The mermaid in Southeast Asia’s Ramayana

The story of Hanuman falling in love underwater with the mermaid daughter of Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, is not a tale one would encounter in Valmiki’s Ramayana. In Southeast Asia though, it is a much-beloved story told and retold over many generations.

Unlike the proliferation of merpeople as fantastical creatures in folklore and mythological traditions of other cultures, Suvannamaccha — Suvarnamatsya in Sanskrit — the Golden Mermaid is perhaps a rare example in our storytelling oeuvre. While fantastical aquatic creatures are scarce in traditional Indian mythology, the concept isn't entirely absent. Vishnu's avatars, Matsya (fish) and Kurma (tortoise), showcase a rich imagination associated with water beings. Suvannamaccha, the Golden Mermaid, is a distinct addition woven into the Ramayana tapestry of Southeast Asia, particularly prominent in Reamker, Cambodia's epic poem and Ramakien, Thailand's national epic.

The story unfolds as Hanuman, the valiant monkey god in Hinduism and his Vanara army of anthropomorphic monkeys embark on the monumental task of building a bridge to Lanka to help Rama rescue his wife Sita from the clutches of Ravana. With the rocks mysteriously disappearing the next day, Hanuman dives down to the depths of the sea and encounters a band of mermaids stealing the rocks, led by the mesmerising Suvannamaccha. He launches repeated attacks on her but she manages to evade him every time, and over the course of this battle, Hanuman falls in love with her. He abandons his forceful approach and showers her with tenderness instead of attacks until she too returns his love and they spend a blissful period underwater.

One day, Hanuman questions Suvannamaccha's motive for hindering the bridge construction. She reveals she was acting on her father Ravana's orders. Upon learning the true purpose of the bridge from Hanuman, Suvannamaccha has a change of heart and she promises to return all of the stolen rocks. She also gives birth to Hanuman's son, Macchanu, a character missing from Valmiki’s Ramayana. With a vanara’s torso and the lower body of a fish, Macchanu opposes Hanuman later during a battle with Ravana’s army. Interestingly, in Valmiki’s Ramayana, Hanuman has a son named Makaradhwaja, born out of his sweat, as Valmiki’s Hanuman remained celibate for eternity.

Several murals, Thai silk paintings, illustrations, sepia paper art, sculptures and even paper and cloth charms depict the mermaid daughter of Ravana (Thotsakan in Thai) entangled in amorous embraces with Hanuman. The widely popular Southeast Asian legend is also performed as Robam Sovann Maccha, a traditional Cambodian dance. Dated to the 7th century, it was performed as a temple ritual during the Angkor period and is a famous piece in the repertoire of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia today.

This curious reimagination of the celibate Hanuman as a passionate lover reminds us that as cultural, religious and social beliefs and practices traverse the porous boundaries between different regions, we are gifted with a whole new world of imagination, retellings and new stories. Such stories serve as a testament to the transformative power of cultural exchange.

Discover Indian Art is a monthly column that delves into fascinating stories on art from across the sub-continent, curated by the editors of the MAP Academy. Find them on Instagram as @map_academy