thumb|[[Rama and Vanara chiefs|300x300px]]
In Hinduism, Vanara () are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people. Monier-Williams says it is probably derived from vanar (lit. "wandering in the forest") and means "forest-animal" or monkey. or "perhaps he is man".
Identification
thumb|left|alt=A 20th-century painting depicting a scene from Ramayana, wherein Vanaras are shown building a bridge to [[Lanka|A 20th-century painting depicting a scene from the Ramayana, in which Vanaras are building a bridge to Lanka.]]
Although the word Vanara has come to mean "monkey" over the years and the Vanaras are depicted as monkeys in the popular art, their exact identity is not clear. The Ramayana presents them as humans with reference to their speech, clothing, habitations, funerals, weddings, consecrations etc. It also describes their monkey-like characteristics such as their leaping, hair, fur and a tail. Aiyanagar suggests that though the poet of the Ramayana may have known that vanaras were actually forest-dwelling people, he may portrayed them as real monkeys with supernatural powers and many of them as 's (portions) of the gods to make the epic more "fantastic".
G. Ramdas, based on Ravana's reference to the Vanaras' tail as an ornament, infers that the "tail" was actually an appendage in the dress worn by the men of the Savara tribe.
In the Ramayana
thumb|[[Sampati meeting with Vanaras painted by Balasaheb Pandit Pant Pratinidhi]]
Vanaras are created by Brahma to help Rama in battle against Ravana. They are powerful and have many godly traits. Taking Brahma's orders, the gods began to parent sons in the zion of Kishkindha (identified with parts of present-day Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra). Rama first met them in Dandaka Forest, during his search for Sita. An army of Vanaras helped Rama in his search for Sita, and also in battle against Ravana, Sita's abductor. Nala and Nila built a bridge over the ocean so that Rama and the army could cross to Lanka. As described in the epic, the characteristics of the Vanara include being amusing, childish, mildly irritating, badgering, hyperactive, adventurous, bluntly honest, loyal, courageous, and kind.
Other texts
The Vanaras also appear in other texts, including Mahabharata. The epic Mahabharata describes them as forest-dwelling, and mentions their being encountered by Sahadeva, the youngest Pandava.
Shapeshifting
In the Ramayana, the Vanara Hanuman changes shape several times. For example, while he searches for the kidnapped Sita in Ravana's palaces on Lanka, he contracts himself to the size of a cat, so that he will not be detected by the enemy. Later on, he takes on the size of a mountain, blazing with radiance, to show his true power to Sita.
Notable Vanaras
thumb|Sculpture of [[Hanuman, a warrior among the Vanaras, carrying the Dronagiri mountain]]
- Angada, son of Vali, successor of Sugriva, who helped Rama find his wife Sita
- Anjana, Hanuman's mother
- Hanuman, devotee of the god Rama and son of Vayu
- Kesari, Hanuman's father
- Mainda and Dvivida, sons of Ashvins
- Macchanu, son of Hanuman (per the Cambodian and Thai versions)
- Makardhwaja, son of Hanuman (per the Indian versions)
- Nala, son of Vishwakarma
- Nila, son of Agni
- Rumā, wife of Sugriva
- Sharabha, son of Parjanya
- Sugriva, king of Kishkindha, son of Surya
- Sushena, son of Varuna
- Taar, son of Brihaspati
- Tara, wife of Vali
- Vali, Sugriva's brother and son of Indra