Thai Rubbing from the South Wall of the Temple of Wat Po, Bangkok: Hanuman Kills Giants and the Elephant They Ride
Thoroughly alarmed by this time, Totsagan consults with his courtiers to discover a sure method of killing the apparently invulnerable captive. His chief adviser whispers in his ear. Totsagan smiles and nods approval. Messengers hurry away at the demon's bidding, and all eyes turn to the door of the courtyard.
There is a wild trumpeting, the doors open, and in lumbers a huge bull elephant. The beast is in musth and, seeing Hanuman in the center of the courtyard and goaded on by its mahout, bellows again wildly. Hanuman calmly lays himself flat on the ground and permits the beast to trample and kneel on him to its heart's content. But when he tires of its ineffectual stomping, what does the Son of the Wind do? Up he leaps with a great cry, hurls the mahout to death on the flags of the yard, and tears the head off the elephant with as little effort as if he were dealing with a fly. He throws the bloody head among the courtiers. "What next?" he enquires cheerfully.
