Hanuman - Kerala Mural Archive

Detail Photos

Deity: Hanuman Location: Peruvanam Mahadeva Temple Theme: Ramayana Visual Feature: Facial expression detail Visual Feature: Hand gesture (mudra)Visual Feature: Ornamentation

This is Hanuman counter-attacking the Rakshasi in the previous panel. He has the form of a monkey but wears a green lower and upper garments. He has a headgear resembling the Kadhakali (classical dance form of Kerala). He is decked with ornaments and possess a white beard and white flowing hair. The index finger of his left hand is raised in a gesture of threat while his right hand is in a fist. He is depicted against a red backdrop.

Iconography

Primary Deity/Figure: Hanuman
Iconographic Form: Hanuman
Iconographic Attributes: White-skinned; reddish face; white beard;long white floowing hair; long tail; ornaments; a white crown with ornamentation;hand in fists; one hand with raised index fingure; body language of a monkey; green upper and lower garments; red backdrop.
Rasa: Veera

Spatial & Architectural

Zone within Temple: Sanctum
Position in Pradakshina Sequence: 16
Adjacent Panels: Rakshasi, Venugopalan

Narrative

Textual Source: Ramayana
Mythological Tale: As Ravana kidnapped Sita and took her to Lanka, Ram and Lakshman went in search of her. They formed alliances with the vanaras and their king Sugreeva sent a troop of vanaras in search of Sita. Among them was Hanuman who possessed extraordinary powers. He attempted to cross Lanka by jumping across the ocean, but was met with many obstacles along the way. This rakshasi is one among those who stood in Hanuman’s path as an obstacle. A fight ensued between them, which ended with Hanuman’s victory. Hanuman’s figure seem to have a lot of similarities with the depiction of Hanuman in Kadhakali.
Episode: Kishkinda kandam
Position within Narrative Sequence: 2 out of 2

Condition & Documentation

Condition: Fair
Deterioration Type: Pigment loss
Restoration Status: Unrestored
Documentation Type: DSLR full panel
Permission Basis: Combined permission
Date of Documentation: 03/08/2024
Artist: Unknown
Identifier: PVM_P017
Rights / Notes: These images may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior permission.