Hanuman Jayanti 2022: Date, puja timing, history, significance of the festival

Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Hanuman, the monkey god and the ardent devotee of Lord Rama. The festival is celebrated on full moon day during the month of Chaitra. On this day, devotees of Lord Hanuman visit temples to worship him and offer him the bhog of boondi, laddoo and paan among other things.

Date

This year Hanuman Jayanti falls on April 16. According to Drikpanchang, Purnima Tithi begins from 02:25 am on April 16, 2022 and ends at 12:24 am on April 17, 2022.

Significance

Worshipping Lord Hanuman is said to protect people from evil and help emerge victorious. While the festival is celebrated on different days across the country, most popularly it is celebrated during Chaitra. The celebrations begin early in the morning on Hanuman Jayanti as it is believed that the lord was born at sunrise. The devotees also read verses from Ramayana and Mahabharat and perform other prayers on this day.

History

Lord Hanuman is called the son of Vayu and is also thus referred to as Pawanputra and Maruti Nandan which translate to son of Wind God. His other names are Sankatmochan and Dukhbhanjan as he is believed to help people get rid of their problems and sorrows. Hanuman was born to Anjana who was a cursed apsara. She was redeemed from the curse after giving birth to Hanuman. According to legend, Anjana and her husband Kesari prayed to Rudra for a child and by his direction, Vayu transferred his male energy to Anjana’s womb and this is the reason Hanuman is known as the son of Vayu.

Hanuman devotees often apply a tilak of sindoor on their heads. There is a story behind it. As per a legend, when Lord Hanuman saw Sita Mata applying sindoor on her forehead, he asked her why she did it and she replied it was for long life of her husband. Lord Hanuman then smeared his entire body with sindoor to ensure immortality of Lord Rama.

Different names of Hanuman Jayanti

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the day is called Hanuman Jayanthi and the celebrations last for 41 days starting with Chaitra Purnima and ending on the tenth day during Krishna Paksha in Vaishakha month. In Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, the day is called Hanumath Jayanthi and observed during Margashirsha Amavasya. In Karnataka, Hanuman Jayanti is known as Hanuman Vratam.