Dear people in Audarya Fellowship,

I am Levina Susilo, a make-up artist of Cita Hati Theatre Arts Club in Indonesia. We would like to perform Ramayana in the traditional Indian way but we have several questions to ask. I noticed that you have deep understanding of Indian culture, so I really hope that you can answer my questions.

My director asked me whether he can change the color of the Hanuman’s fur to be something else or not? For example, brown, blue, green, yellow, etc. The question now is that it is a must that the color of the Hanuman’s fur should be white? I have found several pictures of hanuman white, green, blue, and even red! But I am not sure what is right. We would like to perform this play in the traditional way it is done in Indian and don’t want to misrepresent the figure of Hanuman as one of the sacred gods of Hindu people when we change the color of the fur. I would also like to ask if there is background history about the fur’s color itself, whether it has special meaning or not.

I really hope that you will reply to this letter, because the answers will be really important for the concept of our story.

Finally, I would like to thank you for responding my letter and the questions. God bless.

i don't think Hanuman would mind if you changed his colour [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Afterall, his true colour was Love for Rama - THAT you must not change!

Anyway, he is usually represented as white haired, or at least fair in colour, but again it doesn't really matter.

Gaea.

Hare Krishna!

Yes, the essence of Indian tradition is love for Godhead and so in Ramayana....Lord Hanuman is famous for his BHAKTI or Unconditional and unflinching Love for His Master Lord Rama.

So, if you are intent to maintain the tradition, we have to convey that message of Love and Devotion from Lord Hanuman to Lord Rama.

Otherwise, as for the fur is conerned, he has been depicted based on the painter. I guess the color would be in the light brown(more beige) to white color of normal skin.

Haribol!

anand

Is the colot of Hanuman's fur mentioned in any scripture?

This is a quote from the Ramayana: "Janaki was startled at the site of Hanuman. He was clad in white , he was modest, sweet-speeched and his appearance was red like the Asoka flowers. His eyes where of tawny brown color."

<center><img src=http://canoeparts.ca/KINGDOM/HanumanPrays.jpg></center>

Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.19.2-4:<blockquote>A host of Gandharvas is always engaged in chanting the glories of Lord RAmacandra. That chanting is always extremely auspicious. HanumAnjI and ArSTiSeNa, the chief person in KimpuruSa-varSa, constantly hear those glories with complete attention. HanumAn chants the following mantras.

Let me please Your Lordship by chanting the bIja-mantra oMkAra. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, who is the best among the most highly elevated personalities. Your Lordship is the reservoir of all the good qualities of Aryans, people who are advanced. Your character and behavior are always consistent, and You always control Your senses and mind. Acting just like an ordinary human being, You exhibit exemplary character to teach others how to behave. There is a touchstone that can be used to examine the quality of gold, but You are like a touchstone that can verify all good qualities. You are worshiped by brAhmaNas who are the foremost of all devotees. You, the Supreme Person, are the King of kings, and therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

The Lord, whose pure form [sac-cid-Ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]] is uncontaminated by the modes of material nature, can be perceived by pure consciousness. In the VedAnta He is described as being one without a second. Because of His spiritual potency, He is untouched by the contamination of material nature, and because He is not subjected to material vision, He is known as transcendental. He has no material activities, nor has He a material form or name. Only in pure consciousness, KRSNa consciousness, can one perceive the transcendental form of the Lord. Let us be firmly fixed at the lotus feet of Lord RAmacandra, and let us offer our respectful obeisances unto those transcendental lotus feet.
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<a href=http://canoeparts.ca/KINGDOM/Xena.mpg>Hanuman in Video</a>

what a lovely picture