Wednesday, Jun. 16, 2010

Hanuman Statue; New Delhi, India

If he wasn't bright orange and enormous, you almost might miss the mighty Hanuman amid the swirling traffic and chaos of New Delhi's Karol Bagh district. But there he stands, the Hindu monkey deity in all his glory — albeit behind an elevated rapid-transit track and next to a billboard. In Hindu mythology, Hanuman is the commander of the monkey army. Born the child of a nymph and the wind god and blessed with the ability to fly and grow infinitely large, as a wee tyke he flew up and tried to grab the sun — mistaking it for a piece of fruit. Hanuman later used his powers for good and, for his service to the Hindu god Rama, is upheld throughout India as a model for all human devotion.