The abode of Hanuman

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The abode of Hanuman

 

The Birth of Hanuman, Hinduism's most revered god, is shrouded in the

mists of legends and myths. There may be many stories behind his

birth, but the place where he lived with his group of monkeys is never in

dispute,Kamala Vasudevan tells us.

 

 

 

Ancient India tells stories of sages who renounced worldly life and

entered forests. Their lives were marked by austerity and thoughts on

divinity, often resulting in epics and puranas. Perhaps due to their

closeness with the animal world, the sages credited animals of

possessing intelligence and intuition.

 

It wasn't therefore hard for the sages to see that the primates were

indeed our forerunners and their understanding of them found a mention

in the epics. Sage Valmiki appears no different from others and

Ramayana seems to contain numerous references to his beliefs in the

perceptive abilities of the beasts. Such understandings also gained

credence from pantheism and metempsychosis.

 

Legend says that birth of the monkeys, as exact reproductions of

powerful devas in the company of Lord Vishnu, comes as a precursor to

Ramayana. The hoard of half-monkey and half-humans were created on

the orders of the lord, to assist in his war over Ravana. Hanuman was

thus born as the son of Vayu. His incomparable physical power was

matched by his knowledge of the scriptures, arts and music and

devotion for his lord: Rama.

 

 

There are different versions of Hanuman's birth. One claims he was

conceived to Vayu when his monkey father was away on a war with

demons. The other states that his mother ate a cake meant to conceive

one of Dasaratha's wives. One of oft-told childhood pranks of the

monkey-god was his attempts to catch the Sun, which he mistook for a

ripen fruit and fell to the ground with his jaws burnt (thus getting the

name Hanuman).

 

Kishkinda

 

Ramayana tells us that Kishkinda was the kingdom of the monkeys.

 

The Anegondi area in the northern banks of River Tungabhadra is today

identified as erstwhile Kishkinda. Especially, the wooded hill in

Chakrateertha, on the banks of the river, near Kamalapura, was referred

in Ramayana as Rishyamukha, where Sugriva and his ministers took

refuge, after being driven from the kingdom by Vali.

 

This was also considered the spot where Rama and Lakshmana met

Sugriva, who handed them the jewels of Sitha that fell when Ravana's

aerial car flew over the area.

 

The brothers were assured by the monkeys of all assistance in

searching Sita, in return for Rama's role in getting Kishkinda's throne for

Sugriva. The place's strong association with the epic's protagonist is

represented by two shrines here: Kodandarama and Pattabhirama.

 

Icons in the latter portrays the traditional posture of Rama (Sita on his

lap), ready to be anointed king of Ayodhya, the devote Hanuman leaning

towards him. The Kodandarama temple contains exquisite sculptures of

the trio in the standing posture.

 

Enthrodaraka Hanuman

 

Vyasaraya was a great Madhva Bhakta as well as a great scholar. His

texts on Madhva philosophy like Tatparya Chandrika, Nyayamrita, and

Tarka Tandava are inspiring. An adviser to King Krishnadevaraya, the

admiration of the king for Vyasaraya was evident by the fact that he

would entrust royal duties to him, while he was away on war.

 

Vyasaraya felt the presence of a monkey in the cave-like structure near

the Rama temples, where he sat and meditated. The monkey would

vanish, when he opened his eyes.

 

The guru soon understood who it was. As he prayed to Hanuman one

evening, he composed the song: "Neene Varaguru Mukhyaprana." The

same night, Hanuman appeared in his dream and asked him to install

his idol near Rama.

 

The Acharya started drawing images of Hanuman with a piece of

charcoal next morning, and was astounded to see them vanish one after

another.

 

When it disappeared for the 12th time, he understood that it has to be

confined over the yantra (the tantrik motif). As he did so, image of

Hanuman appeared on the rock.

 

Hanuman therefore sits here in the padmasana posture in the middle of

the yantra. The yantra is inside a circle on whose edges you find 12

monkeys (the images of whom disappeared before) forming a garland. It

also contains Beejha mantras and Dwadashanamas.

 

720 idols of hanuman

 

Vyasaraya became a staunch devotee of Hanuman and it is said that he

installed 720 idols of Hanuman. All his images of the god are

characterised by a bell at the end of his tail and a tuft of hair on his

head, usually depicted wearing garlands of sacred Tulsi leaves.

 

The Enthrodaraka Hanuman has the Vaishnavite attributes of conch,

discus, sun and the moon, but not the bell and tuft of hair and Tulsi

mala. That probably was a later idea of the Acharya.

 

Considered sacred, Enthrodaraka Hanuman is powerful, alleviates his

devotees' sufferings and grants their wishes. The great Dasa Vachanas

composed by Haridasa specifies the special powers of this Hanuman.

 

Goddess Tulsamma

 

A shrine for goddess Tulasamma (Tulsi) adorns Enthrodaraka temple's

outer courtyard.

 

As someone loved and finally married Lord Vishnu, Tulsi is considered a

sacred plant and is found in Vishnu temples. Women clad in traditional

attires who come to offer prayers to Hanuman, first pay their obeisance

to Tulasamma.

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