Vali, Sugreeva and Hanuman have key roles in Valmiki's famous epic, Ramayana. They were the offspring of indra, king of the devas, Surya, the sun-god, and Pavana, the wind-god respectively, taking birth in the mokey tribe to help Vishnu when he was manifest on earth as Rama to destroy the evil Ravana.

Vali became the king of Kishkindha. He loved sugreeva, his brother. But a misunderstanding separated them and they became sworn enemies. Banished from Kishkindha, Sugreeva went to the Rishyamuka Mountains and lived in hiding there. One day, Rama came there in search of Sita, his wife, who had been carried away by Ravana. The events that followed are interestingly retold in our book.