name. When Hanuman continued to misbehave, powerful sages cursed him to forget his magic powers, such as the ability to fly or to become infinitely large, until he was reminded of them. Hanuman led the monkeys to help Rama, an avatar (incarnation) of the god Vishnu, recover Rama’s wife, Sita, from the demon Ravana, king of Lanka (likely not the present-day Sri Lanka). Having been reminded of his powers by Jambavan, the king of the bears, Hanuman crossed the strait between India & Lanka in one leap, despite the efforts of watery demonesses to stop him by swallowing him or his shadow. He was discovered in Lanka, & his tail was set on fire, but he used that fire to burn down Lanka. Hanuman also flew to the Himalayas & returned with a mountain full of medicinal herbs to restore the wounded in Rama’s army. Hanuman is worshipped as a subsidiary figure in temples dedicated to Rama or directly in shrines dedicated to Hanuman himself. The latter are generally thronged by monkeys, who know that they cannot be mistreated there. in temples throughout India, he appears in the form of a monkey with a red face who stands erect like a human. For his service to Rama, Hanuman is upheld as a model for all human devotion (bhakti). Hanuman is also a popular figure among Buddhists in Central, Southeast, & East Asia, & throughout those areas many temples have been erected for his worship & districts of towns bear his name. Outside India, however, rather different tales are told of him. Although steadfastly chaste in the Sanskrit tradition, for instance, he has wives & children in other traditions. He has been identified as the inspiration for the monkey hero of the great Chinese poem Xiyouji (Journey to the West). Lord Hanuman is believed to bestow his followers with strength, valor & success. He takes away all the perils of his devotees. Brass Yashvir Kesari Nandan | Lord Hanuman in Blessing Position With His Mighty Mace - Made Thanjavur, South India Only At Dharma
