The story of the black face of Indian langur monkeys is deeply rooted in Hindu tradition, specifically in the epic tale of the Ramayana. The belief is that the langur monkeys, known for their distinctive black faces, were part of the Vanarasena, the monkey army that assisted Lord Rama in his quest to find and rescue his wife, Sita, from the demon king Ravana.
According to the legend, after Hanuman, the devoted monkey
god and a key figure in the Vanarasena, set the city of Lanka ablaze, he
returned to visit Sita. Sita had previously blessed Hanuman, ensuring that fire
would not harm him. However, after Hanuman's tail had been set alight for
burning Lanka, he struggled to extinguish the flames. Despite immersing his
tail in the ocean, the fire persisted.
Seeking Sita's counsel, Hanuman was advised to place his
burning tail inside his mouth to extinguish the flames. Following her guidance,
Hanuman did so, successfully putting out the fire. However, upon seeing his
reflection in the ocean, he noticed that his face had been charred by the
flames.
Concerned about how others would react to his burnt face and
fearing ridicule, Hanuman returned to Sita and expressed his worries. In
response, Sita reassured him with a compassionate gesture. She declared that
from that day forward, all Vanaras (monkeys) would bear black faces, ensuring
that Hanuman would not feel singled out or mocked.
This mythological explanation offers a poetic and culturally
rich reason behind the black faces of Indian langur monkeys. It ties their
distinctive appearance to the heroic deeds and divine interactions of Hanuman,
imbuing the natural world with a sense of sacred history and tradition.
This story is found in the Bengali Krittibasi Ramayana.
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