Sugriva- Hindu DemigodDemigod"King of the Vanaras"
Also known as: Sugreeva, सुग्रीव, and Sugrīva
Description
His brother Vali drove him into exile, stole his wife, and would have killed him, but Sugriva could not be followed to Rishyamukha, where a sage's curse kept Vali at bay. There he met Rama, and a bargain was struck: Vali's death for a vanara army to rescue Sita.
Mythology & Lore
Exile by Vali
Sugriva was the son of the sun god Surya and the vanara woman Arundhati. He and his brother Vali, son of Indra, ruled the vanara kingdom of Kishkindha together. Their bond shattered when Vali pursued the demon Mayavi into a cave and was gone so long that Sugriva believed him dead. Sugriva sealed the entrance with a boulder and returned to Kishkindha, where the ministers crowned him king.
Vali emerged alive, having slain Mayavi, and accused Sugriva of sealing the cave to murder him. He drove Sugriva from Kishkindha and took Sugriva's wife Ruma. Sugriva fled to the mountain Rishyamukha, which Vali could not enter due to a sage's curse. He lived there in exile with a small band of followers, Hanuman among them.
Alliance with Rama
When Rama and Lakshmana arrived searching for the abducted Sita, Hanuman brought them to Sugriva on Rishyamukha. Sugriva showed Rama the ornaments Sita had dropped from Ravana's chariot as she was carried south. Rama agreed to slay Vali and restore Sugriva's kingdom. During a duel between the brothers, Rama shot Vali from behind a tree with a fatal arrow. Sugriva was crowned king and reunited with Ruma.
The Search for Sita
After the rains ended, Sugriva dispatched vanara search parties in all four directions. Hanuman found Sita in Lanka. Sugriva marshalled the entire vanara army and marched south to the ocean. Under his command, the vanaras built the bridge to Lanka, and Sugriva led them across it into the war that killed Ravana and freed Sita.