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Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

By the Assi river, near Durgakund and Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

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Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple
Photo: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0

About

Sankat Mochan, 'the one who frees us from troubles', is the best-loved Hanuman temple of Varanasi. It stands in a quiet, tree-filled campus by the Assi river, on the way to Banaras Hindu University and the Durga temple. The temple is linked with Goswami Tulsidas, the poet-saint of the Ramcharitmanas, who is believed to have founded it. Every Tuesday and Saturday long lines of devotees come to offer laddoos of besan and pure ghee, and garlands of marigold and tulsi, and to recite the Hanuman Chalisa and the Sundarkand. The temple is also known for the Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh, a festival of classical music and dance held every year around Hanuman Jayanti.

The story

Goswami Tulsidas spent many years in Kashi and wrote a large part of the Ramcharitmanas here. The story of how he met Hanuman ji was first written down in 'Bhaktirasa Bodhini', Priyadas's commentary on the Bhaktamal, around 1713. It says Hanuman ji used to come to Tulsidas's Ram katha disguised as an old, sick man. When Tulsidas recognised him, Hanuman ji led him to a clearing in the forest, and there Tulsidas had his darshan. Devotees believe the temple stands on that very spot and that Tulsidas himself installed the murti of Hanuman ji. Tradition also says Tulsidas composed a large part of the Ramcharitmanas sitting at this shrine. Most of today's buildings date from the twentieth century, but the inner shrine is old. The temple still lives by the Ramcharitmanas: the epic, especially the Sundarkand, is recited before Hanuman ji morning and evening, katha is held in the courtyard, and during Dussehra the temple supports the Ramlila at Tulsi Ghat.

Visiting

October to March is pleasant; Tuesdays, Saturdays and Hanuman Jayanti are very crowded. There are many monkeys in the campus, so keep your prasad covered. Nearby are the Durga temple at Durgakund, the new Vishwanath temple in Banaras Hindu University, Tulsi Ghat and Assi Ghat.

Festivals

  • Hanuman Jayanti: a procession from the Durga temple to Sankat Mochan
  • Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh (April, around Hanuman Jayanti)
  • The Tulsi Ghat Ramlila in the Dussehra season

Famous temples

Sources