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Book Summary of The Legend of Hanuman Ji
The story of Sri Ram and Hanuman ji has been subjected to much distrotion-and malign political abuse.
During the British Raj-mainly in the 1800s-dividive theories were floated to the effect that the North Indians were Aryans and the South Indians and Sri Lankans were Dravidians. The story of Sri Ram-The Ramayan-was sought to be shown as a conflict between the two. The Vanars were portrayed as a primitive tribe, if not as monkeys.
In view of the mistreatment of The Ramayan, this book asks
Who was Hanuman ji? Who were the Vanars? Were they monkeys? Or were they a primitive tribe? Or neither? Where was Kishkindha? In Karnataka? Where was Ravan`s Lanka? Is it the same as modern Sri Lanka? Who were the Rakshases? Were they what we now call Dravidians? Did they speak a Dravidian language? Were they all evil, if not demonic as well? Were they dark skinned? And what kind of a person was Ravan, the king of the Rakshas clan?
Ours is not a revisionist version of the story of Sri Ram and his devotee Hanuman Ji. Indeed, it is accounts that deviate from Valmiki Ji`s Ramayan that are.
About the Author
Parvez Dewan can send you to sleep about Hanuman Ji. After translating into English verse The Hanuman Chalisa of Goswami Tulasi Das (2001, Viking-Penguin), with a commentary on each verse of that noble prayer book, he wrote The Book of Hanuman (2004, Viking-Penguin), which symmarized the story of Sri Ram`s principal lieutenant as told in Valmiki Ji`s Ramayan.
Parvez has also put together a detailed biography of Hanuman Ji, based on the various Ramayans of India, South-East Asia, Tibet and East Asia..
Parvez was educated at St Stephen`s College, Delhi, and the University of Cambridge, and was later elected a Visiting Research Fellow of Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford.
ISBN
9788182902367
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Pages : 142
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