Monkey god of Hindu mythology, a central figure in the Ramayana .
He was a guardian spirit, the offspring of a nymph and the wind god. His great heroic exploit was recovering Rama 's wife, Sita , from captivity by the demon Ravana . Hanuman also flew to the Himalayas and carried back a mountain of medicinal herbs to cure Rama's grievously wounded brother Laksmana. Worshiped in the form of a monkey, he is an important deity because of his strength and his faithfulness to Rama.