हनुमान जन्मोत्सव

The tradition & historical record

Hanuman Jayanti (Sanskrit: हनुमानजयंती, romanized: Hanumānajayantī), also called Hanuman Janmotsava, is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of the Hindu deity Hanuman, one of the protagonists of the Ramayana and its many versions. Hanuman is regarded to be an ardent devotee of Rama, and is widely known for his unflinching devotion. He is revered as a symbol of strength. The celebration of Hanuman Jayanti varies by time and tradition in each state of India. In most northern states of India, the festival is observed on the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Chaitra (Chaitra Purnima). In Telugu states, it is celebrated on Bahula (Shukla Paksha) Dashami in Vaishakha month according to Telugu calendar. In Karnataka, it is observed on Shukla Paksha Trayodashi, during the Margashirsha month or in Vaishakha, while in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated during the month of Dhanu (called Margazhi in Tamil). It s observed on Pana Sankranti in the eastern state of Odisha, which coincides with the Odia New Year. ¹

Hanuman is a vanara, born to Kesari and Anjana. He is also known as the celestial son of Vayu, the wind-god. His mother, Anjana, was an apsara who was born on earth due to a curse. She was redeemed from this curse upon giving birth to a son. Several accounts Hanuman's birth are described in different Hindu texts. The Varaha Purana and Brahmanda Purana mention that shortly after the birth of Hanuman, he leapt toward the Sun, mistaking it for a fruit. The place from where he made the jump was Venkatagiri. After Lord Brahma and Lord Indra attacked him with their weapons, he fell down and Anjana Devi started crying for her son. To pacify her, the gods descended on Venkatachalam and bestowed several boons on Hanuman and said the place would be called Anjanadri Hill. That's why in seven hills Thirumala one hill got Anjanadri. ¹

The Valmiki Ramayana states that his father, Kesari, was the son of Brihaspati, the king of a region named Sumeru, located near the kingdom of Kishkindha near Hampi in present-day Vijayanagara district of Karnataka. Anjana is said to have performed intense prayers lasting twelve years to Shiva to bear a child. Pleased with their devotion, Shiva granted them the son they sought. Eknath's Bhavartha Ramayana states that when Anjana was worshiping Rudra, King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was also performing the ritual of Putrakameshti under the guidance of Sage R̥śyaśr̥ṅga in order to have children. As a result, he received some payasam (Indian pudding) to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. By divine ordinance, a kite (bird) snatched a fragment of that pudding and dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in worship. Vayu, delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as a result. ¹

Hanuman is worshipped as a deity with the ability to gain victory over evil and provide protection. On this festival, devotees of Hanuman celebrate him and seek his protection, courage, fearlessness and blessings. They join in temples to worship him and present religious offerings. In return, the devotees receive prasadam. People who revere him read from Hindu texts like the Hanuman Chalisa and Ramayana. Devotees visit temples and apply a vermillion to their foreheads from Hanuman's murti. According to legend, when Hanuman found Sita applying sinduram to her forehead, he enquired about this custom. She replied that doing so would ensure a long life for her husband, Rama. Hanuman then proceeded to smear his entire body with vermillion, thus ensuring Rama's immortality. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on the new moon day in Margali (Dhanu) month. Famous Hanuman temples in these states like Nanganallur, Namakkal, Suchindram, Thrikkaviyoor and Alathiyoor celebrate this day with pomp. In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated for 41 days, beginning on Chaitra Purnima, and concluding on the tenth day during Krishna Paksha in Vaishaka. In Maharashtra, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on the full moon day (pūrnima) of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra. A special feature of Hanuman Jayanti is that according to some religious almanacs (panchāngs) the birthday of Hanuman falls on the fourteenth day (chaturdashi) in the dark fortnight of the month of Ashvin, while according to others it falls on the full moon day in the bright fortnight of Chaitra. On this day in a Hanuman temple, spiritual discourses begin at dawn since Hanuman is believed to have been born during sunrise. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Hanuman Jayanti”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Hanuman Jayanti is Birthday of Lord Hanuman, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²