Column | The monkeys of Jain Ramayana
This article explores the Jain interpretation of the Ramayana, specifically focusing on the depiction of the vanaras as monks residing in the Mangi-Tungi peaks of Maharashtra. It contrasts the traditional Valmiki Ramayana's portrayal of forest creatures with the Jain tradition of these figures attaining nirvana as ascetics.
Why it matters
It provides cultural and historical insight into how different religious traditions reinterpret shared mythological epics, highlighting the diversity of Indian spiritual history.
Column | The monkeys of Jain Ramayana From Cult to Culture left A bas-relief depicting Hanuman leading the ‘vanara’ army into battle against the asuras, in Rishikesh. Getty Images Getty Images https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/m45qny/article71587308.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/iStock-2290576457.jpg BTWImages India. Uttarakhand. Rishikesh. A bas-relief depicting the monkey god Hanuman leading his warriors (vanaras) into battle against demons (asuras), a scene from the Hindu epic the Ramayana How the vanaras came to be monks on a hilltop in Maharashtra A bus from Satana, in Nashik district of Maharashtra, takes you to two rock pinnacles standing side by side like a pair of raised thumbs. These are the Mangi-Tungi peaks, each over 4,000 feet. Most pilgrims who climb them are Digambara Jains. They come because of a single Prakrit verse. According to the Nirvana Kanda, Rama, Sugriva, and Hanuman attained nirvana here. So, the vanaras of the Ramayana did not end with Kishkindha.
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