Rama awards Hanuman a city
(Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok)
Rama awards Hanuman a city of his own to govern, as shown in a deep blue-tinted mural detail at the Emerald Buddha Temple. Late at night, Rama sits on an outdoor palace platform with his brother Laksman perching nearby to look over the scene. Hanuman kneels below Rama with clasped hands. The allied monkey kings sit at Hanuman’s side inside a walled palace fence.
The clothes and jewelry of both Rama and the monkey kings are painted in gold leaf, which sparkles on the predominantly dark blue scene. The monkey royals watch as Rama tells Hanuman that he will reward Hanuman’s faithful service in the rescue of Sita by giving him a nearby city within the kingdom of Ayudhya. Hanuman is immediately pleased with this honor.
