India GO
Hanuman: the monkey god of strength and devotion
हनुमान्
Hanuman is the vanara (monkey) devotee of Rama and one of the most loved gods in India, an image of strength and of complete devotion at once. The Ramayana makes him the son of the wind god Vayu; Shaiva traditions see him as a form of Shiva. People turn to him for courage and protection from trouble, Tuesdays and Saturdays are his days, and the Hanuman Chalisa, forty verses by the poet Tulsidas, is known by heart by millions.
Story
He leapt across the sea to Lanka, brought a whole mountain when he could not find the healing herb on it, and tore open his chest to show Rama and Sita in his heart. The Hanuman Chalisa, forty verses, is known by heart by millions.
Family and companions
devotee_of
Festivals
✅ Symbols and iconography
He is shown either as a hero, in a pose of power, or as a servant, kneeling with folded hands.
- Mace — The gada, his weapon of choice; Tulsidas also gives him a flag.
- Mountain in hand — The Himalayan peak he carried to Lanka with the healing herb on it (see below).
- Open chest — Hanuman tearing open his chest to show Rama and Sita in his heart: devotion made visible.
- Orange-red — Temple images are coated in sindoor (vermilion) mixed with oil, which is why his shrines glow orange.
- Names — Bajrang Bali, "the strong one with limbs hard as the vajra", the thunderbolt-diamond (by Indra's boon his body is as strong as it); Maruti and Pavanputra as son of the wind; Anjaneya as son of Anjana.
The key stories
Hanuman is born to Anjana and the monkey chief Kesari, and in Valmiki's Ramayana he is also the son of Vayu. As a child, the story goes, he takes the rising sun for a ripe fruit and leaps to eat it; Indra's thunderbolt strikes his jaw, which gives one reading of his name, "with a damaged jaw". To make amends the gods grant him strength and protection from fire and water. A sage's curse later makes him forget his powers until they are needed.
In the Ramayana he serves Sugriva, the monkey king who becomes [Rama](/en/deities/rama/)'s ally. Sent south to find Sita, he is reminded of his strength by the bear Jambavan, leaps across the sea to Lanka and finds her in a grove. Captured, he has his tail set on fire and burns much of the city with it. In the war, when Lakshmana lies mortally wounded, he flies to the Himalayas for a healing herb and, unable to tell which plant it is, brings back the whole mountain. A later, much-loved episode has him tear open his chest to prove that Rama and Sita live in his heart.
He is counted among the chiranjivis, the immortals.
How he is worshipped
Hanuman temples are busiest on Tuesdays and Saturdays, when some devotees fast. He is worshipped beside Rama and Sita in Vaishnava temples and also on his own, and he is popular with Shaivas too. Later literature made him a patron of martial arts, of meditation and of study alike, and in 18th-century Pune the Peshwas endowed more Hanuman temples than those of any other god.
The Hanuman Chalisa, forty verses written by Tulsidas in the 16th century, is the text most people recite, often every Tuesday. The short mantra on this page, Om Hanumate namah, is a simple salutation: "homage to Hanuman".
Hanuman temples
Every town has a Hanuman shrine; these are the ones people travel for.
Delhi
The [Jhandewalan Hanuman temple](/en/delhi/jhandewalan-hanuman-temple/) in Karol Bagh, with its 108-foot statue and an entrance through a demon's mouth; and the old Hanuman temple at Connaught Place, claimed as one of five temples in Delhi dating from the days of the Mahabharata.
Jaipur
Khole ke Hanuman ji, about 9 km from the city on Lakshman Dungri hill in the Aravallis, where worship of a large Hanuman image began in the 1960s.
Ayodhya and Varanasi
Hanuman Garhi in Ayodhya, near the Ram Janmabhoomi; and Sankat Mochan in Varanasi, on the Assi river, founded by Tulsidas where he is believed to have had a vision of Hanuman.
Across India
Jakhu temple on Shimla's highest hill, at 2,455 m, with a 108-foot statue; the oldest known independent Hanuman temple, at Khajuraho, from about 922 CE; and Anjanadri Hill at Tirumala, held in one tradition to be his birthplace.
Festivals
[Hanuman Jayanti](/en/festivals/hanumana-jayanti/), his birthday, is kept across much of India on the full moon of Chaitra (March–April), while Tamil Nadu and Kerala keep it in Margazhi (December–January); devotees gather at his temples before sunrise for recitations. He is a central figure in the Ramlila plays that lead up to [Dussehra](/en/festivals/dussehra/), and on [Ram Navami](/en/festivals/ram-navami/) he rides in the chariot processions with Rama, Sita and Lakshmana.
❓ FAQ
Who is Hanuman?
The vanara devotee of Rama in the Ramayana, son of the wind god Vayu, worshipped as the god of strength, courage and selfless devotion. He is one of the chiranjivis, the immortals.
Why do people worship Hanuman?
For courage, strength and protection from trouble: Sankat Mochan, one of his names, means "reliever from troubles". He is also the model of devotion to God.
What is the Hanuman mantra?
The short mantra is Om Hanumate namah, "homage to Hanuman". Most devotees recite the Hanuman Chalisa, especially on Tuesdays.
Are Ganesha and Hanuman the same?
No. Ganesha is the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati; Hanuman is the monkey devotee of Rama, son of Vayu. Both are prayed to for removing obstacles and trouble, which may be why they are confused.
Why is Hanuman orange?
His temple images are coated with sindoor, an orange-red vermilion, mixed with oil.