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Northern plains grey langur
हनुमान लंगूर (Hanuman langur)
A tall, slender, silver-grey monkey with a black face, black hands and a tail far longer than its body. It is quieter than the rhesus macaque: it eats leaves and flowers and does not raid bags.
👀 How to recognise it
Silver-grey body, black face and hands, and that enormous tail carried in a loop over the back. Langurs move through the canopy in long leaps; macaques stay on walls and wires.
Protection
Protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Where to see it
Delhi
Named for Hanuman and rarely harmed anywhere in north India, which is the main reason it survives inside towns at all.
Sanjay Van · Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary (Neeli Jheel) · Aravalli Biodiversity Park (often)
Mathura
The grey langur is Hanuman's monkey, which is why it is fed at shrines and never driven off, and why troops sit on temple roofs with no one minding. Around Mahavan and Gokul they share the groves with the macaques but keep to the treetops.
Brahmand Ghat, Mahavan (often) · Raman Reti, Gokul (often)
Ajmer
The langur is identified with Hanuman throughout northern India, which is why it is left alone even where it raids gardens. Rajasthan has both this species and the rhesus macaque, and they share the same hills without interbreeding.
Maharana Pratap Smarak & Nag Pahar Ridge (often) · Daulat Bagh (Subhash Udyan)
Pushkar
The Hindi name ties the species to Hanuman, and the black face and hands are explained in the Ramayana story as burns taken when he set Lanka alight. Rajasthan has both this langur and the rhesus macaque, and they use the same hills without mixing.
Naga Pahar (Snake Mountain) (often) · Pushkar Lake
Rishikesh
Named for Hanuman and rarely harmed anywhere in north India, which is the main reason it survives inside towns at all.
Neelkanth Mahadev Temple · Phool Chatti Waterfall (often) · Garud Chatti Waterfall (often)
Ujjain
Named for Hanuman and rarely harmed anywhere in north India, which is the main reason it survives inside towns at all.
Dewas Tekri (Mata Tekri) · Naulakhi Eco Tourism Park (often)