This is one of series of carved teakwood ceiling panels with reliefs of various Hindu deities. They came from a temple hall demolished in 1874 in Cochin, south-west India. Such halls (‘mandapa’) were used for theatrical, dance and music performances within a temple compound.

This panel shows the monkey god Hanuman, who is much loved as the devout and loyal ally of Vishnu, as witnessed in the ‘Ramayana’ epic. The painting is dominated by the use of red, associated with Hanuman’s heroic nature.

Here Hanuman is shown seated, his eyes cast skyward and his hands raised in veneration (‘anjali’) of his lord Vishnu. He sits in a yogi’s pose, with his knees resting on a meditation strap (‘yogapatta’). This underscores the Indian belief in yogic practices as a path to garnering supernatural powers, for which Hanuman was famed. He is richly adorned with jewellery, as befits his role as general of the monkey armies.