Monkey mascots are sacred animals in India. Sacred animals of India

We continue, friends, to get acquainted with the animal world of India. In this article I want to tell you about another sacred animal of India, revered no less than the Cow - the MONKEY.

In India, monkeys are considered sacred animals. According to an ancient legend, Hanuman (the monkey) stole delicious mangoes from the garden of the mythical giant and gave them to people. The monkey was caught and sentenced to be burned alive, but she managed to put out the fire and survive. While putting out the fire, she burned her face and hands, which remained black. This legend prompted the Indians to classify the monkey as one of the sacred animals, and even living gods. Entire temples are built for them, where they are revered and pampered. And local residents and peasants patiently endure all the mischief that these nimble animals create in gardens and plantations. It is forbidden to hunt monkeys, and the locals
The inhabitants open their houses wide open to them, and their favorite fruits are grown in their gardens.

According to the ancient Indian epic "Ramayana", Hanuman, the son of a monkey and the god of the wind, helped the god Rama defeat his enemies and return his wife Sita, kidnapped by the evil king of the island of Lanka Ravana. Hanuman easily flies across the strait separating India from Ceylon, finds Sita hidden there and returns her to Rama. For his devoted service, Rama showered Hanuman with gifts and awarded him eternal youth.

There is another legend that monkeys helped the god Vishnu. The inhabitants of the country were oppressed by a terrible giant, and Vishnu entered into a fight with him. But he was unable to cope with the enemy alone, so he called on the monkey people for help and defeated the Giant. That's also why monkeys are sacred animals in India.

Monkeys living in sacred temples are also treated with privileges. Many tourists love to feed the monkeys and take pictures with them. Animals are so accustomed to people feeding them that they brazenly beg people for food, and if they don’t get what they want, they become aggressive and may even bite. The monkeys have become so bold that they climb into houses, spoil things and food, and sometimes even steal small animals. In a year they eat so much food that this amount would be enough to feed 10% of the country's population, approximately 50 million people!!!

These are heat-loving animals and live mainly in countries with hot climates. In India, there are more than 40 million of them. These are mainly rhesus macaques.

These are thin-bodied monkeys, small in size, with a tail that is longer than its entire body. There is a tassel at the end of the tail. A monkey with yellow-white fur and a black crest pulled over his face in the form of a hood. Because of this black hood, Indians consider the monkey sacred. The weight of these animals ranges from 2.5 to 8 kg. The ears and face are hairless. Eating ripe fruits, leaves, insects, and do not disdain plantings on agricultural plantations - grains, rice, peanuts, coffee beans and coconuts. Family group macaques can contain from 3 to 80 individuals!!! The hierarchy of relationships is based on maternal kinship. The herd is ruled by females who remain in the herd until old age. And males, having reached sexual maturity, are forced to leave the herd. Puberty in monkeys it occurs at 3–4 years of age; pregnancy in females lasts about 180 days. As a rule, one, or rarely two, cubs are born, which remain near the mother for up to 1.5 - 2 years.

All monkeys are easily tamed. They live not only in zoos, they are even kept at home. Getting used to people, monkeys often adopt the habits of people and simply amaze with their intelligence and ability to imitate. Tamed, trained monkeys often appear on television and in films. Tamed monkeys are capable of performing various tasks for humans. In Thailand, for example, tame macaques have long helped people in collecting coconuts, and even surpass people in this skill, since people sometimes cannot distinguish a ripe nut from an unripe one, but monkeys do it flawlessly.

They can also provide serious services to botanist scientists when collecting herbariums in the tropics. Easily climbing the highest and thinnest branches of trees, monkeys, at the command of a person, break off and bring him the necessary leaves, branches and flowers. IN botanical garden There is a monkey nursery in Singapore where several animals have acquired the profession of plant hunters. They are capable of impenetrable jungle find rare plants, if you show them a branch or leaf of this plant.

And yet we should not forget that for all their intelligence and ability to imitate people, monkeys do not at all have the same consciousness as humans and are not able to think like humans. The mental activity of animals and their behavior are based primarily on instincts, innate and conditioned reflexes.

Primitive thinking of animals high level intelligence close to human, including monkeys - this is thinking in concrete images, called pre-linguistic. For animals, signal stimuli that cause mental processes in the brain, there can only be direct stimuli - these are olfactory, visual, sound, taste and thermal effects.

They are so funny, monkeys. But, at the same time, smart, quick-witted and insightful.

It is not for nothing that they are considered the SACRED ANIMALS OF INDIA.

I suggest you, friends, to watch a wonderful cartoon in HD quality based on the ancient Indian epic “Ramayana”.

People who are not initiated into Hindu beliefs are usually extremely surprised to see how at ease monkeys feel in Indian bazaars. They climb everywhere, steal fruits and other foodstuffs from the shelves, and no one drives them away - on the contrary, it seems that they are expected here as dear guests. Such honors are awarded to the Hindus living in India and Sri Lanka, the monkey hanuman langur (Semnopithecus entellus). Some of them destroy fields and gardens, while others, who live in temples, are brought food by local residents themselves.

Hindus have every reason to revere monkeys: according to their ideas, the monkey god Hanuman miraculously saved the wife of the god Rama, Sita, from the encroachments of the demon Ramana. Rama is one of the supreme Indian gods, and Hanuman was honored to be his companion. Hanuman is also considered the patron of the arts and healing.

This deity is worshiped by millions of Hindus and his images can be found in many Hindu homes. Temples are erected in honor of Hanuman - some pilgrims on the way to such a temple even try to imitate the behavior of monkeys, thereby showing the greatest respect to their idol. During religious festivals, bright, colorful processions of thousands of believers move through the streets, carrying images of the monkey god. The participants in the celebrations were filled with trembling excitement, and, as one witness to such a spectacle wrote, “no one refused to give alms to the numerous beggars sitting along the streets.”

According to Hindu beliefs, anyone who settles in the resting place of the monkey Hanuman will soon be overtaken by death. There are special “clairvoyants” who are invited to find out whether the remains of a monkey are buried in the place chosen to build a house.

It goes without saying that among religious Hindus, offending a sacred monkey is considered a grave sin, which some irresponsible people take advantage of by “inviting” monkeys to “annoy” an enemy or a quarrelsome neighbor. For this purpose, they sprinkle rice on the roof of his house. The monkey instantly realizes what’s going on and goes for the treat. And since grains of rice inevitably roll under the tiles that cover the roof, the monkey breaks them off in search of a treat, thus causing considerable damage to the unwanted one. And try to touch her!

Monkeys of the genus langurs ( Presbytis) are considered the fastest primates on earth, capable of running at speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour. They can also jump from one tree to another, 15 meters away. When a monkey gives birth to a baby, the new mother is immediately surrounded by many females, obviously delighted with the addition to the family. The cub is strikingly different in color from adult monkey. In these monkeys, there were cases of killing of cubs when a foreign male took the place of the head of the family. Some scientists explain this violent behavior the fact that females who have lost their offspring quickly become ready to resume sexual life, because they now no longer need to feed the cub with milk. According to scientists, the male knows about this and destroys the offspring left from the previous father.

Another interesting monkey from the langur genus is the common proboscis monkey, or kahau ( Nasalis larvatus), found in the swampy forests of Borneo. Some biologists consider it the most extravagant of all monkey species. The male has an amazing nose, reaching 17 centimeters in length and hanging below the chin. Accurate explanations for this miracle of nature have not yet been found, but it seems that a long nose serves as a resonator for the male with characteristic loud “call signs” reminiscent of “kahau” (hence the second name of the proboscis whale). And the locals call this monkey “blanda,” as they called the first Dutch colonists.

Monkeys can also be found in some temples in Nepal, but here the Rhesus monkey is held in high esteem ( Macaca mulatta). Whole crowds of these tailed creatures roam freely around some Hindu temples. They say that people settled sacred monkeys in temples two thousand years ago - since then they have lived there, generation after generation. Currently, about 300 rhesus macaques permanently reside in the famous Pashupati Temple in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Is it necessary to explain what a comfortable life they lead in this sacred place for Hindus? They are fed everything: rice, ground nuts, and pumpkin! When they go out for a walk, people vie with each other to offer them sweets. Sacred Monkeys are strongly protected by Nepalese laws.

Rhesus macaques can also be seen in the Buddhist temple in Swayambhu - apparently, in ancient times, these animals came here from the forest, and when people fed them, they decided to stay here forever.

Russians purchasing tours to India should be very careful while on the streets of Indian cities. Tourists are rarely threatened by local residents or even criminals; the police treat tourists more than kindly. In large Indian cities there are even special police departments that deal with all issues and problems of tourists.

The worst threat on the streets of Indian cities is macaques. It’s scary to imagine, but in Delhi alone there are more than 10 thousand of them, although of course, the number of street robbers is difficult to accurately determine, because they multiply quite quickly.

Monkeys in India are a sacred animal, and therefore beating, much less killing, them is strictly prohibited, both for local residents and law enforcement officers. According to Indian beliefs, the macaque is the earthly representative of the deity Hanuman, who is quite revered among Hindus. Moreover, Hindu traditions require treating all sacred animals on Tuesday and Saturday. Which, naturally, Indians do regularly. As a result, monkeys feel more than at ease on the streets of Indian cities.

Despite all the tricks of the tailed robbers, it is useless to complain about them, since the police do not react to their antics, and there are simply no other services in India that deal specifically with monkeys. Fully aware of their impunity, the monkeys are creating real “mayhem” on the streets of Delhi.

Monkeys are primarily interested in food supplies. Therefore, when they see something of interest to the monkeys in the hands of the townspeople, they do not hesitate to attack even people. As a result, the monkeys literally snatch packages, bags and other things from the hands of local residents. Moreover, attacks are rarely limited to the theft of food supplies, because they still need to be reached. And the teeth of Indian macaques are quite sharp. That’s why bags or other things torn to shreds are not uncommon.

Monkeys have no less attention to bright and shiny objects. Therefore, mirrors and photographic equipment should be used carefully so as not to attract the attention of four-legged primates.

Reports of incidents involving monkeys appear almost regularly. One of bright examples The outrages caused by the monkeys resulted in the destruction and disruption of the wedding ceremony. An Indian wedding is always accompanied by colorful costumes and a wild feast. Similar activity on one of the streets of Delhi attracted the attention of a whole troop of monkeys. As a result, food supplies were practically destroyed, clothes were torn, and the wedding was disrupted, and some guests needed health care, since wounds caused by the teeth and claws of monkeys can be dangerous.

Interestingly, almost everyone suffers from the monkey invasion - government and public institutions, police officers, local residents, as well as tourists. Therefore, while on the streets of an Indian city, you should not once again attract the attention of four-legged animals. And when coming into contact with them, you should be quite careful, as their bites are very unpleasant and painful.

India is an amazing source of forgotten culture and ancient traditions. All more people go to India to plunge into history, understand how people lived in ancient times, and why so many animals are considered sacred in India.

India is a land of vegetarians, and, probably, the main, but not the only sacred animal of India is the cow (6 letters). However, there is no ban on eating beef in the country and non-Hindus enjoy eating beef and even serve it in restaurants.

If you are asked name the sacred animal of India, there is something to be confused about here, since the elephant, monkey and even snake are considered sacred animals along with the cow in India.

The elephant is a sacred animal in India.

The elephant has become sacred for his hard work, he is like a personal crane, truck, tractor and personal vehicles in the family rolled into one. And the elephant also protected the home and was even used in wars as a ramming weapon or a tank, if you like, the role of elephants in wars is well written in this article.

Why did the monkey become a sacred animal?, it would seem difficult to understand, a crook that does not bring any benefit to the house, and yet the monkey is also a sacred animal for the Indians. You can understand why the monkey is considered a sacred animal by plunging into the Indian epic and remembering the wars between humans and monkeys.

By historical references In ancient times, on the territory of India there lived a people of intelligent monkeys, who were not inferior to people in knowledge and culture and even surpassed them in strength and intelligence. Look on the Internet about wars between people and monkeys, these are not fiction, but historical facts about more ancient civilizations that inhabited the territory of India in ancient times.

The sacred animal of India is the snake.

This representative of the animal world does not evoke sympathy from any person, only fear. And meanwhile the snake is also a sacred animal. In India there is a holiday of snakes, it is called, in my opinion, Nagapanchami - if I have not misinterpreted its sound, on this day it is customary to treat snakes with milk and rice, and flowers are brought to snake holes.

Why is the snake called a sacred animal in India? Apparently, this is also the history of human development in parallel with the intelligent branch of reptiles.

It is generally accepted that Hindi is spoken in India; encyclopedias write that Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the world. But, unfortunately, if you learn Hindi and go to India to travel, you will be very disappointed there - you will not be able to communicate in it, since Hindi is a generalized name for several thousand local dialects, and it is spoken only in the north of the country. You better teach English language, India has long been an English colony, and many residents still communicate in it.

India is a complex country - vibrant in its decorations, as wise as its history with sacred animals, with traditions and knowledge that have come from the depths of millennia.

Order - Primates / Suborder - Dry-nosed / Infraorder - Apes / Parvoorder - Narrow-nosed monkeys/ Superfamily - Dog-headed / Family - Marmosets / Genus - Macaques

History of the study

Indian macaque, or bonnet macaque (lat. Macaca radiata) is one of the species of macaques.

The Indian macaque was identified as a separate species of its family, the marmosets, in the early 19th century, in 1812. However, until now, for more than two hundred years, there has been a debate about their further classification, since many believe that there are two more subspecies of these animals. However, no one can yet accurately determine and confirm the presence of such diversity, since even if there are other species, they live in very close connection with each other.

Spreading

Habitats of the species: mountainous rainforests India, sometimes go to cities.

Appearance

Adults, both male and female, have approximately the same height - from 40 to 60 cm. However, their sexual division can be distinguished differently external sign– proportionality of the tail. With the same body length, the length of their tails ranges from 55 cm (in females) to 70 cm (in males). The mass of primates of this species is small. So in females the weight is about five kilograms, and in males 7–8 kg.

The structure of the head of bonnet macaques has its own characteristics. They have a completely flat profile, and their skin painted light brown. Also in its structure you can find cheek pouches, which is explained by their type of nutrition. As a rule, they store small plants and nuts in these compartments.

The color of the coat has a light brown tint and is almost uniform, as is its strong density.

Lifestyle

The ideal habitat for these animals is the tropical forests of India, which are located in mountainous areas. Slopes are most comfortable for these monkeys, which every now and then descend to the ground. They are diurnal animals and sleep at night on tree branches.

Indian macaques live in large flocks. Thus, on one branched tree located on a slope, a friendly family of up to 80 individuals can huddle.

The hierarchical system of relationships is based on maternal kinship. Young females remain in their native herd even after reaching sexual maturity, while males at this age are forced to leave the herd.

Nutrition

The macaque feeds on ripe fruits, leaves, insects, as well as crops on agricultural plantations - grains, rice, peanuts, coconuts and coffee beans.

Number

Thanks to such large communities, as well as the unpretentious nature of their habitat and animal protection measures in India, Indian bonnet macaques are not in danger of extinction in the near future.