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Giant Hanuman uses his tail as bridge for Rama's army (Thai Ramayana mural)
About this photograph
- Creator
- Margery H. Freeman
- Date created
- Unknown
- Location
- Bangkok, Thailand
- License
- This photograph copyright ©2006. Terms of use
See this photograph in context
- The Ramayana: The Hindu epic The Ramayana is retold through the mural, painting, and dance of Southeast Asia. (Page 4.7)
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Learn more
- Search LEARN NC for art, Bangkok, Emerald Buddha Temple, Hanuman, Laksman, landscapes, monkeys, murals, paintings, Rama, Ramayana, and Thailand.
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- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
Hanuman uses his tail as a bridge for Rama’s army, as seen on a mural at the Emerald Buddha Temple.
On the way to Lanka to rescue Sita, Rama’s army cannot cross a wide river. Hanuman, who is able to change his form, enlarges himself enough that his tail can serve as a bridge for Rama’s army.
In this image, a huge Hanuman lies crouched on his stomach on the bluff at right with his tail extended and wrapped around rocks on the bluff at left. Hanuman’s open-mouthed face looks back over his right shoulder to watch the tiny figures crawling along his tail. Rama’s soldiers straddle the “tail bridge” and carefully cross the river from the left side over Hanuman’s tail.
Rama and his brother Laksman oversee their soldiers’ safe crossing from a lookout on the left side. White clouds, a rocky island, and the open water are visible in the background.
