To mark the birth of Lord Hanuman, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated all over India in the month of Chaitra in Hindu calendar. The great Hanuman is known for its great strength, power and his immortal devotion towards Lord Rama. He is considered to be a greatest follower of Lord Rama and played a crucial role in his life. He is also known as Sankat Mochan who people remember in both good and bad times. He is considered to be as one of the most powerful Hindu gods in India. According to Hindu mythology, as the son of ‘Pawan’, the God of Winds and ‘Anjanee’ often referred to as ‘Pawanputra,’ is blessed with immense physical and mental strength that is greatly inspiring. Lord Hanuman is considered to be the eleventh Rudra manifestation of Lord Shiva. He symbolizes strength and selfless devotion, and his ability and determination to achieve impossible feats has been chronicled in several episodes of the Ramayana. He showed his unconditional love for Lord Ram, who also blessed him and reciprocated his devotion by treating him like a brother.

Hanuman Jayanti is observed on full moon day, which is the 15th day of Shukla Paksha in the Hindu month of Chaitra (April-May). In different parts of India, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated in different months on account of variation in the dates of Hindu calendar followed by different states. In North India, Sankat Mochan Temple in Varanasi and Hanuman Garhi at Ayodhya are the venues of great celebration.

How to Celebrate Hanuman Jayanti

Celebrations on Hanuman Jayanti began early in the day with special puja being performed by devotees. Devotees perform holy Puja in temples dedicated to Sree Hanuman or at Home. People in India organize special prayers for Lord Hanuman to get rid of evil spirits. The God is known for its magical powers. Prayers and Hymns are sung all day long in various Hanuman temples dedicated to the lord. Hanuman is considered as a symbol of Power and great strength in Hindu mythology. He is believed to have carried a whole mountain in his shoulder. On auspicious day of Hanuman Jayanti, People apply red Sindur from Lord’s feet on their foreheads. This is considering being a ritual for good health and good luck.

Some of the important puja rituals include offering red vermillion with ghee to the idol of Hanuman. Red flowers, rui leaves with areca nut, fruits especially bananas, ladoos are offered and diyas are lit. Devotees recite the Hanuman Chalisa and Bajrang Baan and perform ‘arti’. It is believed that Hanuman was born at sunrise, so recitations and poring over religious texts is done at dawn and later ‘prasad’ distribution ceremony is held.

In Western India, the practice of fasting a day before the Hanuman Jayanti is prevalent, whereas in Northern India, the general practice is to observe fasting on the day Hanuman Jayanti is held. Also, it is far more popular among males, especially wrestlers and bodybuilders. It is believed that chanting the Hanuman Chalisa hundred times for hundred days can help one attain the four tenets of Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha.

Hanuman Jayanti is an occasion to remember Lord Hanuman’s unbridled devotion to Lord Rama and his feats of daring. In their quest to fight against Ravana, Lord Hanuman led a monkey army and built a bridge to Lanka. He also carried a whole mountain of magic herbs on his shoulders to restore the life of Lakshman. Thus, the ubiquitous standing statue of Lord Hanuman with his heart stretched out open is at once a metaphoric as well as literal illustration of his infinite devotion to Lord Ram, his wife Sita and brother Lakshman.

In the epic tale of Ramayana, the extraordinary role of Lord Hanuman, an exemplary devotee of Lord Rama, is very well detailed out in situations requiring strength, will-power and courage. Lord Hanuman’s character is lyrically elaborated in Tulsidas’s ‘Hanuman Chalisa’. Also invoked as ‘Sankat Mochan’, Lord Hanuman can avert any ill-effects posed by the nine planets to one’s life as well as save one from the influence of evil spirits. In India, Tuesdays and Saturdays are dedicated to the worship of Lord Hanuman to get his blessings for progress, wisdom and fearlessness.

Significance of Hanuman Jayanti

Lord Hanuman is the embodiment of courage, self-control, highest state of devotion, intellect, sense-control and humility. Hanuman Jayanti is the most auspicious time to worship him to imbibe all his great qualities in our human capacity. It is also said that Lord Hanuman can grant extraordinary powers to a ‘sadhak’ earnestly seeking his blessings on his spiritual journey. The saffron flag near the Hanuman temples in the highways and the hilly regions is a sign of protection against the possibility of any untoward incident or evil energies. He has the boon of immortality, (he is called ‘Chiranjeev’ for this reason), and it is believed he still exists.

When Maa Sita was abducted by Ravana, Hanuman could locate the place of captivity of Mata Sita and used his intellect and power to build an army to reach Lanka and save Sita. Some of the most noticeable episodes in the Ramayana include burning of Lanka with his tail, bringing an entire mountain which had ‘sanjeevani’ or life-saving herbs to save Lakshman’s life. Lord Rama reciprocated his love and devotion by treating him as his brother and blessing him.There is a story about the meeting of Bheem and Lord Hanuman in Mahabharat.

There is a popular belief that worshiping Lord Hanuman will help in removing the hardship caused by Lord Shani or Saturn in astrology. When Lord Hanuman broke the boasting of Lord Shani then he apologized to Hanumanji and promised that he never ever create obstacles in Shri Ram and Hanuman work. To make Hanuman Jayanti, a fruitful day, you can visit Maruti’s temple and worship the deity. As a part of the tradition, red tilak (vermilion mark) is applied on the forehead of Lord Hanuman idol and Ladoos (sweet) are offered.Some of the important puja rituals include offering red vermillion with ghee to the idol of Hanuman. People are seen observing fast (Vrat) on this day. Worshiping Rudra (Bajrangbali) with these rituals will bestow you with blessings and glory of Hanuman or Anjaneya on Hanuman Jayanti. Thus, he will always stand by his sincere devotees.