Hanuman is a central figure in the Ramayana and a major focus of Hindu devotion. He is often called a monkey deity because he belongs to the vanara people in the epic, but vanara identity, imagery, and translation have a long interpretive history.
Service to Rama
Hanuman meets Rama and Lakshmana while serving Sugriva. He discovers Sita in Lanka, delivers Rama’s message, survives capture, and burns parts of the city with his flaming tail. His leap across the ocean joins physical power with intelligence, diplomacy, and courage.
The mountain of medicine
When Lakshmana is gravely wounded, Hanuman is sent for a healing plant. Unable to identify it, he carries the whole mountain or a large section of it back to the battlefield. Versions differ in the plant’s name, the mountain, and the people healed.
Devotion and worship
Later traditions celebrate Hanuman as an ideal devotee whose strength is directed toward Rama. Temples, recitations of the Hanuman Chalisa, martial associations, and regional stories continue his worship. Claims that he is merely comic relief or a historical animal companion misunderstand the epic and devotional setting.