HANUMAN JAYANTI

12th April 2025

Hindu

Hanuman Jayanti is a Hindu festival which recalls the birth of Lord Rama’s supreme devotee, the monkey-headed Hanuman, whose feats figure in the Ramayana epic. Hanuman’s birth is celebrated at sunrise on the full-moon day of the lunar month of Chaitra.

Hindus believe in ten avatars of Lord Vishnu among a multitude of other gods and goddesses. One of Vishnu’s avatars is Rama, whom he became to destroy Ravana, the evil ruler of Lanka. In order to aid Rama in this undertaking, Brahma commanded some gods and goddesses to take on the avatar of ‘Vanaras‘ or monkeys. Pavana, the god of the wind, was reborn as Hanuman, the wisest, swiftest and strongest of all apes.

Hanuman, the mighty fighter who aided Lord Rama in his expedition against evil forces, has become one of the most popular deities in the Hindu pantheon. Believed to be the eleventh avatar of Lord Shiva, he is worshipped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance, and devotion. His story in the epic Ramayana – where he is assigned the responsibility of locating Rama’s wife Sita, who had been abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka – is known for its ability to equip those who read it with all the ingredients they need to face ordeals and conquer obstructions in this world.

The character of Hanuman teaches us of the unlimited power that lies unused within each of us. Hanuman directed all his energies towards the worship of Lord Rama, and his undying devotion made him such that he became free from physical fatigue. Hanuman’s only desire was to go on serving Rama. He perfectly exemplifies ‘Dasyabhava devotion’ – one of the nine types of devotion – that bonds the master and the servant. His greatness lies in his complete dedication to his Lord, which also formed the basis of his genial qualities.

Hanuman accordingly has become a model of devotion, strength, knowledge, divine power, bravery, intelligence, and the spirit of selfless service. He devoted his life to his Lord, Rama, and to Mata Sita and never displayed his bravery and intelligence without a specific purpose. He is worshipped in different ways by his many devotees: some meditate by repeating his name many times; others read the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’.

People worship Hanuman as a symbol of devotion, magical powers, strength and energy. Those who read the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ do so since it gives the ability to conquer evil spirits and provide peace to the mind. Devotees visit Hanuman temples after a holy bath in the early morning, apply a red tilak (vermillion) to the forehead of the Hanuman image, offer prasad, perform aarti by chanting mantras and songs, circulate around the temple and perform many other rituals. As Lord Hanuman was born to the Vanara community, he had a reddish/orange coloured body, and in Hanuman temples his image is also reddish/orange in colour. After puja, people apply red sindur to their own foreheads as a form of prasad and distribute laddoo prasad among others to receive a blessing from Hanuman.