Hanuman Jayanti marks Lord Hanuman's birthday. The janmotsav of this devoted bhakt of Lord Ram is celebrated on different days across India.
Chaitra Purnima, which falls on April 13 this year, is when much of northern India honours the deity. Odisha will remember him on April 14 on their Pana Sankranti.
The Telugu people do so in the month of Vaisakha. In Karnataka, it is the month of Margashirsha. While in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Dhanu or Margazhi is the chosen month. Let's have a peek at a few notable temples in Hanumanji's honour.
18 km from Hubli, it attracts scores of worshippers every Saturday and on other auspicious days many more. Sri Vyasatirtha, who was a respected senior pandit of Sri Krishnadevaraya of Hampi's court, did the pratishtapana or consecration of the Hanumanji murthi for the temple in the late 15th century.
A priest performs milk abhishekam (rite) for Lord Hanuman on Hanuman Jayanti at the 16th century Allahabad temple. Situated close to the banks of the Ganga & Yamuna, the god's horizontal position and subterranean location makes him especially sacred when a swollen Ganga laps at his feet.
Along with the Ram Mandir, it is one of the most sacred temples of Ayodhya, close to Ram Janmabhoomi. Considerd a holy site for centuries, a temple in honour of Hanumanji came up around 1855. The deity is 6 inches high and sits in his mother's lap, Anjani. His silver garland is engraved with Lord Ram's name. Hanuman Chalisa verses are on the walls of the temple.
Not the oldest temple to the divine monkey god in Kerala, it is plenty pretty and beautifully erected. The murthi of Lord Hanuman is 5 ft tall. Mavelikara is in Alappuzha district.
Located near Pune's Gokhale Nagar, it is considered one of the older mandirs in Maharashtra dedicated to Hanumanji, whose murthi represents him with 5 heads.
One of three Gaud Saraswat Brahmin temples in this little town, about 35 km from Mangaluru, it is customary to do a round of all three temples in one go. Lord Hanuman receives gifts of many thousands of coconuts each year by devotees who believe he is a top wish-granter. The temple (site) is said to be around 900 years old.
Located at Baba Karak Singh Marg, Connaught Place, in the very heart of Delhi, it is one of the city's oldest temples and boasts silver doors depicting scenes from the Ramayana. According to some historical records the mandir was originally constructed in Emperor Akbar's reign by his general Maharaja Man Singh I of Amber, ie around the 16th century.
At Mylapore, is an 18th century temple to erected by the Salivahana Chettiars, a merchant community from Mysore, that houses a 'self-manifested' murthi of the god discovered while digging at the site. The temple is 225 years old and is also called Mylapore Anjaneyar Devasthanam.
Revered as one of the older shrines to Lord Hanuman in Kerala, apparently dating from 1000 AD, this simple but gorgeous temple, south of Kozhikode, near Tirur, is close to the Ponnani river. Hanuman shares space with other powerful deities but has great prominence in this mandir and he gives it its name.
Another rather old and beautiful temple for Hanumanji in Saroornagar area of Hyderabad, it was built in the 12th century by a Kakatiya maharaja, who, according to legend, heard, in his dreams, Lord Ram telling him to build a temple.
An ancient temple of Odisha, built in Kalinga Buddhist style, the shrine is one of the eight Astasambhu shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in the city, and within its precincts is a much-loved two-armed Shri Hanuman. It is the site of vigorous Hanuman Jayanti celebrations every year.
Many believe that this is one of the oldest Hanuman temples and came into existence 1,500 years ago. A National Heritage site of Pakistan, near Karachi's Soldier Bazarit is protected by the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act. A temple caretaker told The Express Tribune some years ago, 'It is the only temple in the world which has the natural statue of the Hanuman deity and is not man-made'.