Sugriwa / Sugriva

Sugriva , also spelled Sugreeva, was the younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara or monkey kingdom Kishkindha. He was the son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun. As king of the monkeys, Sugriva aided Rama in his quest to liberate his wife Sita from captivity at the hands of the Rakshasa king Ravana.

The story of Sugriva is part of the Ramayana and, in an abbreviated version, can also be found in the Mahabharata.

Vali ruled the kingdom of Kishkindha; his subjects were the vanaras or monkeys. Tara was his wife, and Sugriva his brother. One day, a raging demon came to the gates of the capital and

challenged Vali to a fight. Vali accepted the challenge, but when he sallied forth, the demon fled in terror into a deep cave. Vali entered the cave in pursuit of the demon, telling Sugriva to wait outside. When Vali did not return, and upon hearing demonic shouts in the cave and seeing blood oozing from its mouth, Sugriva concluded that his brother had been killed. With a heavy heart, Sugriva rolled a boulder to seal the cave's opening, returned to Kishkindha, and assumed kingship over the vanaras. Vali, however, ultimately prevailed in his combat with the demon and returned home. Seeing Sugriva acting as king, he concluded that his brother had betrayed him. Though Sugriva humbly attempted to explain himself, Vali would not listen. As a result, Sugriva was ostracized from the kingdom, and the brothers became bitter enemies.

In exile, Sugriva made the acquaintance of Rama, the avatar of Vishnu, who was on a quest to rescue his wife Sita from the demon Ravana, king of the Rakshasas. Rama promised Sugriva that he would kill Vali and would reinstate Sugriva as the king of the monkeys. Sugriva, in turn, promised to help Rama with his quest.

Together, Sugriva and Rama went to seek out Vali. While Rama stood back, Sugriva accused Vali of usurping his wife and kingdom, and challenged him to a fight. The brothers rushed at each other, fighting with trees and stones, with fists, nails and teeth. They were evenly matched and indistinguishable to the observer, until Sugriva's counsellor Hanuman stepped forward and placed a garland of flowers around Sugriva's neck. It was then that Rama emerged with his bow and drove an arrow through Vali's heart. When Vali had expired, Sugriva claimed his widow Tara and the monkey kingdom.

Sugriva sent his trusted advisor Hanuman to determine Sita's whereabouts. Hanuman's finding was that Ravana was holding Sita captive in his island fortress of Lanka. When Rama decided to move against Lanka, Sugriva placed his army of monkeys at the hero's disposal. The army crossed into Lanka by means of a specially erected bridge and laid siege to Rama's citadel. After some hard fighting, the monkeys prevailed over the demons, Rama slew Ravana, and Sita was liberated.