Kishkindha

Rama offers his ring to Maruti (Hanuman) to prove that he is Rama's messenger, surrounded by the vanaras of Kishkindha

Kishkindha (Sanskrit: किष्किन्धा, IAST: Kiṣkindhā) is a kingdom of the vanaras in Hinduism. It is ruled by King Sugriva, the younger brother of Vali, in the Sanskrit holy book Ramayana.[1] According to the Hindu holy book, this was the kingdom that Sugriva ruled with the assistance of his counsellor, Hanuman. Kishkindha is identified with the present location of Hampi, the birthplace of Hanuman and the erstwhile royal capital of Vijayanagara Empire.

During the Treta Yuga, the whole region was within the dense Dandaka Forest which was founded by King Danda, son of Ikshvaku, and descendant of Vaivasvata Manu in the Satya Yuga, which extended from the Vindhya range to the South Indian peninsula. Thus, this kingdom was considered that of the vanaras. During the Dvapara Yuga, the Pandava Sahadeva is stated to have visited this kingdom in the epic Mahabharata during his southern military campaign to collect tribute for Yudhishthira's Rajasuya sacrifice.[2]

  1. ^ Kishore, B. R. (2007). Ramayana. Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. p. 77. ISBN 978-81-7182-070-2.
  2. ^ Dharma, Krishna (18 August 2020). Mahabharata: The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time. Simon and Schuster. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-68383-920-0.