Frontispiece photograph of a decorative stone carving of the Hunooman at Beejanuggur (Vijayanagara). The figure of the monkey faces right, with its right arm extended behind it. It is wearing traditional Indian costume and a headdress.

In Indian mythology Hanuman Ji, the monkey god, was a devoted servant of King Rama. He procured a medicinal herb from the Himalayas to save the life of Rama's brother Laksmana, who had been fatally injured in a battle with the demon Ravana. In return for his unconditional dedication, Rama granted him eternal life.

Vijayanagara, The City of Victory, was the seat of a powerful Hindu kingdom in Southern India from 1336 to 1565 and it flourished as a prosperous centre of Hindu art, culture and architecture.