Who Is Sugriva (Sugreeva)?
The monkey king who swore friendship with Rama
Sugriva is a prince of the vanaras (the monkey people) in the Ramayana and is said to be the son of Surya, the sun god. His brother Vali took his kingdom and his wife, so he was living in hiding on Mount Rishyamuka with Hanuman and his other followers.
The brothers fell out after Vali chased the demon Mayavi into a cave and did not come out. Thinking Vali was dead, Sugriva became king, and when Vali returned he believed Sugriva had betrayed him. When Sugriva met Rama, he showed him the jewelry Sita had dropped, and the two swore friendship with fire as their witness. With Rama's help he defeated his brother and became king. He then sent search parties in every direction and ordered them to find Sita within a month.
Thanks to this alliance, Rama's fight would be backed by great armies of monkeys and bears.
Episodes featuring this character2
NEWEpisode 7
Before Sun Wukong, There Was HanumanHanuman Meets Rama (Kishkindha Kanda)
Searching for Sita, Rama and Lakshmana head south. Guided by the demon Kabandha and the old ascetic Shabari, they meet Hanuman, son of the wind god. Before a blazing fire, Rama swears friendship with Sugriva, an exiled prince of the monkey folk. But when Rama looses a single arrow to keep his promise, the dying King Vali makes him face what that arrow truly cost.
19 pages
NEWEpisode 8
The Hero Who Forgot His Own StrengthHanuman's Leap to Lanka (Sundara Kanda)
The deadline to find Sita has passed, and the southern search party sits hopeless on the shore of an endless sea—until Sampati, an old vulture with burned wings, appears. Hanuman has never believed in himself, but Jambavan, elder of the bears, reminds him of the power he was made to forget. With Rama's ring held close, Hanuman clears in a single leap a sea that would take even a bird days to cross.
19 pages