Vanara

Rama and Vanara chiefs

In Hinduism, Vanara (Sanskrit: वानर, lit. 'forest-dwellers')[1] are either monkeys, apes,[2] or a race of forest-dwelling people.[1]

In the epic the Ramayana, the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human-like beings.

  1. ^ a b Krishna, Nanditha (1 May 2014). Sacred Animals of India. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-182-6.
  2. ^ Monier-Williams, Monier. "Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary 1899 Basic". www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de. Retrieved 23 August 2022.