Flying Hanuman

Hanuman is most prominently featured in the Indian epic <em>Ramayana</em>, which had gained popularity in Cambodia by the 600s. In a dramatic scene from the epic, Hanuman, who is able to fly, raises his left hand in a gesture meaning "Fear not!" In his raised right hand he carries an antidote to a poison that has rendered the hero Rama and his brother paralyzed and dying. This antidote from the Himalaya Mountains will restore them to full vigor so that they will be able to win the war against the demons and rescue Rama's wife Sita. The garment's wide parallel pleat lines, the swinging flared swath between his legs, the tiered conical crown, and the broad volumes of the chest are stylistic hallmarks of Khmer art of the tenth century.