# Vanara > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Vanara > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Vanara.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanara > Source revision: 1343577035 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Characters of Hindu epic Ramayana}} {{protection padlock|small=yes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}} {{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}} [[File:Rama and monkey chiefs.jpg|thumb|[Rama](/source/Rama) and Vanara chiefs|300x300px]] In [Hinduism](/source/Hinduism), '''Vanara''' ({{langx|sa|वानर||forest-dwellers}}){{Cite book|last=Krishna|first=Nanditha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DF_af8_547EC&q=Vanara+forest+monkey|title=Sacred Animals of India|date=2014-05-01|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=978-81-8475-182-6|language=en}} are either monkeys, apes,{{cite web |last1=Monier-Williams |first1=Monier |title=Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary 1899 Basic |url=https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/2020/web/webtc/indexcaller.php |website=www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de |access-date=23 August 2022}} or a race of forest-dwelling people. In the epic the ''[Ramayana](/source/Ramayana)'', the Vanaras help [Rama](/source/Rama) defeat [Ravana](/source/Ravana). They are generally depicted as [humanoid](/source/humanoid) apes, or human-like beings. == Etymology == thumb|When Ravana carried Sita first on his shoulders and then in the chariot, she threw some of her jewels towards the monkeys There are three main theories about the etymology of the word "Vanara": * Aiyanar suggests that ''vanara'' means "monkey" derived from the word ''vana'' ("forest"), Literally meaning "belonging to the forest"{{cite book |author=Aiyangar Narayan |title=Essays On Indo-Aryan Mythology-Vol. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oym17qIeB-0C&pg=PA422 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=978-81-206-0140-6 |pages=422–}} Monier-Williams says it is probably derived from ''vanar'' (lit. "wandering in the forest") and means "forest-animal" or monkey. * [Devdutt Pattanaik](/source/Devdutt_Pattanaik) suggests that it derives from the words ''vana'' ("forest"), and ''nara'' ("man"), thus meaning "forest man" and suggests that they may not be monkeys, which is the general meaning. * It may be derived from the words ''vav'' and ''nara'', meaning "is it a man?" (meaning "monkey"){{cite book |author=Shyam Banerji |title=Hindu gods and temples: symbolism, sanctity and sites |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XSRAAQAAIAAJ |date=1 January 2003 |publisher=I.K. International |isbn=978-81-88237-02-9}} or "perhaps he is man".{{cite book |author=Harshananda (Swami.) |title=Facets of Hinduism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_lERAQAAIAAJ |year=2000 |publisher=Ramakrishna Math}} == Identification == [[File:Vintage 40'S Print BHARAT MEETS RAMA Brijbasi.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A 20th-century painting depicting a scene from Ramayana, wherein Vanaras are shown building a bridge to [Lanka](/source/Lanka)|A 20th-century painting depicting a scene from the ''Ramayana'', in which Vanaras are building a bridge to [Lanka](/source/Lanka).]] Although the word Vanara has come to mean "monkey" over the years and the Vanaras are depicted as monkeys in the popular art, their exact identity is not clear.{{cite book |author=Kirsti Evans |title=Epic Narratives in the Hoysaḷa Temples: The Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, and Bhāgavata Purāṇa in Haḷebīd, Belūr, and Amṛtapura |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v-0yalYlNDkC&pg=PA62 |year=1997 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=90-04-10575-1 |pages=62–}} According to the Ramayana, Vanaras were shapeshifters. In the Vanara form, they had beards with extended sideburns, narrowly shaved chin gap, and no moustache. They had a tail and razor-sharp claws. Their skin and skeleton were reinforced with an indestructible Vajra, which no earthly element could penetrate. Unlike other exotic creatures such as the [rakshasa](/source/rakshasa)s, the Vanaras do not have a precursor in the [Vedic literature](/source/Vedic_literature).{{cite book |author=Vanamali |title=Hanuman: The Devotion and Power of the Monkey God |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j5qFlxXSS48C&pg=PA13 |date=25 March 2010 |publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co |isbn=978-1-59477-914-5 |page=13 }} The ''Ramayana'' presents them as humans with reference to their speech, clothing, habitations, funerals, weddings, consecrations etc. It also describes their monkey-like characteristics such as their leaping, hair, fur and a tail.{{cite book |author=Catherine Ludvik |title=Hanumān in the Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki and the Rāmacaritamānasa of Tulasī Dāsa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCXQN0qoAe0C&pg=PA2 |date=1 January 1994 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-1122-5 |pages=2–3|quote=G. Ramadas infers from Ravana's reference to the ''kapis''' tail as an ornament (''bhusana'') that is a long appendage in the dress worn by men of the Savara tribe.}} Aiyanagar suggests that though the poet of the ''Ramayana'' may have known that vanaras were actually forest-dwelling people, he may portrayed them as real monkeys with supernatural powers and many of them as ''{{Transliteration|sa|amsa}}''s (portions) of the gods to make the epic more "fantastic". According to one theory, the Vanaras are semi-divine creatures. This is based on their supernatural abilities, as well as descriptions of [Brahma](/source/Brahma) commanding other deities to either bear Vanara offspring or incarnate as Vanaras to help Rama in his mission. The [Jain](/source/Jain) re-tellings of Ramayana describe them as a clan of the supernatural beings called the [Vidyadhara](/source/Vidyadhara)s; the flag of this clan bears monkeys as emblems.{{cite book |author=Paula Richman |title=Many Rāmāyaṇas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XkifYfljHP4C&pg=PA35 |year=1991 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-07589-4 |pages=35 }}{{cite book |author=Kodaganallur Ramaswami Srinivasa Iyengar |title=Asian Variations in Ramayana: Papers Presented at the International Seminar on 'Variations in Ramayana in Asia : Their Cultural, Social and Anthropological Significance", New Delhi, January 1981 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CU92nFk5fU4C&pg=PA68 |year=2005 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |isbn=978-81-260-1809-3 |pages=68–}}{{cite book |author=Valmiki |others=Translated and annotated by Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland Goldman |title=The Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India - Sundarakāṇḍa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sFmsrEszbxgC&pg=PA31 |year=1996 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=0-691-06662-0 |page=31 }}{{cite book |author=Philip Lutgendorf |title=Hanuman's Tale : The Messages of a Divine Monkey: The Messages of a Divine Monkey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fVFC2Nx-LP8C&pg=PA116 |date=13 December 2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-804220-4 }}{{rp|334}}{{cite book|author=Devdutt Pattanaik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xolzAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA121|title=Indian Mythology: Tales, Symbols, and Rituals from the Heart of the Subcontinent|date=24 April 2003|publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co|isbn=978-1-59477-558-1|page=121}} G. Ramdas, based on Ravana's reference to the Vanaras' tail as an ornament, infers that the "tail" was actually an appendage in the dress worn by the men of the [Savara](/source/Sora_people) tribe. (The female Vanaras are not described as having a tail.{{cite book |title=The Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa: Concise English Version |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sQcmczcunygC&pg=PA10 |date=1 January 1995 |publisher=M.D. Publications |isbn=978-81-85880-77-8 |page=10 }}{{rp|116}}) According to this theory, the non-human characteristics of the Vanaras may be considered [artistic imagination](/source/artistic_license). In Sri Lanka, the word "Vanara" has been used to describe the [Nittaewo](/source/Nittaewo)s mentioned in the [Vedda](/source/Vedda_people) legends.{{cite book |author=C. G. Uragoda |title=Traditions of Sri Lanka: A Selection with a Scientific Background |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BOmAAAAAMAAJ |year=2000 |publisher=Vishva Lekha Publishers |isbn=978-955-96843-0-5}} == In the ''Ramayana'' == [[File:Sampati's Find.jpg|thumb|[Sampati](/source/Sampati) meeting with Vanaras painted by Balasaheb Pandit Pant Pratinidhi]] Vanaras are created by [Brahma](/source/Brahma) to help [Rama](/source/Rama) in battle against [Ravana](/source/Ravana). They are powerful and have many godly traits. Taking Brahma's orders, the gods began to parent sons in the zion of [Kishkindha](/source/Kishkindha_kingdom) (identified with parts of present-day [Karnataka](/source/Karnataka), [Andhra Pradesh](/source/Andhra_Pradesh), and [Maharashtra](/source/Maharashtra)). [Rama](/source/Rama) first met them in [Dandaka Forest](/source/Dandaka_Forest), during his search for [Sita](/source/Sita).{{Cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rama/index.htm|title=The Ramayana index}} An army of Vanaras helped Rama in his search for Sita, and also in battle against [Ravana](/source/Ravana), Sita's abductor. [Nala](/source/Nala_(Ramayana)) and [Nila](/source/Nila_(Ramayana)) built a [bridge](/source/Adam's_Bridge) over the ocean so that Rama and the army could cross to [Lanka](/source/Lanka). As described in the epic, the characteristics of the Vanara include being amusing, childish, mildly irritating, badgering, hyperactive, adventurous, bluntly honest, loyal, courageous, and kind.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rama/index.htmtranslation |title=The Kabbalah: Part Two: Chapter IV. Analysis of the Zohar. The Kabbalists' View of the World |access-date=4 January 2009 |archive-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020115406/https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/rph/rph16.htm |url-status=dead }} == Other texts == The Vanaras also appear in other texts, including [Mahabharata](/source/Mahabharata). The epic [Mahabharata](/source/Mahabharata) describes them as forest-dwelling, and mentions their being encountered by [Sahadeva](/source/Sahadeva), the youngest [Pandava](/source/Pandava).{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} == Shapeshifting == In the ''Ramayana'', the Vanara [Hanuman](/source/Hanuman) changes shape several times. For example, while he searches for the kidnapped Sita in Ravana's palaces on Lanka, he contracts himself to the size of a cat, so that he will not be detected by the enemy. Later on, he takes on the size of a mountain, blazing with radiance, to show his true power to Sita.Goldman, Robert P. (Introduction, translation and annotation) (1996). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=sFmsrEszbxgCThe Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume V: Sundarakanda]''. Princeton University Press, New Jersey. 0691066620. pp. 45–47. == Notable Vanaras == [[Image:Hanuman in Terra Cotta.jpg|thumb|Sculpture of [Hanuman](/source/Hanuman), a warrior among the Vanaras, carrying the [Dronagiri](/source/Dunagiri) mountain]] * '''[Angada](/source/Angada)''', son of [Vali](/source/Vali_(Ramayana)), successor of [Sugriva](/source/Sugriva), who helped [Rama](/source/Rama) find his wife [Sita](/source/Sita) * '''[Anjana](/source/A%C3%B1jan%C4%81)''', [Hanuman](/source/Hanuman)'s mother * '''[Hanuman](/source/Hanuman)''', devotee of the god [Rama](/source/Rama) and son of [Vayu](/source/Vayu) * '''[Kesari](/source/Kesari_(Ramayana))''', Hanuman's father * '''[Mainda](/source/Mainda)''' and '''[Dvivida](/source/Dvivida)''', sons of [Ashvins](/source/Ashvins) * '''[Macchanu](/source/Macchanu)''', son of [Hanuman](/source/Hanuman) (per the [Cambodian](/source/Reamker) and [Thai](/source/Ramakien) versions) * '''[Makardhwaja](/source/Makardhwaja)''', son of [Hanuman](/source/Hanuman) (per the [Indian versions](/source/Versions_of_Ramayana)) * '''[Nala](/source/Nala_(Ramayana))''', son of [Vishwakarma](/source/Vishwakarma) * '''[Nila](/source/Nila_(Ramayana))''', son of [Agni](/source/Agni) * '''[Rumā](/source/Rum%C4%81)''', wife of [Sugriva](/source/Sugriva) * '''Sharabha''', son of [Parjanya](/source/Parjanya) * '''[Sugriva](/source/Sugriva)''', king of [Kishkindha](/source/Kishkindha), son of [Surya](/source/Surya) * '''[Sushena](/source/Sushena)''', son of [Varuna](/source/Varuna) * '''Taar''', son of [Brihaspati](/source/Brihaspati) * '''[Tara](/source/Tara_(Ramayana))''', wife of [Vali](/source/Vali_(Ramayana)) * '''[Vali](/source/Vali_(Ramayana))''', [Sugriva](/source/Sugriva)'s brother and son of [Indra](/source/Indra) ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Wiktionary|vānara}} *{{Commons category-inline}} {{Ramayana}} Category:Legendary creatures in Hindu mythology Category:Mythological monkeys Category:Mythological human hybrids Category:Vanara in the Ramayana Category:Forest spirits --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Vanara](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanara) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanara?action=history)). 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