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Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

Hindu temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

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History

The temple was founded by the poet-saint Tulsidas, author of the Ramcharitmanas, on the site where he is believed to have had a vision of Hanuman. According to tradition, Tulsidas composed a substantial portion of the epic at this shrine. The temple attracts thousands of worshippers, particularly on Tuesdays and Saturdays, days considered auspicious for Hanuman. In Hindu astrology, Hanuman is believed to protect devotees from the malefic influences of planets, particularly Shani (Saturn) and Mangala (Mars); consequently, many pilgrims visit the temple seeking astrological remedies.

The legend of Tulsidas's meeting with Hanuman—who attended the poet's katha disguised as an elderly leper before leading him to the wooded clearing where the temple stands—was first recorded in the Bhaktirasa bodhini, Priyadas's commentary on the Bhaktamal (c. 1713). According to Philip Lutgendorf, the inner shrine houses a stone image of Hanuman attributed to Tulsidas's era. Most of the complex's modern structures were built in the mid 20th century as the site grew in prominence following the southward expansion of Varanasi and the establishment of Banaras Hindu University. An eight-and-a-half-acre semi-wild preserve, home to troops of monkeys, surrounds the temple grounds.

The temple is an important centre for performances of the Ramcharitmanas. Philip Lutgendorf, describing it in the early 1980s, noted that devotees recite the epic before the main shrine every morning and evening—especially the Sundar Kand, which celebrates Hanuman's exploits. Professional expounders discourse on the poem in the temple courtyard every afternoon, the temple holds twice-yearly exposition (katha) festivals, and on Hanuman Jayanti, groups from across the city sing the epic through the night. The temple also sponsors the Tulsi Ghat Ramlila, an eighteen-day production of the epic staged during the Dussehra season, whose organising committee dates from 1933 but which claims to continue a tradition begun by Tulsidas himself.

Terrorist incident

On 7 March 2006, one of three explosions hit the temple while the aarti was in progress in which numerous worshippers and wedding attendees were participating. The crowd helped each other in the rescue operation after the explosion. The next day a large number of devotees resumed their worship as usual.

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