17 - The Great Monkey King

Summary

Depictions of nonhuman primates on religious architecture of the Indian subcontinent concern mainly rhesus monkeys in the northern half, and bonnet macaques and langurs in the southern half of the region. The earliest representations of monkeys are those of the Indus Valley civilization (c. 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE) of Pakistan and northwestern India, in the form of small earthenware figures or toys. Especially macaques figure widely in narratives in various roles and functions, on Buddhist as well as Hindu religious architecture. In narrative stone reliefs, monkeys can be a symbol of exemplary compassionate behavior, as in the Story of the Great Monkey King (e.g. at the Buddhist relic shrines at Bharhut, Sanchi and Nagarjunakonda). Monkeys can also be portrayed as witty or clever, as in the Story of the Monkey and the Crocodile (Buddhist and Hindu), or as extremely foolish, as in the Story of the Gardener and the Monkeys (Buddhist), or symbolize the relativity of beauty, as in the Story of the Flying Buddha (Buddhist). They can also merely be used for decoration or indicating a forest setting. Monkeys also figure regularly in erotic sculptures on Hindu temples, where they stand for the unbound desires. Langurs are easily recognized in religious architecture by their long limbs, extremely long tail, and prominent and undulating eyebrows. The vast majority of langur sculptures concerns the monkey god Hanuman, hence the sacredness of this monkey in India. Most langur sculptures are narrative bas-reliefs on Hindu temples of peninsular India, depicting an episode of the epic Ramayana in which Hanuman leads the monkey army and assists Prince Rama and his brother Lakshmana to rescue Rama’s abducted wife Sita. Independent statues or steles of Hanuman as the main character are commonplace throughout India, but especially in the south. Here, Hanuman is generally depicted either as a fierce warrior about to attack, or as a devout, peaceful character in adoration of Rama.

Keywords:

Buddhist architecture, Hindu architecture, Indian fables, Macaca, Narrative reliefs, Semnopithecus