They Set His Tail on Fire. Bad Idea.

Ravana's men thought it was funny. Hanuman burned their whole city.

After delivering Rama's message to Sita in the Ashoka garden, Hanuman lets himself be caught and brought before the demon king Ravana. Ravana laughs and orders Hanuman's tail to be wrapped in cloth and set on fire. Hanuman makes his tail grow longer and longer, jumps from rooftop to rooftop, and turns the whole golden city of Lanka into a warning Ravana will never forget.

A Monkey in a Garden

Deep inside the island of Lanka, hidden behind tall white walls, there was a beautiful garden full of red ashoka trees. It was called the Ashoka Vatika.

In that garden, sitting under one of the trees, was Sita.

She had been there for many months. Ravana had taken her, and she was waiting for Rama to come and find her. Demon women sat all around her, watching her every minute.

And up in the branches of one of the trees, hidden among the red leaves, was a small grey monkey.

Not just any monkey. Hanuman.

He had flown across the ocean. He had jumped over walls. He had searched the whole city of Lanka. And finally, just a moment ago, he had found her. He had given her Rama's ring as proof. He had told her that the rescue was coming.

Now Hanuman could have flown straight back to Rama. His job was done.

But Hanuman was a clever little monkey. He thought to himself, "I have come all this way. Let me also send a message to that proud demon king. Let me show him what one little messenger of Rama can do."

And he had a plan.

Wrecking the Garden on Purpose

Hanuman jumped down from the tree. He grew bigger and bigger, until he was as tall as the tree itself. And he started to break things.

He pulled up red ashoka trees by the roots. He broke marble fountains. He smashed beautiful swings. He kicked down little garden temples.

The demon women screamed and ran for the palace.

"A monkey! A giant monkey is breaking the king's garden!"

Guards came running with swords. Hanuman fought them off easily. He was the son of the wind. They were just regular soldiers. He flicked them aside like leaves.

More and more guards came. Whole armies of them. Hanuman defeated each wave laughing, sometimes with a tree, sometimes with a broken pillar, sometimes with just his tail.