Vanara
Vānara (Sanskrit: वानर) refers to a group of people living in forests in the Hindu epic Ramayana and its various versions. In Ramayana, the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. In Ramayana, it says Indrajit killed 670 million Vanara's in a single day, nearly exterminated the entire half man-half monkey race.
Identification
There are three main theories about the etymology of the word "Vanara":
It derives from the word vana ("forest"), and means "belonging to the forest" or "forest-dwelling".
It derives from the words vana ("forest") and nara ("man"), thus meaning "forest man".
It derives from the words vav and nara, meaning "is it a man?" or "perhaps he is man".
Although the word Vanara has come to mean "monkey" over the years and the Vanaras are depicted as monkeys in the popular art, their exact identity is not clear. Unlike other exotic creatures such as the rakshasas, the Vanaras do not have a precursor in the Vedic literature. The Ramayana presents them as humans with reference to their speech, clothing, habitations, funerals, consecrations etc. It also describes their monkey-like characteristics such as their leaping, hair, fur and a tail.