Hanuman

Hanuman is a vanara (human being with a monkey's tail and face); he aided Lord Rama (the avatar of Vishnu) in rescuing Sita, the Rama's wife, from the Rakshasa (demon) king Ravana. Hanuman, together with Sita and Rama, is the key figure in the Ramayana Epic.

Different stories are told concerning the Hanuman's birth. He was born in the Treta Yuga.

He asked Surya, the solar Hindu deity, to teach him. Surya refused. Hanuman raised his body into an orbit around the sun and begged again. But Surya refused, claiming that He always had to be on the move in His chariot. Undeterred by Surya's refusal Hanuman did not stop. Surya finally accepted.

Hanuman was mischievous in his childhood. He is extremely popular in some parts of India and he has some beautiful websites, for example: www.hanuman.com, where you may find some excellent music too. Interesting is the fact that a similar legend (like the one written in the Mahabharata) about a monkey kingdom exists in China - a legend about a monkey king - Sūn Wùkōng.

Some people who reported seeing Yeti said that this strange being had looked like an ape.

The Hindu calendar considers four ages to be relevant for Sanatana Dharma; every age is called "Yuga".

The Four Yugas are (solar years):

1) Satya Yuga (1,728,000 years)
2) Treta Yuga (1,296,000 years)
3) Dwapar Yuga (864,000 years)
4) Kali Yuga (432,000 years)

The story in Ramayana takes place in the Treta Yuga, thus we can suppose that it had happened far earlier at times before the deluge took place on Earth.

There is a spiritual relationship between Lord Hanuman and Lord Surya, thus also between Lord Hanuman and Lord Shani, who is the son of Surya. Shani is one of the Navagraha - the nine primary celestial beings in Vedic astrology. Shani is embodied in the planet Saturn. By praying to Lord Hanuman we can subdue negative affects of the influence of Saturn.

Hanuman, together with Lord Shiva, is the companion of Durga.

There is one Himalayan peak that can be associated with Lord Hanuman - Bandarpunch (or Bandarpoonch), a peak situated in the Indian state of Uttarakhand (it literally means "Tail of the monkey").

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