Amid Gyanvapi controversy, dispute rages over Lord Hanuman’s birthplace
Highlights
- Mahant Govind Das has claimed that Kishkindha in Karnataka is birthplace of Lord Hanuman
- Das has given an open challenge to debate on the issue
- In Hindu mythology, there are different versions of where the Lord Hanuman was born
Amid the raging controversy over the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, a new tussle has emerged over the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Mahant Govind Das has claimed that Kishkindha in Karnataka is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Das has refuted the claim that Lord Hanuman was born in Anjaneri in Maharashtra. He arrived at Trimbakeshwar in Nashik today to discuss and debate on the issue.
Kishkindha's mahant Govind Das has given an open challenge to priests and scholars in Nashik to debate the issue and ascertain the facts regarding the original birthplace of Lord Hanuman.
Anjaneri, one of the forts in the mountain range of Nasik-Trimbakeshwar, is considered to be the birthplace of the god Hanuman. Anjaneri is located 20 km away from Nasik by Trimbak Road. It is named after Hanuman's mother, Anjani. There is a temple of Anjani Mata along with Lord Hanuman on Anjaneri hill. It is said that Hanumanji was born on this mountain.
Although, the debate over the birthplace of Lord Hanuman is not new. Earlier, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which governs the ancient shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala had claimed that Lord Hanuman's birthplace was Anjanadri, a hillock at Japali Theertham located about 5 km from north of the hill temple. The announcement was made by a TTD constituted committee of scholars from different fields led by Prof Muralidhara Sharma, vice-chancellor of National Sanskrit University in Tirupati, in the presence of Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit.
The committee said Anjandri is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, popularly known as Sri Anjaneya Swamy in south India. A booklet with 'epigraphical, scientific and mythological evidence', projecting Anjanadri, one of the seven hills at Tirumala, as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman was released.
TTD's claim on the topic of Hanuman's birthplace created a stir in religious, archaeological, and political circles in Karnataka because Hampi near Ballari is considered 'Kishkindha Kshetra' or monkey kingdom for ages. While some archaeology and history scholars have dismissed the TTD's claim, the Karnataka unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad has said the TTD should take some more time and hold discussions with scholars and religious heads before arriving at any conclusion.
In Hindu mythology, there are different versions of where the Lord Hanuman was born. Some tales have Hanuman as being born in a cave in Anjan village in Gumla district of Jharkhand while some others claim his birthplace as Maharashtra's Anjaneri hills near Nashik. The temple of Lord Venkateswara is located on Venkatadri hill, the seventh and Narayanadri, Seshadri and Garudadri are among the other hills of Tirumala. Hanuman is also hailed as 'Vayuputra' and as the son of Anjana Devi who did 'tapas' in one of the seven hills of Tirumala and it was named after her as 'Anjanadri.'
